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<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><keyword id="1761201" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Coldest-Journey">The Coldest Journey</keyword><keyword id="1775448" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anton-Bowring">Anton Bowring</keyword> (right) with expedition leader <keyword id="1513213" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ranulph-Fiennes">Ranulph Fiennes</keyword> in Cape Town.</div>Last month, a group of explorers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ranulph-fiennes-attempts-to-cross-the-antarctic-in-winter-2013-1">set off on an expedition to be the first to cross the Antarctic during winter</a>. 
A six-man Ice Team, led by legendary British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, will travel more 2,000 miles across a polar plateau in mostly permanent darkness and temperatures that regularly dip to minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit. 
63-year-old Anton Bowring is the expedition's co-leader. He won't take part in the actual crossing, but accompanied the Ice Team to Crown Bay in Eastern <keyword id="6354781" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Antarctica">Antarctica</keyword> aboard a polar ship called SA Agulhas. 
The ship made landfall on Jan. 22 and has spent the last week unloading around 90 tons of heavy equipment. 
Writing from the ship, Bowring tell us that the biggest risk happens before the proper journey even begins. 
The worst possible scenario is that "we lose a vital piece of equipment as we unload onto the ice shelf," Bowring says.
The SA Agulhas has been sitting with her nose in a 13-foot high ice edge as a big crane moves equipment from the ship to land, including two heavy snow vehicles, sledges, shelters, jet fuel and food.
"If the ice broke away, we could lose one of these items and the expedition would be scuppered!" 
There was at least one point during the unloading process when it seemed like Bowring's nightmare scenario was about to come true. 
A large rubber bladder for storing fuel fell off a pallet as it was being craned from ship to shore. 
"It looked as though it was going to land in the sea, but, thankfully it dropped into soft snow on the edge of the shelf ice and lodged there," Bowring <a href="http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/home/blog/2013/01/23/crown-bay-update-3/">wrote in a blog post</a>. A team member lowered himself down with ropes and a harness to rescue the bladder. "We have no spares. To lose it would have been a disaster."

Historic Antarctic Expedition's Nightmare Scenario Almost Came True

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=494082910632775&amp;set=pb.439802419394158.-2207520000.1359739792&amp;type=3&amp;theater">The Coldest Journey </a>Ran taking a rest while exercising on deck of the SA Agulhas</div>Cold is the single biggest enemy for the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-coldest-journey-pictures-2013-1">six-man ice team attempting to be the first to cross Antarctica during the winter</a>. 
They've made every preparation possible, but still can't be sure their equipment will be enough. 
The explorers, led by Ranulph Fiennes, arrived in Eastern <keyword id="6354781" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Antarctica">Antarctica</keyword> on a polar ship about 10 days ago, with a large crew that will soon return home with the ship. They promptly began unloading 90 tons of cargo, including two heavy snow vehicles, sledges and fuel, to assist in a a six-month trek across the white continent beginning on March 21. 
With temperatures known to dip as low as minus 130 degree Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius) during the winter, high-tech clothing and specially-modified equipment for the snow and ice is the team's only defense again interminable wind and cold. 
The problem is, Antarctica is so darn cold, that the team members were not able to properly test their two main life-lines before the big trip. 
"The trouble is that in the UK test chambers only go down to -58 Celsius (-72.4 Fahrenheit). Therefore it is unclear how the clothing and equipment will stand up to the seriously harsh conditions," expedition co-leader Anton Bowring, who will not be making the trek across the icy continent, wrote us from the ship. 
He adds: "However, we are confident that everything possible has been done during the past five years of planning to ensure that we have a good chance of success." 
You can <a href="http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/">follow The Coldest Journey team</a> on their blog or check out <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-coldest-journey-pictures-2013-1">our slideshow</a> to see how their expedition has been going so far.

Antarctic Ice Team Doesn't Know If Their Clothing Will Hold Up To Harsh Temperatures

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div>AP ImagesExplorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes pictured in 2009 after conquering Mt. Everest</div>Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the leader of an expedition to cross the Antarctic in winter, has been forced to pull out due to severe frostbite, <a href="https://twitter.com/bbcbreaking/status/306031733525082114">the</a><a href="https://twitter.com/bbcbreaking/status/306031733525082114"> BBC reports</a>.
Fiennes, 68, and five other men arrived on <keyword id="6354781" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Antarctica">Antarctica</keyword> toward the end of January. They planned to begin their 2,400-mile trek across the icy continent, in temperatures that can dip as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit, on March 21. If successful, it would make them the first to cross the continent in winter.
But now the "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sir-ranulph-fiennes-sawed-off-his-own-finger-tips-after-sustaining-frostbite-2013-1">the world's greatest living explorer</a>" is out. His condition must be pretty serious given that he once <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sir-ranulph-fiennes-sawed-off-his-own-finger-tips-after-sustaining-frostbite-2013-1">sawed off his own frostbitten fingertips</a>. 
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21577758">According to the BBC</a>, Fiennes "was injured after an accident while skiing during a whiteout." He fell on the ice and had to take off his gloves to fix a ski binding. Temperatures were around around minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The decision was thus made to evacuate him. 
“Ran has suffered an accident to his hand which effectively makes his continued participation in the expedition more of a liability than an asset,” an expedition spokesperson said, <a href="http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/local/twigg-s-dismay-as-explorer-quits-antarctica-expedition-1-5445192">according to the Derbyshire Times</a>. 
The other five members of the expedition are expected to continue the <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword>. 
The dangers of the trip were well-known from the beginning. Before the ice team made landfall, co-leader Anton Bowring <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/co-leader-of-historic-antarctic-expedition-predicts-something-bad-will-happen-2013-1">predicted that something bad will happen</a>. Even with five years of preparation, they <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/antarctic-ice-team-has-no-idea-if-their-clothing-will-withstand-harsh-temperatures-2013-2">didn't know if their clothing would hold up in the harsh polar conditions</a>. 
Ran will continue to support the journey through fundraising. 
This video of crew member Ian Prickett was <a href="http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/home/blog/2013/02/21/whiteout-video/">posted to The Coldest Journey blog on Feb. 22</a>. It gives you a pretty good idea of the kind of inhospitable conditions the team faces.

Leader Of Historic Antarctic Expedition Pulls Out With Severe Frostbite

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.ranulphfiennes.co.uk/page/profile">Ranulph Fiennes</a>Sir <keyword id="1513213" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ranulph-Fiennes">Ranulph Fiennes</keyword></div>Famed British explorer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ranulph-fiennes-attempts-to-cross-the-antarctic-in-winter-2013-1">Sir Ranulph Fiennes and five other team members set sail from Cape Town yesterday</a> aboard the SA Agulhas, a 367-foot polar ship that will take the crew to the coldest place on Earth during the coldest season. Their goal is to be the first to cross the Antarctic during the winter. 
The journey is considered so dangerous that the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office only <a href="http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/home/expedition/the-coldest-journey/">recently agreed to grant permission for a winter expedition</a>. Technological innovations, including heated clothing and ground radar that can detect crevices in the icy terrain, have made the trek less risky. 
But the trip is still stacked with hazards. Temperatures can dip as low as minus 130 Fahrenheit, which is cold enough to cause frostbite in just seconds. The team will be also be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-typical-travel-day-during-coldest-journey-on-earth-2013-1">traveling an average of 22 miles a day in complete darkness</a>. If something bad did happen, the explorers would be trapped. A rescue plane cannot fly in such frigid temperatures because the fuel would freeze. 
Expedition co-leader Anton Bowring, who is traveling on the ship but will not cross the continent, is convinced that a future crisis is a certainty and not an exception. 
Here's an excerpt from a <a href="http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/home/blog/2013/01/07/antons-sixth-blog/">blog post</a> written on the day of departure:
For the expedition team, this was it. For the next 12 months they will be alone in <keyword id="6354781" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Antarctica">Antarctica</keyword>. Once they set off on the winter crossing, no one can help them. They must succeed by employing their skills and ingenuity. Search and rescue are out of the question and everything around them will be contriving to stop them and break both man and machine in the intolerable cold and darkness. At last, the reality of this daunting task was becoming nearer and clearer. The fun of the voyage south from London was giving way to the apprehension and tension that traveling further south was sure to bring. Leaving civilization was inevitable. This moment was bound to come. It will be extraordinary if something bad doesn't happen during the crawl across 2,400 miles of ice in temperatures of -70°C and perpetual darkness where crevasses can swallow up a 25-ton bulldozer in the blink of a frosted eye. Biting winds and piercing blizzards will replace the balmy splendour of the South African summer. This was the moment that the stark reality suddenly sank in.
Even Fiennes, who became the <a href="http://www.ranulphfiennes.co.uk/page/expeditions">first person ever to summit Mount Everest and cross both polar ice caps</a> in 2009, among his many other feats, revealed his trepidation ahead of the historic crossing. 
"I usually look forward to expeditions, but there is such a big degree of uncertainty with this one that looking forward to it is probably not the exact right word," Fiennes said, <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20130108/NEWS07/301080141/British-explorer-Sir-Ranulph-Fiennes-team-tackles-risky-polar-winter-challenge">according to the Associated Press</a> citing South Africa's government broadcaster.
The crew should reach the Antarctic within the next few weeks. They will begin the more than 2,000-mile journey on March 21 and should complete the crossing in September.

Co-Leader Of Historic Antarctic Expedition Predicts 'Something Bad Will Happen'

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div>AP ImagesExplorer <keyword id="1513213" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ranulph-Fiennes">Ranulph Fiennes</keyword> pictured in 2009 after conquering Mt. Everest. </div>Sir Ranulph Fiennes is touted as "the world's greatest living explorer." 
He has earned his reputation by surviving the most hostile environments on Earth. This includes being the first person to visit both the North and South Poles, and scaling Mt. Everest.
The British adventurer's latest record-breaking expedition takes him to <keyword id="6354781" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Antarctica">Antarctica</keyword>. Fiennes, joined by five other explorers, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-typical-travel-day-during-coldest-journey-on-earth-2013-1">will attempt to be the first to cross the continent during winter</a>. 
He plans to complete the more than 2,485-mile journey on skis, but will receive some support from heavy snow vehicles. 
The mission is filled with unexpected dangers. Expedition co-leader Anton Bowring has already <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/co-leader-of-historic-antarctic-expedition-predicts-something-bad-will-happen-2013-1">predicted that something bad will happen</a>. Even Fiennes expressed a tinge of doubt when he wrote that the team stands "a reasonable chance of success" in a <a href="http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/home/blog/2013/01/09/ran-blog/">recent blog post</a>.
But one story from Fiennes past gives us confidence that the veteran explorer will be make it out alive — or at the very least, a look at the true grit of his character. 
In 2000, Fiennes traveled across the Arctic alone. Along the way, his sled carrying all of his food and equipment fell through the ice. Fiennes had no choice but to pull the sled free because he was on his own. He pulled off his gloves and dipped his left hand into the frigid water, which hovered around 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
"My fingers were ramrod stiff and ivory white. They might as well have been wood ... I had seen enough frostbite in others to realize I was in serious trouble. I had to turn back," <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2007/oct/05/features11.g21">Fiennes wrote in his autobiography</a>. 
The explorer was evacuated the next day. Fiennes learned at the hospital that the top third of all of his fingers and half of his thumb would have to be amputated. The surgery would cost more than £6,000 (over $9,000 today). Fiennes wasn't keen on spending that kind of money to lob off his digits. 
So he took matters into his own hands (This next bit is not for those with a weak stomach): 
"I purchased a set of fretsaw blades at the village shop, put the little finger in my Black &amp; Decker folding table's vice, and gently sawed through the dead skin and bone just above the live skin line," he wrote. "The moment I felt pain or spotted blood, I moved further into the dead zone. I also turned the finger around several times and cut into it from different sides. This worked well, and the little finger's knuckle finally dropped off after some two hours of work."
Three years later he ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. 
Fiennes will begin his Antarctic expedition on March 21. It will take around six months to complete the journey, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-typical-travel-day-during-coldest-journey-on-earth-2013-1">trekking around 22 miles a day</a>, mostly in complete darkness.

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Historic Antarctic Expedition's Nightmare Scenario Almost Came True

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