Expedition Reaches "Pole of Cold"
Industry News Notes
Land Rover and The Royal Geographical Society recently supported an expedition to reach the “Pole of Cold,” recipients of the sixth annual Land Rover Bursary. The expedition headed out from the UK, through Scandinavia, above the Arctic Circle, to NordKapp at the top of Europe, across the Trans-Siberian Highway, and recently reached their goal of Oymyakon, Russia, aka “Pole of Cold.” Travelling more than 20,000 km, the team celebrated Christmas Day three times, rounded up reindeer with the Skolt Sami tribe, drove on frozen rivers and recorded temperatures as low as -58 degrees C. The Oymyakon region earned its title as the “Pole of Cold” when -67.7 degrees C was recorded in February 1933. The team was led by experienced British adventurer Felicity Aston, and included Manu Palomeque, a photographer and filmmaker, and Gisli Jonsson, a highly experienced cold-weather engineer, mechanic and winter driving advisor. The expedition set out to explore the social, cultural and physical implications of living in the most extreme climates during winter, and so far, the team has met a diverse range of communities and individuals.