Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Russians Drive To Canada - Over The North Pole

Russian explorers headed home Thursday after proving it is possible to drive from Russia to Canada across the North Pole, in buses with bloated tires over drifting ice, using a pickaxe to clear the way.

Their two-and-a-half-month hitherto untried odyssey aimed to road test the hand-crafted vehicles on ice and water, conduct a few , and bring together a band of adventurers drawn to the vast and pristine Arctic, expedition leader Vassili Ielaguine said during a stopover in Ottawa.

 During the trip the team encountered dangerous situations including a large chasm in the ice which initially seemed impossible to cross. As they pondered what to do however the ice suddenly shifted, temporarily bridging the gap. Quickly the men revved the engines and charged across not a moment too soon, as only two minutes later the ice shifted for a second time, re-opening the chasm they had only just crossed.

Read more about it HERE  and HERE
At one point "Heaven helped us," said Ielaguine, describing coming upon a wide chasm that appeared too dangerous to cross and almost forced them to take a long detour, risking that they might run out of fuel.
Suddenly the ice floes shifted beneath their feet and closed over the ahead of them. They kicked the vans in gear and drove, but barely two minutes after crossing to the other side the gap opened up again.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-russians-russia-canada-north-pole.html#jCp

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