-29.10.2008- Fitness test...

Finally I had time to see last weeks fitness test results. The results were not a big suprise eventhough MaxVO was average. The reason for not so great results is the 15 kilos I've managed to fatten myself. The testing revealed that my fat percentage is 25 which is fairly good. I was hoping a bit higher fat percentage but I'm quite happy with that too.

So, the fitness level is what I expected and I'm happy to know that I have a fair amount of fat in me. Luckily most of the extra weigh will be lost during the expedition so in the end I will probably be a lot slimmer... I hope.

-26.10.2008- Less than a week to go...

I recieved the YellowBrick location beacon which I'm going to use during the expediton. The transmitter only has one switch and to turn it on I just need to remove one small magnet from the box. It seems to work perfectly and it's extremely simple to use.

During the expedition you can see my progress and location data sent by the YellowBrick transmitter almost real-time. The transmitter will send location data every 8 hours and you can see the tracker on these pages during my expedition.

The YellowBrick transmitter uses the Iridium network to send the updates

-20.10.2008- 12 days...

Less than two weeks to go... During the last weeks there's still a lot of things to do. Next thursday I'm going to a physical fitness test and the locator beacon test's are scheduled on Friday.

The locator beacon will arrive to me at the end of the week and it will be tested before my departure from Helsinki. The transmitter is not the ordinary PLB-transmitter. All location data is openly available through internet to everyone and my progress can be followed almost real-time. The new transmitter will use Iridium network to send the location data.

-13.10.2008- Equipment sent to Chile

Equipment are finally sent to Punta Arenas and hopefully they will be waiting me there when I arrive to Chile. Somehow it seemed that it's impossible to get all the equipment and food fitted into the sledge (pulk) but I'm confident that when everything is repacked they will fit in perfectly. Before sending my gear to Chile I packed all the equipment and food into XL size tarp bags and the sledge was wrapped into plastic to make sure it get to Punta Arenas in one piece.

The Emergency locator beacon is not going to be the ordinary kind but I'll tell you more about that when things get sorted out.

-3.10.2008- 29 days to go and the pulka is finally home

The pulka is finally finnished. Pekka Tyllilä (www.hikingtravelhit.fi) carved the pulka out of carbon-fiber and it came out light and durable. The weight of the pulka is about 7 kilos in total. Now I just need to see that all my equiment actually fit into the pulka and then the pulka is off to Chile. The pulka will be sent to Chile in the end of next week or in the beginning of the week after that so that it's ready when I arrive to Punta Arenas.

The pulka has special polycarbonate-plastic bottom so that it slides better than ordinary pulkas. Even ten to twenty percent increase in sliding will be alot when the covered distance is over 1100 kilometres.

I'm going to haul the pulka the Finnish way which is with sticks rather than with ropes. That way the sliding of the pulka can be used as momentum when moving forward. I'm sure some will disagree but rope-pulling is not as effective unless using kites or other means to get pulling power. The pulling sticks are made out of extra-light and durable carbon-tubes.

-30.9.2008- Argos

It seems that Argos transmitters have battery problems and they have been recalled. I will be taking a similar kind of locator beacon with me as a safety device.

The physical preparation has gone quite successfully. Some weeks have had more than 20 hours of training and the average weeks about 15 hours. I will reduce my training just before my departure to recover fully and to be in top shape when skiing.

-11.9.2008- Tent

Finally the tent issue has been settled. Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT with double poles and snowflaps will be the shelter used on the expedition. It's probably is not a big suprise for anyone that Hilleberg tent has been chosen but because of small details needed to be solved it took some time to make the final decision.

I need to thank Timo Karjalainen, Harri and Tommi Salo, Timo Aro and Jyrki Seivo for support. Thank you guys! I'll send you pictures when I get back...

-21.8.2008-

The two month limit is approaching and I still have tons to do before departure.

The sledge is on production and should arrive next week. Luckily I have the top man on the job. If Pekka Tylliläs hand-made sledge is not tough enough for the job then nothing is.

The last paper works are signed and sent this week and after that all formalities should be done. My task list still has plenty of things on it but all of the equipment is tested and approved.

Arrival time to Punta Arenas has changed as the flight timetables changed. I will arrive to Punta Arenas on Nov 3 but I will still have plenty of time to do all the preparations and check ups before the scheduled flight to Antarctica. As most of the equipment is shipped to Punta Arenas by a courier, there is not much left for the airlines to lose...

Practicing has got harder and harder during the summer. Everyday over three hours is spent practicing and it seems that all of the freetime is dedicated either to make preparations or to practicing.

I recieved the Antarctic maps last week and I must say that seeing the maps made me smile a bit. Not because I finally got them but because their overall usefullness is just a bit above zero. All the maps are about A2 size but the useful bits are only one-tenth of that when combined. Well… atleast I don't have to carry too much maps with me... I'll just head south.

-19.7.2008-

Training exceeds 3 hours per day. Physical training has become a big part of my daily routines. Training is mostly endurance training and 1.5 years of training seems to be paying off as time is the factor that limits daily training rather that physical endurance.

Ability to recover from each days physical (and mental) exersion is one of the most important factors in long expedition as everyday on the ice is a struggle against long distances, extremely cold weather and strong head winds.

Most of the equipment is already tested and modified to fit the needs of the Antarctic expedition. Electronic equipment, solar panel and batteries are tested to provide a top of the line communication link between Antarctica and home base.

-3.6.2008-

Brandit Advertising joined the Finnish Antarctic Solo Expedition and secured their "seat" to South Pole! Brandit Advertising is marking new territory with a big heart.

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The deal with Antarctic Logistics is finalised and signed. The small print was extensive but everything was clear. Well, now it's time for payments...

-26.5.2008-

Finally all insurance problems are over. An international insurance company provided adequate insurance cover.

Problems in gaining weight... As daily physical training takes well over two hours it is getting harder and harder to gain weight. Training with a constantly full stomach is not very pleasant. I hope the BBQ season helps to sort out the weight gaining problem...

-16.5.2008-

Last week was spent trying to find Search and Rescue insurance. It seems that Finnish insurance companies do not offer such insurances or at least very reluctant offering them.

-24.4.2008-

The testing of Wolfskin tents unfortunately happened this late in the season so no snow was available. I had a few go's with the tents and both seemed sturdy enough to withstand heavy winds.

The Nutshell was a bit small as it did not have a proper vestibule for cooking. Otherwise the tent seemed to be quite good and it had many interesting features.

The other tent a recieved for testing was Annapurna which is bigger with three poles. From inside the tent is assymmetric leaving enough vestibule space for the cooker. Living space is also a lot bigger than in Nutshell so the stormy days would be more comfortably spent. The three poles will be harder to work with but I have to see if it works out.

Testing continues...

-15.4.2008-

Many thanks for FTSA people for registerin kilometres!

If I happen to camp on kilometres 0-9 I will name it after you!

You can check the registration from kilometrit -page (in Finnish only).

-10.4.2008-

The end of year 2007 and the beginning of 2008 has been the time for physical preparation. Also the search for supporters has started.

A three week trip to Lapland was this years high-light as the winter has been quite poor in the Southern Finland. During the trip to Lapland the weather varied from sunny -20 degrees celsius to rainy +5 degrees. In the end most of the electronics died because of the dampness during daytime and freezing temperatures during nights.

During this winter I have had two chances to go skiing here in Helsinki area. Luckily Lapland had the normal amount of snow eventhough the minus degrees have stayed low. Global warming or not, the winters seem to be getting warmer by the year. I managed to get plenty of skiing kilometres during my Lapland stay and had a good chance to acclimate to cold. Unfurtunately the summer is going to take all that away and I need to find an industrial freezer to visit for couple of weeks before my expedition to acclimate to the cold again.

-10.1.2008-

The end of the year went with physical training. Xmas and new years time was good time for gaining mass (Mmmm... food...).

All and all during this year before the expedition I should gain more (fat) mass to survive those days when energy consumption exceeds intake. It is not possible to take enough food with me so I need to have enough fat in me to get through the hardest days.

Unfortunately there is no snow in the southern Finland so I haven't been able to go skiing yet. Hopefully I have time to make a short trip to Lapland for a week or two to ski around a bit.

<== Preparations 2007                 NEWEST UPDATE                        01.11.2008 ==>