Two Irishmen have been forced to abandon their pioneering attempt to cross Antarctica on high-tech ski buggies powered by kites because of too little wind.
Mr Jamie Young (50) and Mr Brian Cunningham (59), originally from Co Antrim, had to abort their ice kiting expedition. Since they arrived at the South Pole the team had been frustrated by almost windless conditions, which made travelling by kite impossible.
They had hoped to complete the 1,000-km journey to the South Pole in about 10 days. The news of their decision to abort the attempt was sent to their website.
A message on the website states: "Naturally, Brian and Jamie are feeling frustrated and disappointed. They remain convinced that the concept will work and will some day revolutionise polar travel."
It continued by stating that although the team's research had indicated suitable wind strengths at this time of year, the region had experienced unusually calm weather this Christmas.
According to local meteorologists, the windless conditions look likely to continue for most of January. Wind at the South Pole has approximately 25 per cent less power than in most other areas because of the zero humidity and high altitude.
Mr Young, who runs an adventure centre in Connemara, and Mr Cunningham, a visiting professor at the Manchester Business School, had arrived at the South Pole on December 29th. They set off in their ski buggies in very light winds. However, they proved to be too light and after five hours they pitched camp about two miles from the Pole. On December 30th, they still had no wind.
Before they set off, Mr Young said they were using unproven technology and snow, ice and wind conditions would govern their progress. They had hoped to travel up to 100 km a day.
The buggies had previously been tested only on beaches and the Les Diablerets glacier in Switzerland. They were designed specifically for the expedition by Formula 1 Williams racing team engineer, Mr Kieron Bradley.
The two men had carefully prepared for their record-breaking attempt. Weight was kept to a minimum to increase speed. The buggies weigh only 34 kg and they carried 160 kg of gear.
The cost of calling in a ski-plane to rescue them has been estimated at $150,000.