POLAR CIRCLES

A N T A R C T I C ic e E X P E D I T I O N

Photography Dixie Dansercoer

(except) Stefan Maes pages 34, 36, 42, 48, 54, 56, 102, 104, 106, 110, 112, 114, 116, 146, 174

Sam Deltour pages 80, 160

The Antarctic Company pages 168, 169

Text Julie Brown Design Veerle Verbrugge / eastvillage.be Publisher Snoecks Publishers Colour separations GBL communication / heule Printing & binding Printer Trento S.r.l, Trento, Italy

Belvédère, André Kloppenberg Copyright © 2012 Dixie Dansercoer / www.polarcircles.com Snoeck Publishers / www.snoeckpublishers.be Christoph Ruys 360° Agency / www.christophruys.be © texts / the authors D/2012/0012/25 ISBN 978-94-6161-069-0 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

by Dixie Dansercoer & Sam Deltour

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I have just

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t h i n g s to teach:

s i m p l i c i t y p a t i e n c e

c o m p a s s i o n These 3 are your

g r e a t e s t

t r e a s u r e s Lao Tzu

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“So I applied to Harvard Business School. … I also began to realize something else about my fellow MBA candidates. It’s a sweeping generalization, but I stand by it. In the main, they weren’t excited about the content of their eventual careers – the actual work they’d do – but only the rewards.

They did not want to create. They did not want to take chances. They wanted to find a safe track that offered money and prestige; they would gladly settle for a bland, predictable ‘success’.

Bottom line: They were extremely bright people who would never really do anything, would never add much to society, would leave no legacy behind. I found this terribly sad.

I began to understand – at last! – where my own advantage lay. Certainly not in brains. Certainly not in social polish or family connections. My edge had to do with something more visceral, more basic: I had passion.

Passion, and some measure, at least, of creativity.

I did not want a safe niche. I wanted to make something that wasn’t there before.

I didn’t want to manage; I wanted to invent. If I crashed and burned, so be it. But there had to be some big dream worth pursuing, and there had to be joy and excitement in the challenge of pursuing it. My classmates could analyze, but I, thank God, could rhapsodize. In business, as in life, that is a far more precious thing.”

From “Not Fade Away”. A short life well lived.

By Laurence Shames and Peter Barton

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27.10.2011

Thursday – Departure from Belgium

Dixie and Sam departed Brussels tonight for the first stop in their long journey … Cape Town.

Together with our expedition coordinator Stefan Maes, cineaste Mark Boone & Mobistar Ice Challenge contest winner An Van Rie, they boarded the first of many flights to the end of the earth … Antarctica.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, messages flowed toward the intrepid duo from supporters, well-wishers and loved ones. Slowly and methodically, we witnessed their withdrawal toward a new world, one where they must function as a seamless duo.

We anticipate news of their safe arrival in South Africa tomorrow morning.

They will spend 5 days there in final preparation for the flight to Antarctica.

Many thanks to all who have helped us bring this project to the starting point … exciting moments await us!

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Posted by Julie Brown, Polar Circles

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Gliding suitcases almost as big as our living quarters make us flexible nomads on a quest to find intensity in a simple world.

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Posted by dixie dansercoer Polar Circles

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NOVO/ALCI Airbase Dixie & Sam in Antarctica

Dixie and Sam departed Cape Town late last night and arrived safely at the ALCI Airbase this morning at 04:10 UTC. Their 6 hour flight was a bit longer than expected due to strong headwinds.

Dixie and Sam are accompanied by expedition coordinator Stefan Maes, cameraman Mark Boone & Mobistar ICE Challenge winner An Van Rie. Stefan, Mark & An will escort Dixie and Sam to the start and then return back to Belgium on November 10th.

The Basler aircraft which will transport Dixie and Sam to their drop-off on the high plateau should arrive at the ALCI Airbase tomorrow. Weather permitting it will whisk the expeditioners to their official expedition start on Monday, November 7th.

Dixie called tonight to report excellent conditions and good spirits among the group during their first Antarctic day. Temperatures hovered between -10˚ and -15˚C with the sun barely touching the horizon at ‘sunset’. There is only a core group of airbase workers who are still setting-up the Antarctic camp with no tourists as of yet. Dixie and Sam took advantage of the extra time in the airbase to fine-tune equipment and practice some kiting in rather gusty conditions.

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Posted by Julie Brown, Polar Circles

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One tent.

If we let go of it while erecting it, we will face a life-threatening situation.

The cold and the wind will eat us alive.

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Posted by sam deltour, Polar Circles

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Sam is just an amazing ball of fire amidst a forbidding Antarctic deepfreeze. Falls down, gets up, sails on.

He knows how to see the beauty in the shades of white and more importantly, knows what the intrinsic secret of good teamwork is. The stars are well-aligned for him!

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Posted by DIXIE DANSERCOER, Polar Circles

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The frozen extremities of this planet are Dixie's habitat.

Where nothing grows, that's where he is at home. Trust, power, a strong focus and wisdom that radiates from within. His dreams show him the way to places where no one else has been before, not physically nor mentally.

Ambitious, humorous, severe but flexible, daring but responsible. A caring partner brimming with experience and respect. Young at heart and playsome. Dedicated and well-organized. Incredibly well-balanced and physically fit. A good soul with a big heart.

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Posted by sam deltour, Polar Circles

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You may find yourself in another part of the world ... you may ask yourself, well,

h o w d i d I

g e t

h e r e ?

David Byrne — Once in a Lifetime —

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Grand luxury Dixie and Sam started their first Sunday on the ice with the grand luxury of phone calls with loved ones. Communication with the home-front during a lengthy expedition is a delicate balance of loving encouragement without the burden of negative emotions. These short phone conversations with family cannot be filled with mundane details – on average they last between 3-5 minutes.

Each rare contact must remain positive and uplifting for both parties.

We are only on Day 7 of what will most likely be a 100-day expedition. The symbolism of resourcing on a Sunday means much to Dixie and Sam. That said, they will not consider Sunday a day of rest. Each precious kilometer must be earned and today is no exception.

Dixie reported on the phone this morning: “These pure katabatic winds just keep roaring out of the south/southeast. Last night we were serenaded with the constant howl and we awakened to 50 km/hour winds and a temperature of -28˚C. We are of course imagining all possible scenarios to achieve better progress, but for now we accept the daily drudge of portages and hauling.”

Sam wrote last evening: “All of our electronics are in top shape and functioning to the max. Thanks to the solar panels and the sun we are able to enjoy our music and send out our daily messages. That these devices can function in such an extreme environment is just amazing – you can really tell that human kind has not been designed to live here and yet Dixie and I are having a blast in the tent thanks to technology.”

Both Sam and Dixie report excellent team spirits and a real joy at working together out there.

They also are enjoying their meals very much. Sam wrote: “It is wonderful to have an appetite again.

We are really enjoying the flavors in our meals.” A huge ‘shout out’ to Frank Fol, Dirk van Overstraeten, Diane Moonen & Christine Tobback for their delicious culinary contributions to this expedition.

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Posted by Julie Brown, Polar Circles

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