South African's Successful Trek to the North Pole Puts Him In a Unique Club

By Frederick H. Lowe
Sibusiso Vilane, a South African mountain climber, has become a member of one of the world's most-exclusive clubs. Vilane became the first black person in the world to join the Three Poles Challenge after walking to the North Pole on April 12, 2012, seven days after the expedition began on April 5.

The Three Poles Challenge, or the Goliath Challenge, includes climbing Mount Everest, which Vilane did in 2003 and 2005 and walking to the South Pole, which he did in 2008.

“Completing Three Poles Challenge has been a dream of mine for many years,” Vilane said. “I am absolutely thrilled that I have now completed it. Becoming the first black person to finish this challenge sends a message of hope and motivation to all African people that anything is possible and you can achieve anything you set out to do if you believe in yourself and are willing to snap up every opportunity that comes your way.” To date, only six individuals have completed the Goliath Challenge, according to the website www.goliathchallenge.co.za.

South Africans followed Vilane's trek to the North Pole because he carried a satellite telephone that enabled him to be interviewed by a Johannesburg radio station. Africans also tracked his progress on Twitter  and on the website of Virgin Money Insurance, sponsor of Vilane's expedition.

Vilane had planned to walk to the North Pole years earlier, but he was unable to raise the needed  funds.  Virgin Money Insurance, a company owned by the British tycoon Sir Richard Branson, an adventurer himself, bankrolled Vilane's trip. It is not known how much Virgin Money Insurance spent on Vilane, but Tom Dougherty, Vilane's expedition tent mate, said he spent $40,000.

Vilane was a member of a four-party team that flew by a Russian Mi-8 twin turbine helicopter from Svalbard, Norway, an archipelago, which is the northernmost point of Norway, to Camp Barneo, an ice base in the Arctic Ocean. Camp Barneo has been sponsored by the Russian Geographic Society since 2002.

During April, Camp Barneo's ice is 6 feet to 8 feet thick, enabling adventurers to walk or ski to the North Pole, which has a latitude of 90 degrees North, one degree more than Camp Barneo's  latitude of 89 degrees North.

Vicaar International Projects & Expeditions, which is based in St. Petersburg, Russia, arranged the expedition, which included Vilane, Dougherty, owner of FrontStreet Partners LLC, a Houston-based merchant bank, two other men and the expedition's guide Miroslav Jakeš, who some say is the world's most-experienced polar explorer.

Once the helicopter dropped the men off, Dougherty approached the coming expedition with a sense of humor.
 
“What on earth have I chosen to do by being out here on this ice,” he said.

All of the men pulled their individual sleds. They packed the sleds with a tent, extra clothing, a sleeping bag, a camper stove, pots, skis, a pick to chip ice, extra clothing and food that included instant oat meal,  three to four candy bars, tea, freeze- dried foods, and a thermos for hot water or tea. Fully packed, the sleds weighed 100 to 110 pounds.

Jakeš also was armed with a rifle in case polar bears confronted the expedition; the man-eating animals usually are not seen at that high an altitude.

The men walked 10 hours a day, covering 9 to 11 miles per day in temperatures that averaged 30 degrees below zero. One day, the temperature dropped to 35 degrees below zero. Vilane, however, said he was fortunate.

 “Although we encountered very low temperatures, we were not subjected to any polar storms,” he said. “The weather was just perfect for the trip.”

The group started walking between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. after eating breakfast and packing their sleds. They set their watches to Svalbard time.

“The sun is in the sky all day so it is hard to tell the difference between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.," Dougherty said.
Although the men were well prepared for the expedition, they faced a number of challenges. Vilane's, Dougherty's and Jakeš' skis either broke or did not operate correctly during the expedition, so they walked the entire distance.  They also encountered areas where the ice was not thick enough to support a person.

Once, Dougherty said he fell into icy water up to his waist but was able to pull himself out, brushing ice off his clothing.
As the expedition made its way to the North Pole, the men had to climb over pressure ridges, which occur when the great sheets of ice collide. “The pressure ridges require the skills of a mountaineer to get over them,” Dougherty said.
Vilane and the team reached the North Pole after walking 120 kilometers or 74.5 miles.

“When we got closer to the North Pole, I noticed that the world was just caving under my feet,” Vilane said. “Then, I imagined a globe at school, and before I realized it, I was standing right at the top of the globe, the real thing.” Team members used their global positioning devices to confirm they had reached the North Pole.

They had very little time to celebrate. A Mi-8 helicopter picked them up at the pole and flew them back to Camp Barneo. From there, the team returned by plane to Svalbard, a town, where tourists visit to see its 3,000 polar bears. 

Vinay Padayachee, managing director of Virgin Money South Africa, said there was no doubt that Vilane would meet the Goliath Challenge.

"Vilane has the strength of character, body and mind to achieve this immeasurably impressive fleet," Padayachee said.

After Vilane returned to South Africa, he said this about the expedition. "Each day was torture, a test of will and determination. I enjoyed every second of it."