Second Arctic expedition attempt on Alaska's North Slope in winter. Impossible? [4K]

[@davecoz4227]

Excellent video. I must confess that the sight of your flapjack making led me to wonder how does one deal with bodily functions on minus 40c. Assuming that such functions don't shrivel and pucker up in such low temperatures. I appreciate it mightn't make for a KZbin -friendly video. But perhaps a few words?

[@teeanahera8949]

As a ski tourer bodily functions are dealt with the same everywhere BUT I’m not talking about when it’s -40ºc, Aussie ski touring rarely sees below minus 7ºc, you poop quickly into a hole in the snow and burn your toilet paper.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Very quickly, with a large nitrile glove over your liner glove, and with a roll of paper centrefed and positioned just inside your jacket for easy access.

[@davecoz4227]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Many thanks for the reply

[@stevec-b6214]

really quick?

[@nelsonstree436]

Sorry it didn't work out. I'm glad you made it back safely

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Cheers

[@pepperspray7386]

some military vehicles have belly wheels to prevent getting stuck, would a middle skid that only engages when the other two sink help prevent getting stuck?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Sounds clever but another thing to break!

[@DavidPaabo]

Watching this painful but brutally honest and sad account of yet another failed arctic expedition reminded me of the great 2009 British film Beyond the Pole. There really is something to be said for the stoicism and tenacity of British arctic explorers. Where as others would quit and quietly move on to something else, there is a great courage in admitting failure, learning and pushing onwards to inevitable great success. I think the next 10 years or so hold great things for you, keep going.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Generous. Thank you.

[@MCallsen]

19:56 This reminds me of a facility in London of the same name ... someone pointed me to it. Can't fully remember ... ;)

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Goodness! Which?

[@AustinSmith-ty3ub]

You should look up the malamute man. He’s up there every year

[@SailingWithDave]

and there was me complaing about -0.5°C this weekend in Liverpool!!!

[@TimoNoko]

Did you piss on the pulkka's skis? That is what Lapps do to make sliding surfaces suitable for any temperature. That is what we did as kids too, mainly because plastic pulkkas wear out so fast.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Ha! We didn't. Even in the Inuit communities I've spent time in, they've long since ended that practice since the advent of HDPE and UHMWPE runners.

[@rudydedogg6505]

Alex, Those oatmeal bars look good and could come in handy in an SHTF situation. Could you provide the recipe or a link to it? As always, a great video! Many thanks.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

He posted a recipe around the last expedition

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

it's a card 'link' at that point in the vid. Bon appetit.

[@rudydedogg6505]

Thanks, Alex!

[@gafrers]

These are always the Best videos. No offense to Alan and all the work on it

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thank you. They take a lot more time and work, but sadly the view counts don't tend to reflect. Oh Alan....

[@gafrers]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Number of views, subs, etc often seem to be inversely proportional to the quality of content, not only on YT. Thank You for bringing us with you towards the N pole

[@julian281198]

it seems that there are strong winds present in the tundra, so why not use some kind of sail? either a small one to assist you with pulling the sledge or a big one to pull everything.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Kite skiing is another form of locomotion on snow. It's not my 'style' as I'm a specialist in human-power journeys.

[@DougVarble]

Great attempt thanks for sharing. Look forward to your next adventure.🎉

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Cheers Doug

[@barney2001]

Excellent video. Must have been very frustrating. In those conditions, common sense is an excellent skill. No one wants to do a Franklin. I have a few ideas/questions that I am sure you have considered so just let me waffle in ignorance: I wonder if snowshoes wouldn’t be better as they provide more traction as you don’t seem to be able to do the xc glide? What if the ski’s on the sleds were much longer, like the ones Inuit use behind snowmobiles? But, as I said, ‘I know nothing!’

[@teeanahera8949]

You can’t save on energy with a downhill slope with snow shoes compared with gliding down on skis with very little input. Cross country skis have excellent traction, they come in double or single camber so that as you ski forward your weight flattens the ski onto the snow and the fish scale effect on the bottom grabs the snow. When striding the camber pops the middle of the ski up and doesn’t have much contact with the snow as you push off with the other leg. I’m not sure what they use for Arctic touring but we use X-country downhill with full length metal edges, the metal edges gain traction on ice. Crossing holes or possibly crevasses is easier and safer with 1,800mm skis than snow shoes. But I have never worn snow shoes so I am just guessing. Btw, what is a “Franklin”?

[@ovetown3184]

Scarifice weight for adding 4 wife wheels that can be switched out for the skies on the fly?

[@karsnoordhuis4351]

Out of curiosity: have you experimented with additives in the epoxy of the sled? You can do some weird and wonderful stuff by adding different fillers to the epoxy including a non-stick/super slippery effect.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

We did an experiment with Easy Composites actually. The additives had little to no effect.

[@peterwooldridge7285]

Smashing...As to Alaska Airlines ive also found them to be very hot and miss in terms of service and efficiency...Could that be put down to the temperature variations???

[@PinkLittleElephant]

I am oddly fascinated by all the care and planning and experience that goes into these expeditions . Also refreshing is the considered decision making, free from ego and macho posturing.

[@ThePaulv12]

Yeah me too. I feel it's vicarious, in other words Alex is doing it so I don't have to LOL.

[@r-urbex1611]

A macho ego would probably get you killed out there

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Appreciated

[@larion3296]

Very interesting in spite of a truncated voyage. I live in Northern Sweden but have only limited experience of these type of long distance trips. I spent a few hours outside at below -30 degrees Celsius this winter, working in the wilderness. It is OK if you dress correctly, but I do not think I could go on for days and weeks outside in these temperatures. Good on you for stopping when conditions are not right. Really easy to hurt yourself seriously, and at these temperatures it is really dangerous. Regarding the sledge I think it is better to have a large surface area, to reduce friction and sinking down into the snow. But I might be wrong considering the possibility if pressure creating a more slippery contact surface. But try to find the right ski wax that improves gliding in these temperatures. Together with the correct coating, probably some sort of carbon for best glide (such as for cross country skis). One option could be to buy several crosscountry skis for skating and mount them in parallell under the sledge, like 4-8 skis.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thanks, Although, I've found the friction introduced sub-30 or so negates the effect and longevity of waxes. UHMWPE runners were exceptionally low friction, and still suffered.

[@larion3296]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals I guess that you have tested most of this already. There is not much cross country skiiing going on in these temperatures, mostly since it is too hard on the lungs below -20 degrees Celsius so the information about glide waxes or similar at this cold is limited. I think that perhaps the structure of the contact area could be manipulated also. Perhaps trying to contact the people doing the ski wax for the Swedish or Norwegian National crosscountry ski teams to see if they have some advice. Some of them are full-time employees, and are very much studying this, but mostly for slightly higher temperatures. But I would try to increase the contact area with UHMWPE and see it if it helps.

[@mobilewintercamp7515]

You used canister stoves to instead of liquid multi fuel. What model was it ? You had no problems in that temp and why that choice?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It's a liquid stove - a Coleman Sportster. It does resemble a gas canister I know - airlines get confused!

[@greengraycolor]

How about attaching fat bike wheels to the sledge?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Fat bikes have proven rather awful in polar conditions!

[@TheEasyRail]

​@@AlexHibbertOriginals not bikes but wheels...

[@TheEasyRail]

Due to heavy windblow snow you don't really need skis for pulk to stay on top as it's rockhard and very shallow. Fat wheels would easily rollover the surface. I would even look something like solid rubber tires from wheelbarrows.

[@krimke881]

How can I make my own sledge? I really like DYI gear. Even if it's just for 2-3 trips a year in my favourite mountain areas.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

You need to make a mould first kzbin.info/www/bejne/opqapppqYtBno80

[@GingerPiston]

Foiled again! I've got to ask; what happened to all those leftover flapjacks?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Yum yum yum

[@TheUffeess]

Have you researched how people in Siberia move on skis with sleds in really cold conditions?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

In most cases, by using animals, machines, or accepting lower daily mileages!

[@jgriff3218]

The little pump stove, is that used as a heat source and a stove? How much fuel is required for the journey? I picked up the save unit just for emergency in my vehicle during the winter months. Just did not know the burn rate.

[@dacomazielsdorf7618]

I'd test it before you expect your life to depend on it in an emergency. I have a military stove and I can burn mine about 12 hrs non stop on a quart of regular gasoline which is what mine uses it takes about 5 minutes to get a full boil of a cup water so it puts some heat out

[@shanewoodbury669]

keep try you get yet

[@TruckHouseLife]

Hey Alex, what are the regulations up there? Are you able to travel freely across the oil leased land and BLM land or do you need permits?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Technically it's treated as private land, but if you're open and honest and make friends, the security teams and contract companies are very helpful. If you made a formal application to some 'authority' or other without context, I doubt you'd get a yes.

[@UKvet246]

Wouldn't a roof box from Halfords do the same job. Asking for a friend.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

No. But your friend may protest.

[@greylocke100]

What firearm are you using? A friend of a friend who lives in Alaska said that while he prefers a good shotgun loaded with slugs, some of the places he goes he has to carry a 460 Weatherby.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Yes, a Mossberg magnum with a light folding stock. I prefer a high calibre handgun, but Canada changed their laws.

[@greylocke100]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals There are a few companies that can get your firearms transferred without dealing with Canadian Customs. It would be direct from the UK to Alaska. Ian McCollum from the Forgotten Weapons KZbin channel has had firearms sent to Finland, Slovakia and other places from the US, and back to the US. You may want to look into it to save you some weight/hassle.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I'm not licensed in the UK, and the stock available over here is kinda useless.

[@greylocke100]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Yeah English Shooting channel has gone into detail about UK firearms laws. They are ridiculous.

[@andyjohnson6270]

Not particularly. See, when a school of children gets gunned down here, they change laws. Elsewhere, it’s just a Tuesday. (In honesty the incremental banning of types of firearms - automatic military rifles, hand guns - has frustrated me over the years, but that’s on a personal level. I can see why those without firearms discipline came to their knee-jerk reactions. Now it’s all happening with knives as well. Techniclly a large Leatherman with a locking blade would get you locked up if you carried it into a bar.)

[@robertscholz4486]

Maybe I'm late to the party on this, but I'm not all that clear as to why you were trying to walk this distance in the first place. Was there some research that you were going to attempt along the way, or was it just to see whether you could walk that route? I this day and age, with the vast array of conveyances available, why walk? Mind you ... I applaud the effort and extensive planning, but I just don't understand the motivation -- and that is coming from someone who snowmobiles all winter long -- I love the cold!

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

There's a short and a long answer. The short is : why not? The long is: well, by that logic we might as well just fly to the destination. Or give up all non-critical activities like sport, music, tasty food, or just fast forward to our eventual demise. I haul sledges because it's difficult, and so my interest is seeing if things on the cusp of feasible are possible, and how to improve systems to make it so.

[@robertscholz4486]

You completely misunderstood my point... if the task is to do it for the sake of doing it under human power, I get it. My point was maybe designing a human powered device might be a better solution to the task -- maybe a human powered version of the Sherp!!! It would provide protection as well as transportation -- I doubt that the balloon tires would suffer the same issue as the sledges did. @@AlexHibbertOriginals

[@nonsequitor]

It is truly amazing seeing the industry thats ending the Arctic via factories and vehicles thousands of miles away, sat right there, in the wilderness it is exterminating. Thank you for the incredible tableau 🙏

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I'm not sure they are exterminating it. The companies there operate under stringent regulations, and in the meantime to truly efficient greener options for making power and plastics, we need oil. And, especially, oil from somewhere that isn't the Middle East.

[@ricdintino9502]

I hope someone at Alaska Airlines took note of your comments and the number of views on this video.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I was already in comms with a marketing manager, and he couldn't care less. The Vancouver staff were the worst. It's a shame, as the staff at Deadhorse and the cargo department were delightful. Sadly, since they don't really have any competition (except on the Seattle-Anchorage route), people can't vote with their feet.

[@userjarabecko]

Wim hof could do that in his shorts

[@userjarabecko]

Why even go there? Tryin for that black rock?

[@konserv]

Sherp is a Ukrainian UTV (accordingly to Wikipedia and to their website), not russian.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It certainly is. I pay penance for this in a recent video.

[@konserv]

@AlexHibbertOriginals 👍

[@ysesq]

dumbness this episode - none. this is stuff he actually knows.

[@nonsequitor]

Fascinating. ... what do you mean?

[@ysesq]

@@nonsequitor overland travel over snow and ice. he knows when to pivot and what works or does not. unlike his boat episodes he knows his overland stuff. no fumbling around or choosing the wrong things. good decisions in lethal conditions.

[@userjarabecko]

Global warming