Gareth Brauteseth

I have said quite a bit about the Ilyusion IL 76 that is the mainstay of what happens in our corner of Antarctica, but that isn’t the only little machine that makes all the projects tick.

There are a few more vehicles that, for the lack of a better explanation, are larger than life.

The Perfect Parking Lot

Modified “Hilux for the Ice” is my natural favourite.

This incredible vehicle was made famous the world over when Jeremy Clarkson and his mates raced to the North Pole in a red one. Orders apparently started streaming in and now even you can buy one. For 100 000 euro you can drive one wherever you want because to be absolutely honest there is not much stopping you.

The Dashboard

One only needs to look at the accessory panel to realize what a crazy car this is. Compressors, heaters, winches, auxillary pumps, other pumps, fuel tank isolators and the list goes on.

A real collection of accesories

The modifications for the ice are actually crucial because without them they would just slide around and look like toys. One of the major aspects of the conversion is obviously the size of the tyres and the raised suspension. Each tyre has 437 metal studs that get drilled into them which have the same effect as crampons on ice.

The pilots are all Icelandic and if they are representative of the whole of Iceland, well then I think Iceland has the most helpful, friendliest nation on earth. Yeah, sure, they have volcanoes that mess up flight patterns in Europe, but they are awesome.

Arctic trucks are a team we will never forget. They winched our man out of a crevasse, they fixed our skidoos, they started our heaters, they fixed our skidoos again, they supplied Vodka and they did it all with a smile on their face. Big thanks to Gisli, Ayo, Frere, Gisli , Hlynar and Ghumi

The crew can make or break an adventure. It can deliver you alive and safe or it can be the reason for never being seen again and being remembered as that guy who went on an adventure once…

The crew of White Desert was the best in the business.

The Captain

The captain of the ship was Patrick Woodhead. Patrick leads the life that people dream of. Coming out of college having studied ancient history he worked for Transworld sport documenting some of the most extreme sporting events in the world. He then moved in front of the camera becoming an expeditioner himself. With two Antarctic expeditions under his belt and many visits to the continent he thought it fitting to share this great expanse with those who share a passion for this environment. White Desert was the result. He is also a published author, published in 14 languages-impressive!

Jenna Viney

Jenna Viney is the official camp manager and chef. She leads a similar enviable life of an adventure chef. Yes, an adventure chef. Together with Patrick she has built White Desert into the camp that it is today and if you ask any guest of White Desert what the highlight of their trip was, food will definitely rank high on the response list. When not in Antarctica, Jen chefs in Russia, Greece and on expedition. This year she is going to be cooking up a storm in the Himalayas and at the North Pole. She has a fat Passport.

Steph Husson

Steph Husson is best described as a king. A world Champion Ice Cimber and philosopher, Steph can keep you thinking around the camp fire well into the morning. He hails from Chamonix France where he is developing for himself an impressive career as a Reggae artist. He manages an Ice Climbing wall where he is nurturing the new wave of world class ice climbers. Steph has some impressive peaks to his name and has completed many expeditions in the fjords of Norway climbing frozen waterfalls and opening new peaks in Antarctica.

Sam Beaugey

Sam Beugey is a crazy individual that will make you seriously reconsider why you sit behind a desk day in and day out. This man climbs mountains and jumps off them. He flies like a bird and sometime crashes like thunder. With an intimate knowledge of the edge of the envelope Sam is living proof of making every second count. He has snowboarded down Mt Everest, Base Jumped all over the world and does an incredible impersonation of UPee (the unidentified penguin).

Bill Dwyer

Bill Dwyer is a machine. A high mountain guide on Denali (the highest peak in North America), Bill knows how do live in the cold and to show people the cold. He lives in Juneau, the capital of Alaska and the Alaskan wilderness is his playground. He paddles with whales, runs with bears and has his very own glacier that acts as a frozen sandpit to play in. Juneau only has 40km of paved roads, so to get out and explore the great beyond one moves into the bush, and Bill is the guy who explores that bush like no other in Alaska.

Gareth Brauteseth

Oh, and then there is me, Gareth Brauteseth. My forte is Africa, chaos, people, tropical sun, water, surfing, swimming, running. My altitude is Table Mountain and my cold is swimming in the Cape Town water. I was a bit out of my depth, I needed all these guys to help me survive this place.

These are the crew that bring the White Desert to life, they make you laugh, make you scream out in anger and share with you one of the most incredible landscapes this planet has to offer. They became a family and they became pretty impressive brothers and sisters at that.

Steph Husson climbing in Antarctica

So, I am finally back from a long stint on the ice.

Wow, an amazing experience of sheer vastness. If anyone asks me to describe Antarctica that would be it- VAST!!!

Everything is just impressive down there.

The Nunatak across the glacier from our camp was VAST, the high Polar Plateau was Vast, the view from the South Pole was VAST, the emperor penguins were VAST and the drinking ability of our neighbours in Queen Maud land was also vast.

It was an experience that will never be forgotten and over the next few weeks I will be bringing a few of the characters to life here on my blog.

The picture I have included above is just a quick sneak peak of our surroundings. Steph Husson climbing a pitch over a frozen lake with a 300m icefall in the background.

This was our playground!!!

My time In Antarctica is coming to an end, in ten days I will be boarding the Ilyusion and flying back to the Land of possibility the land that beats to its own pulse, Africa, and at the very tip our rainbow nation South Africa-MZANSI.

It has been an incredible trip and there have been some amazing experiences that I will definitely share in the coming days and weeks. I have come out of this foray on the ice once again feeling the spirit of adventure.

South Africa is alive with adventurers, some plan for months an execute first time solo descents of rivers, some fly for the first time of the 7 summits, some swim at the top of the world and some don their suits and head out to work.

I see this light burning in every African and it makes me proud.

2010 was a great year for the adventuring spirit, millions of us donned the gold and green of Bafana Bafana and waltzed down to a stadium, a TV screen or just a radio. Tshabala adventured his foot onto the side of a leather ball which found the back of the net that opened up the goals, voices and hearts of the World Cup. Lewis Pugh adventured to a high altitude lake and into a Speedo to show just what global warming is making possible and it is scary that it is a reality. My sister adventured back home after far too long a stay in Europe. Ryan Sandes adventured his way to victory in the desert races. Mike Horn is rounding the world on Pangaea.

We have had a good year!

With adventure life is real, and with life being real death also crops its nasty head.

I read today, bundled up in an Antarctic cabin, of the tragedy earlier in December on the Lukuga River in the Congo. Hendrik Coetzee, living to the beat of his heart was tragically killed by a crocodile while guiding an expedition. Thoughts and prayers to Hendrik’s friends family and everyone that was influenced by such a spirit.

The reality of adventure eventually comes calling, but I urge all of you to find that flame of adventure inside of you today, and feed it with some fuel and let it grow until we can see it sparkling in your eyes.

“We look at the dawn and it’s an African dawn, We feel how we feel because we are African Born”