Bulletin #1 - Expedition departs
12 NOVEMBER PRESS BULLLETIN
The Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition team members are about to start out on their glorious expedition to the South Pole.
Today the team set off for their base camp in Antarctica where they will stay for a week acclimatising to the harsh conditions and completing their pre-expedition preparations. The team spent their previous week in Punta Arenas, Chile. They have now left South America aboard a specially equipped aircraft bound for Antarctica. The 4 ½ hour flight is only undertaken a few times each year during the short austral summer and the team are on the very first flight to be attempted this season.
The flight over the Southern Ocean to the remotest continent on Earth depends entirely upon the weather conditions. At any point the aircraft may be forced to return to South America by deteriorating weather conditions. Only when the team have passed the PNR (Point of No Return) will they know that they will definitely reach their destination.
The aircraft will convey the members of the Kaspersky Lab’s Commonwealth Antarcti Expedition to Patriot Hills, the only commercial base camp in Antarctica. Lying in the lee of a range of mountains which includes Antarctica’s tallest peak, Mt Vinson, Patriot Hills is situated near a vast area of naturally occurring blue ice. This ice is used as a runway.
Once at Patriot Hills the team will spend a week acclimatising to average temperatures of between -20C and -40C. They will also have to contend with 24-hour daylight, dazzling scenery that is so bright that it can cause blindness and the constant threat of serious sunburn due to the lack of Ozone above Antarctica.
The Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition will see women from eight Commonwealth countries – Brunei Darussalam, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom – brave blizzards, crevasses and temperatures below minus 40° as they ski 900 kilometres over approximately 40 days to the Geographic South Pole. On reaching their target, the team members from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana and Jamaica will be the first people from their respective nations, male or female, to ski to the South Pole. Those from India, New Zealand and Singapore will be the first women from their nations to make this symbolic and prestigious journey.
“Only a great team is capable of performing the great deeds”, said the representatives of Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. “Together with Kaspersky Lab we make an outstanding team and we believe our expedition will become one of the most eminent historical events ever! From the bottom of our hearts we’d like to thank Kaspersky Lab for being with us on the turning point of our lives and sharing our spirit of adventure!”
The expedition marks the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth as well as demonstrating the potential for greater international understanding and exchange and highlights the achievements of women across the World.
For more information and photos...
Use our Online Resource for press images and documents relating to the Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antartic Expedition. This can be found online by clicking the link below. More images will be added as the team progress.
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