Renowned Explorer Will Steger Leads Youth on Arctic Expedition to Examine Global Warming Impact

from The Earth Times
In March, Steger will lead six young explorers from four different countries -- Norway, Great Britain, Canada and the United States -- to document the impact of and inspire solutions to global warming. The team includes two National Geographic grantees, two kite-skiing international record holders, the 2007 Iditarod "Rookie of the Year," a polar historian; and Sam Branson, who is the son of Virgin Group's Richard Branson and joined Steger on his 2007 expedition to Baffin Island. People from around the world will be able to track the Ellesmere Island Expedition team on www.globalwarming101.com, which will include profiles, videos, images, podcasts and blog entries from team members.




MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 03/18/08 -- Today famed polar explorer Will Steger announced he is departing on an international expedition to document the impact of global warming in the Arctic region. Steger will be joined by a team of six young explorers -- from Norway, Great Britain, Canada and the United States -- on a 60-day, 1,400-mile dogsled expedition across Ellesmere Island, which is the northernmost part of the North American continent.

The expedition team will depart on March 28 and is currently making final preparations on Baffin Island. The team will follow in the footsteps of Arctic explorers who traversed the region in the early 1900s and use their historical routes, journals and archived photos to document the disintegrating ice shelves, retreating glaciers and destruction of wildlife habitat.

Steger and his team members seek to inspire international cooperation in environmental stewardship, mobilize Generation Y to produce global warming solutions and educate youth by providing an eyewitness account of their experiences through videos, podcasts, photos, blog entries and lesson plans at www.globalwarming101.com.

Steger, the 2007 recipient of two prestigious awards from National Geographic and The Explorers Club, selected the team members, ages 21-28, for their accomplishments in exploration: two National Geographic grantees; two kite-skiing international record holders; the 2007 Iditarod "Rookie of the Year"; a polar historian; and Sam Branson, the son of Virgin Group's Richard Branson who joined Steger on his 2007 expedition to Baffin Island.

"My team is composed of some of the brightest young explorers in the world," Steger said. "They continue to inspire my efforts to solve global warming and will serve as excellent role models for future generations."

The Ellesmere Island Expedition team -- profiled on www.globalwarming101.com -- is available for interviews until they depart on March 28.

The Ellesmere Island Expedition is produced by the Will Steger Foundation through partnerships with Fagen, Inc., the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the National Geographic Society, SuperValu, the Renewable Fuels Foundation, the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company and Piper Jaffray.

For more information about the expedition or to schedule an interview with one of the team members, please contact Meghan Krause at 612.333.4595 or mkrause@greenmarksports.com.

About the Will Steger Foundation and Global Warming 101

Established in January 2006 by renowned polar explorer Will Steger, the Will Steger Foundation promotes change through education and advocacy. Global Warming 101 is the first initiative of the Will Steger Foundation and raises broad public awareness about global warming as witnessed through Will Steger's polar expeditions. Global Warming 101 expeditions offer a unique view of people and places at the tipping point of climate change, while www.globalwarming101.com serves as an international platform for furthering education, discussion and activism, and sharing the experiences and updates from each expedition.

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Kite skiing in 1958

Let's see what was around just 50 years ago. I wonder, why did this sport not boom at that time?

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Kite to pull ship across Atlantic (photo update)

Photo update to this article



Photo © Reuters/Scanpix

(more below)

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Kite to pull ship across Atlantic

Story from BBC NEWS

The world's first commercial cargo ship partially powered by a giant kite is setting sail from Germany to Venezuela.

The designers of the MS Beluga Skysails say the computer-controlled kite, measuring 160sq m (1,722sq ft), could cut fuel consumption by as much as 20%.

They also hope the state-of-the-art kite will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as it tugs the ship.

Fuel burnt by ships accounts for 4% of global CO2 emissions - twice as much as the aviation industry produces.

The MS Beluga SkySails' maiden transatlantic voyage is from the northern port of Bremerhaven to Guanta in Venezuela. The ship is expected to leave the German port at 1700 local time (1600 GMT).

It's kind of back to the future
Verena Frank, Beluga Shipping

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg, on board the vessel, says the computer will enable the kite to harness the full power of the wind.

"The maiden voyage marks the beginning of the practical testing during regular shipping operations of the SkySails System," says Stephan Wrage, managing director of SkySails GmbH.

"During the next few months we will finally be able to prove that our technology works in practice and significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions," he said on the company's website.

Free energy

"We're absolutely excited," said Verena Frank, project manager at Beluga Shipping GmbH, SkySails GmbH's partner.

She told the BBC's World Today programme that the project's core concept was "using wind energy as auxiliary propulsion power and using wind as a free of charge energy".

"Nevertheless, it differs very much from traditional sailing, as we do not have any bothersome mast on deck which might be a hindrance to cargo-loading operations."

Ms Frank said the efficiency of the kite depended on wind and weather conditions.

But the advantage of the SkySails system "is that you do not need only backward winds - there can also be side winds and you can still set sail," she said.

She said the kite could be used on medium-size cargo ships, cruise liners and trawlers.

HOW THE KITE SHIP WORKS

• The kite sail will help reduce annual fuel costs by 10-35%. Reduced fuel also means fewer harmful carbon emissions
  
• The large towing kite resembles a paraglider and is shaped like an aircraft wing, to enable it to take advantage of different wind directions
  
• It operates at 100-300m above surface level - much higher than a normal sailing craft - where winds are stronger and more stable
  
• The kite can be used in winds of between 12-74km/h (7-40 knots) and not just when the wind is blowing directly from behind the ship
  

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Kite Yukon

By Michael Meandering

I know many people who disdain winter, and I've noticed that these people tend to live in parts of Canada where there is little, if any, snow, or where getting out of the city to enjoy the snow consumes the better part of the day. I feel very sorry for those people.

/Original is here./

We've been having a dearth of snow in Whitehorse, which has made the winter a little less enjoyable but, over the last two days, that unfortunate situation has rectified itself.

It got even better last night, when I read in the paper that there were going to be free snow kiting demos and lessons at Schwatka Lake today. Fawn and I registered as soon as we saw the ad. We both wanted to give it a try.

This morning, Fawn, Jade and I bundled up and went down to the lake. It was a beautiful day for those who dressed properly. There was fresh snow on the ground and the wind was steady - not too weak and not too strong - perfect for learning how to kite ski.

The event was hosted by Up North Adventures and a new business, Kite Yukon. Jim Welsh of Kite Yukon gave us instruction on how to use the 3m learning kites. I have to say, he did a great job. Everything was clear and understandable and within minutes we were zipping the learner kites back and forth across the sky. I was amazed at how much power could come from the little kite. When I zipped it low across the horizon, I had to dig my feet in or get dragged across the snow and ice. Sometimes I got dragged anyway.

Unfortunately, Fawn had to leave early so Jade could have her lunch and a nap, which meant that she didn't get to try the bigger kites. The bigger kites have a lot of power and require the use of a harness. I had a little more difficulty using the larger kites, but it was still a lot of fun. And I mean a lot of fun. This time, no matter how hard I tried to dig my feet in, the kite would pull me forward fifteen or twenty feet at a time. It was incredible to feel how much power could come from a sheet of lightweight fabric and a light breeze. I was having a blast!

I went and got my skis and then waited for another large kite so I could try zipping back and forth across the lake. There are a lot of similarities between kite skiing and sailing and, if you know what you're doing, it's even possible to sail into the wind. In fact, it's even possible to sail up mountains! The crew from Kite Yukon use their kites as chair lifts when they go into the mountains, kite skiing up and then skiing back down.

I tried to take pictures while I waited for a kite, but my camera batteries died in the cold. After warming them up, I managed to get a few shots before they died again.

Schwatka Lake was full of colourful kites, from little training kites to massive foils.

Zooming along on skis...



My favourite picture of the day - Practising on a big kite with Grey Mountain in the background.

I finally got a big kite and got to feel what it's like to zip across the lake powered by nothing but the wind. It was awesome. While I didn't quite master using the larger kite with the skis, I did enough of it to know that I want to do it again.

I hear that they'll be doing demonstrations and lessons again on January 5th. Woohoo!

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Dolzhanka. Day 1.

By Vladimir Zakharov

There is really something to `love` about this darn `Global Warming`. We need to stop measuring wind speed in knots but measure it in `girls`!

So, 4300 km and two and a half days our world was shrunk to the size of the steel box called `Isuzu Midi` (we called it `Mitjok` of course), and now it is over!


Ural, dear, I love you so! I did not have such fun in a long time. Artillery range with shell-holes of all kinds and calibers is called a federal highway due to some weird mistake. Night, rain, trucks in the ditch - it is all as usual, looks like Russia and good roads are incompatible forever.

We have finally arrived to the Azov Sea, Dolgaja Spit, Dolzhanka Village.

The South of Russia is not very friendly yet. It was warmer in Siberia. It is 9-10C of heat during the day and intermittent wind with gusts from under the storm clouds up to 15 m/s (30 knots).

The rain is over, the Sun is showing and my girlfriend wants to take a walk.. She opens the door of the cabin to scout the weather and instantly is thrown out into the nearest puddle by the gust! Yeah, the wind speed has increased. That is how we shall calibrate the wind in one `girl` and shall wait for summer kiting season opening until tomorrow. The forecast promises `global warming` and less wind.

In the meantime there is 4-5 kites flying around the Dolgaja Spit and around 10 wind surfers. Not too many people have come here this year, that is unusual!

The Surf Shelter camping where we live has surpassed all expectations - so far the difference between advertisement and reality is to reality's advantage!

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Rustler Ice

Here is the picture to illustrate the kind of ice described by Barney Kenney in the previous post. We call it "Rustler" in Novosibirsk. The photo is recent by Vladimir Travnikov. Enjoy the sound of thin ice needles crumbling.

By the way, the ice on the Ob' Sea of Novosibirsk is gone now and Vladimir Zakharov is testing his new Flysurfer kites on Azov Sea. I am planning to translate and post his reports in the next couple days.

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PSYCHO-3 Part II.

Review by Zakharov

First tests on the snow... well, on the ice, really.

There is almost no wind at the ground level this morning! Even race "tens" could be launched with some serious running effort. On the height it is 3-4 m/s (6-8 knots). I was unfolding the new Psycho on the beach without complete confidence that it would fly, valves should make it difficult to pump it up... My peers also shared my doubts - all our previous experience with water foils on the bar was saying that it is not possible to lift the kite at zero wind.


To everybody's surprise the kite easily took off with minimal pumping at the ground and few steps running upwind.

Right after the start comes the first shock - when testing `Speed-13` in such wind it could barely move you across the wind direction yet `Psycho-13` accelerates very well, racing `Infinity-8.5` is noticeably slower.

Next thing you notice is very wide range of power covered by the bar. Push it away and the power drops in several times but the kite is still easily steered. Full forward and backward wing rotations are smooth with great acceleration. Pull the bar backwards 40 cm and get loads of power without any speed loss or attempts to stop or fall back. In today's conditions with slippery surface, 3-4 m/s winds and full speed up to 50 km/h the power control with the bar was sufficient, I did not touch depower at all.

The force on the bar is moderate, I set it to the middle position and did not get tired in a two hours session. I will experiment with this setting later.

In the end I was really satisfied with the dynamic and speed qualities of the kite, it went far beyond my expectations!

As for jumping - this is not my area of expertise. I let it play to Roman - one forward turn, two, three... The amplitude is 3-4 meters, Roman likes the new toy. He advises to pull the bar before the jump.

This is little unusual - I was always turning the kite into jump with freed bar and pulled it only after the take-off. It worked well on all kites that I have tested.

Let's try the new way. Yes! The jumps are high although I am heavier than Roman and can not do as nice as he does. I'd better learn to rotate in the summer on the water...

So, as of today the conclusions are the following.

`Psycho-13` is a universal kite for winter and summer adequately good for jumping and racing.

In winter the kite flies same well as in the summer! Easy start despite valves on the leading edge, great stability on the edges of the window, very forgiving to the mistakes on the jumps and great speed for the free ride!

This is the wing that alone lets you sail in moderate wind on water and ice equally without any loss of enjoyment! This is my first experience with such kite especially considering the incredible durability of ram-air kites on water and snow - they have no pressurized bladders.

And considering the manufacturer's claimed wind range of 4-15 m/s (8-30 knots)...

I still can not believe it! When testing `Speed-13` the 12 m/s was the limit. Of course, the Psycho wing is attached to the first row as the "bow" which should let it be stable at very small angle of attack thus providing a huge depower range...

But still, I will not believe it until try.

It's a dream coming true: two or even three kites in one!

And now ahead is sun, water and Yeysk! Stand by for the new impressions.

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PSYCHO-3 Part I.

Review by Zakharov

Just a while ago I was really stunned by this american pronounciation of the word "Psycho" - , as in the old joke:

Writing `Liverpool` reading `Manchester`

And today this very "Psycho-3" is covering 13 square meters of freshly thawed sand near Neokom. Blue star on the black-and-white, as seen on TV!


For those who does not know: Psycho-3 is a new ram-air kite from Flysurfer with modified safety system and wider range of depower.

The manual claims wind range 4-15 m/s (8-30 knots). Can you imagine that?

The principle which makes it possible is the same as in bow-kites: at minimal angles the wing is tied to the leading edge, not to the two front rows as before, which enables the kite to stretch along the wind and fly as a banner with minimal lift. They also say that in such schema the breakaway over the leading edge is practically impossible at any gusts. We shall see...

It has a very interesting safety system - the line is tied not to the rear edge as before which was leaving a lot of drag when engaged in the strong wind but is distributed in three points along the chord of the wing.

This way the kite in safety mode folds in half hanging on the middle chord loosing all power. On DVD you can see water restart within seconds. It would be interesting to try how real it is.

Bar force is regulated to taste: somebody likes it "light" others prefer to apply power.

Safety leash is in the solid rubber case: to protect from tangling.

The bar is freely rotating to unwind the lines in a wink - nothing muddles. The system became simpler than in previous models, much less lines around the bar.

No luck launching today: no wind...

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splash splash session

Christelle Selen

I know WISSA is under reconstruction... or beauty
changes.... as William told me.
The video is made a month ago here in Finland when the ice
was still strong but covered of water, we called it
splash splash session....
otherwise you can always visit my blog to view more
kiting sessions or pictures... some of the WISSA 2007
too !

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Saturday & Easter

What a weekend!

Lake Sunapee ROCKS! The nearly 1100 foot elevation makes for a different climactic designation for this unusual body of water. Everything south and down has melted, but Sunapee still has 12-14 inches of ice! Better still, the forecast is for more cold and a 10 inch dump on Thursday! This means that NEXT weekend is apt to be epic as well!

Almost Night: Shot by Charles Meding while flying the red kite in the foreground. We sailed all day on loose granular, and into the dark.



Last Year: Flying over the St. Lawrence River. By Michael Eudenbach

By way of reference, the sun angle and length of day is that of Labor Day weekend. Yep, that's right- count your days towards summer from the equinox and Easter is like Labor Day and next weekend is crowding AUGUST for sun angles! :)

Before I jinx the jet stream into a more seasonal pattern, I'll just give a quick weekend rundown and crash.

SATURDAY: Forecast- no wind. Reality- 10- 15 mph. Rick Hobbs had to skate with a 5,5 meter wing. He got some rides but he also skated and waited. It looked good some of the time, but I hate skating on skis so I changed teams and "took the kite".

With George Baskette and Charlie Meding as company, it is easy to see the potential of kites.

The surface was loose granular, and with a 4 line foil kite on handles it was fun to chuck the power of the kite around like a rock on the end of a string. Whip it up and down for speed, and send it back for a POWER jibe! Now TTHAT is fun- even if it does rip your arms and abs. BTW George with the 8 meter CA leader? Poetry in motion. And Charlie? How the hell can you fly a kite AND shoot photos?

EASTER SUNDAY: Arose and went to heaven. The overnight temperature was in the teens and the wind was a robust 15-25mph.

Bright sun, thin crispy snow atop hard ice with the new Kitewing Rage 5.5+.

Arose and went to heaven.

That docile powerhouse together with Volkl P30 Race Carver skis on such a surface IS heaven on earth!

The distance between Sunapee Harbor Lighthouse and Herrick Cove Lighthouse is just under 2 miles. I was making the run in under 5 minutes before I realized that I should start keeping track.

After about an hour I started blazing on a broad reach between the 2 points- [an approx. 4 mile round trip]-over and over while counting.

Long story short, I made 25 trips in about 5 hours. That SHOULD be about 100 miles, but without a GPS and a witness, it is quite unofficial. WHO CARES? I did it for me - not for the record books. That said, I plan to get a GPS this week. With luck, I'll have a dog in the hunt for the "Century Club" Award from the Chickawaukee Ice Sailing Club in Maine U.S.A.. before the season ends.

Happy Easter and god bless.

Winter RULES!!!!!!!!

Will

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BLOWIN' in the Wind

Snow kiting is one hell of a ride. Jenn Weede finds it can also be one hell of a fall...


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and


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article found by Grant Fitz

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Winter Kiting: Top Destinations

Adventure hounds have always pursued the free ride. Waves don't charge. Backcountry ski runs don't either. But few natural forces—except gravity perhaps—dole out free adrenaline shots as potent as the wind.

[more...]by Tim Neville, Outside Online

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