Borne Arctic Challenge 2018

Borne Arctic Challenge 2018

Armadillo Merino® is proud to support the Borne Arctic Challenge. Everyday, premature babies face the ultimate struggle for survival in their fight for life.  This April, a courageous team of Borne supporters set themselves an extreme challenge: to walk to the North Pole and raise £750,000 for new research into the causes of preterm birth.  They accomplished this goal and challenged themselves to the extreme to achieve this.

fact7web-extreme cold.pngTeam Borne faced their own test of survival as they traversed the Arctic Ocean, one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet. The distances are immense, the ice conditions unstable, the weather unpredictable, and there is no escape from the extreme cold. Temperatures were between -25C and -45C. There are not many places on earth more challenging, route and extreme.
 
How far and how hard?

The team set off from Barneo Camp, a temporary Russian ice base established on an ice floe in the Arctic Circle. From there it was a 100km traverse to the North Pole. The team walked 8 hours a day across constantly moving sea ice, pulling a 60 kg sledge with all of the vital essentials needed to be self sufficient in this inhospitable environment. They consumed 6,000 calories a day.

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Credit: Borne Arctic Trek

The Team

The team was a diverse group of Borne supporters who are united in their commitment to raise awareness of the consequences of premature birth, and to raise funds for Borne to continue its vital research.

The team includes:

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  • World Cup rugby stars Will Greenwood MBE and Dean Mumm
  • Ex-Special Forces operative from the reality TV series SAS: Who Dares Wins, Jason Fox
  • Borne Chairman and investment banker, Julian Mylchreest
  • DelekUS chairman Uzi Yemen
  • Film producer Georgie Breitmeyer
  • Orthodontist Neil Counihan
  • Banker Alex Kroner
  • Entrepreneur Joey Worlidge.

The expedition will be led by celebrated polar explorer Alan Chambers MBE. 

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Quotes from the expedition
 
"A very busy day today getting ready for the expedition. Packing. Repacking. Ski, tent and sledge packing demonstrations. The rule is “if you pack it, you drag it” so a few selective choices today about what goes and what stays. The polar bear trip wire is definitely going." - from the team prior to departure.
Polar bear trip wire...
"We had 4 x 90 minute walks planned, with 20 minute breaks, and we allowed for the occasional 5 minute crevasse crossing" - Will Greenwood on how the team moved each day.
 
"What was on the menu tonight? Oriental chicken and cinnamon rice pudding flavoured by melted Arctic snow. Yum.
The adventure has begun… and as we drift off into restful slumber, we wonder how far the ice we are sleeping on will drift overnight, in our favour or against?" - Julian Mylchreest at the end of Day 1
 
The ice drifted 2 miles overnight and the group covered 8.8 miles today. Spirits are high. (Sometimes you do get something for free.)
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Photo credit: Borne Arctic Trek
 
"We thought we had the water cracked, but an hour later, came across another big break in the ice where we stood and watched the ice blocks moving before us… big crunching noises, water rumbling, ice blocks falling off the big wall that was being pushed up." - Julian Mylchreest during day 2.
 
"Stop. Listen. That’s billions of tonnes of ice moving.” ~ another of Alan’s amazing insights as a 15 year polar ice veteran.  
 
"Mother Nature had today put the Pole in a good place for us – not on a ridge but on a flat stretch surrounded by rubble – and rubble that now looked beautiful as opposed to the challenge it had been the last few days." -  Julian Mylchreest on reaching the North Pole
 
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Photo credit: Borne Arctic Trek
 

How is Armadillo Merino supporting the challenge?

  • Will Greenwood, Alan Chambers and Jason Fox will all be wearing Armadillo Merino® base layer. Expert testing, and feedback is invaluable and we look forward to their comments post challenge.
  • Shop using the BAT18 code, you get a 20% discount, and we donate 20% of the net sale to the Borne Charity. Offer expires 30 June, 2018.About the Borne Charity

 

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Borne is a medical research charity based in Imperial College School of Medicine‘s facilities at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Our aim is to identify the causes of premature birth to save lives, prevent disability and create lifelong health for mothers and babies. Learn more at http://www.borne.org.uk/

How can you support the Team?

Visit the Borne Arctic Challenge April 2018 JustGiving page, or purchase Armadillo Merino and use BAT18 discount code at checkout.

Learn more

You can read about the challenge at: http://www.borne.org.uk/support-us/borne-arctic-challenge/

Will Greenwood and Jason Fox spoke to Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt on BBC Breakfast. Video courtesy of BBC Breakfast. Photos by Jake Turney and Will Douglas.

 

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