Training for the North Pole, in Sunny California

Training for solo expedition to the North Pole in sunny California.

Training for a North Pole Expedition in California? Beginning late February 2004, Wave Vidmar will walk, ski, and swim over 600 miles across the frozen artic ice from Russia to the geographic North Pole. This is an extremely difficult expedition for many reasons: the distance to be covered across broken and floating sea ice; the amount and weight of provisions that must be dragged; constant threat from Polar bears, and then theres the overbearing element - the frigid temperatures.

Its cold in the artic. Really cold. Temperatures in February will average --30F, with lows that can go down around --50F to --70F. Factor in wind chill and the temperature drops even lower, and can go down to somewhere around --150F. To give you an idea of what these low temperatures are like, imagine this: butter is still a bit chewable at --30F, at --40F it will snap off cleanly, and at --50F it will shatter like glass. At --30F exposed skin freezes in under 10 seconds.

The Arctic terrain is forever changing. Large blocks of ice slam into each other, creating pressure ridges of ice as tall as small buildings. The cracks in the ice, or 'leads as theyre called, come and go - sometimes in just a few minutes. They can be a foot wide or miles wide. The ice can be thin, with 14,000 feet of icy cold water beneath. This isnt an environment for the faint of heart, but it doesnt deter Vidmar from his goal.

Training for the Arctic in a California Heat Wave

So, how does one train for the rigors of the Arctic when living in sunny California? This year has been one of the hottest on record, in stark contrast to the extremely low temperatures Vidmar will experience while on his solo trek to the Pole. Conditioning and training are of paramount importance, as his life will depend on how fit and prepared Vidmar is for the challenge.

To simulate the cold conditions of the artic, Vidmar has arranged to spend time at the Dreyers Ice Cream factory deep freeze, which hovers around --40F. This will allow Vidmar to test clothing and equipment, helping ensure it will perform as needed when he sets off on his adventure next year. He may, however, exude a slight aroma of vanilla which, he hopes, will deter Polar bears.

Obviously, training is of great importance to the expeditions success, and Vidmar has been doing a variety of odd and unusual 'exercises.

Most people find it strange to see a person dragging truck tires around, when others are simply hiking. But its all in a days work for Vidmar. Hes also been swimming up to a mile each day, underwater, at 50- and 100-yard intervals. Soon hell begin swimming in the San Francisco Bay and Pacific ocean, wearing his specially designed dry suit.

Of course theres traditional weight training and daily bicycle rides, but Vidmar goes further. In a few weeks, hell begin his bicycle ride across America to get his legs in top shape. To most people, just riding across America would be a crowning achievement; to Vidmar its just a warm-up to the main event.

Is Vidmar super-human? No. Is he driven? Absolutely! If you ever get the chance to talk with him or hear him speak, youll realize he also wants to inspire people to challenge themselves and their own perceived boundaries - and hopefully to obtain their own goals.

You can check out Wave Vidmar and follow along on his expedition at: www.northpolesolo.com