Regarding the proposal for a plaque to commemorate Captain Rudd’s Antarctica achievement (Letters, February 14): I acknowledge that Captain Rudd’s achievement was remarkable and challenging, but there are a few qualifications that also need to be understood if a plaque is considered.
For instance, Captain Rudd and his American competitor (Colin O’Brady) did not traverse Antarctica from sea to sea – the traditional definition.
Sea to sea includes the permanent ice extending well out beyond the permanent rock, and gives a traverse distance of over 1,800 miles.
Messrs Rudd and O’Brady defined the traverse as only that part lying above the rock, meaning that they covered only 900 miles – half the traditional distance.
They were also out to claim ‘firsts’, but the traverse – the 1,800-mile sea to sea traverse – had already been made in 1996-97 by a Norwegian, Borge Ousland. Borge Ousland dragged a heavily laden sledge for 64 days over rough ridged natural ice without today’s GPS facility and without today’s regular telephone and data contact, neither of which was available at the time.
Nor was there the comfort in 1996 of knowing that today’s style of rapid rescue was possible if things went wrong. He was truly alone.
It has been claimed in ‘forgetting’ Borge Ousland’s achievement, that he used a small piece of cloth as an occasional sail to catch the wind as a help when skiing over the snow.
That, however, was probably not as much help as the recent travellers got for a significant distance through being able to use the track over which the South Pole research station is supplied.
The ice there is flattened by tractors and is helpfully marked by posts at 100 metre intervals.
So, congratulations to Captain Rudd, but don’t forget Borge Ousland.
John Tippler
Spalding
