The Eccles British Library Writer in Residence Award

Applications are invited for the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence Award.

The award of £20,000, sponsored by the David and Mary Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library, is open to writers resident in the United Kingdom. Writers should be working on a non-fiction or fiction full-length book, written in the English language, the research for which requires that they make substantial use of the British Library’s collections relating to North America (the USA and/or Canada).

The award holder will be the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence for a period of one year from 1st January 2012. The award will help the Writer in Residence to spend part of that time on site at the British Library, making direct use of the collections relating to North America (the USA and/or Canada).

The Eccles British Library Writer in Residence will work with the Director of the Eccles Centre for American Studies to develop and participate in seminars, workshops and other activities and events related to the project. Necessary expenses such travel and subsistence to undertake these activities will be supplementary to the award – to be agreed in advance with the Centre Director.

The Writer in Residence will enhance the Eccles Centre’s web presence on the British Library website (www.bl.uk/eccles) in the form of a blog or similar contribution, and will also provide occasional short articles for inclusion in American Studies in Britain and similar publications. The Eccles Centre and British Library’s support of this award will be acknowledged in the book when published, and in any other publications, web articles or media features resulting from the award.

The British Library website, including public access to the catalogues, can be found at http://www.bl.uk. The Eccles Centre does not house a collection separate to that of the British Library, and the bibliographies on the Eccles Centre web pages give only a snapshot of some of the items in the British Library collection.

For details of Eccles Centre activities see http://www.bl.uk/eccles. Enquiries regarding the British Library’s holdings relating to the USA and Canada can be directed in the first instance to Dr Matthew Shaw (Matthew.Shaw@bl.uk) (US curator) Dr Philip Hatfield (Philip.Hatfield@bl.uk) (Canadian curator) or to the Eccles Centre (eccles-centre@bl.uk).

The award will be made in four quarterly payments of £5,000. No extra funding will be available with the exception of expenses reimbursed for activities and events as outlined above. The Writer in Residence will have privileged access to the curatorial expertise of the British Library, will be able to use the Writers and Scholars’ Room and will be entitled to use some BL staff facilities. On publication of the book every effort will be made by the Eccles Centre to host a launch event at the British Library.

Applications (no more than 5 pages) should:

• Include a resumé of the book being written;
• Include a brief CV;
• Explain the nature and extent of the anticipated use of the British Library’s collections relating to North America (the USA and/or Canada);
• Propose ways that the project will promote awareness and use of the British Library’s collections relating to North America (the USA and/or Canada);
• Include evidence of a publisher’s intention to publish the finished book – this should include a hardcopy publication by an established publisher;
• Be submitted before 5 p.m. on Wednesday 31st August 2011.

Further Information:

Applications should be submitted by email attachment to: eccles-centre@bl.uk

The judges reserve the right to request further information, including full book proposals, at a later stage of the application process.

Eccles Centre for American Studies

The British Library

96 Euston Road

London NW1 2DB

T +44 (0)20 7412 7551/7757

Eccles-centre@bl.uk

www.bl.uk/ecclescentre
For more information contact:
Miki Lentin
The British Library
t:+44 (0) 20 7412 7112
m:+44 (0) 7976 793 666
f:+44 (0) 20 7412 7168
e: miki.lentin@bl.uk

Adventurous job:

Honestly, I'm a writer!

International Business Journalists wanted for Oil & Gas intelligence research. Head office in Istanbul with months abroad spent working in target countries.

What you need:

• An interest in and experience of travel
• Year-around availability
• Perfect command of written and spoken English
• Excellent presentation
• A good university degree in economics, political sciences or international relations is valued
• The applicant must be up-to-date on current events, hard working and easy to live with
• He or she must keep a cool head under pressure and be at ease with tight deadlines
• A taste for adventure is mandatory

Sound like your thing? Go here: http://t.co/DpKr2GsS 

Super car wreck

Driving Jobs

How about driving Japanese high performance cars and editing three publications all about them? UK based.

Click this: http://t.co/ABlnklj5 

Or writing for the awesome Jalopnik website. Two writer positions available, one in New York, one in either Los Angeles or Detroit. If i was a Yankee-doodler I’d be in there like a slingshot.

Click that: http://t.co/xmF8Huxq

Business Insider in the US are looking for someone to write about everything from cars to spacecraft. No brainer right?

Get your OCD on and click: http://t.co/RTqEjGsm

If you get the job, let me know so I can seethe with envy.

Live well.

In my new thriller Dark Market there is an assassination market – based on a real world model – which allows any group of people to nominate a victim and have them bumped off. Everyone is anonymous, no one can be caught.

Dark Market (Assassins Rule)

So, the question is, if you could 100% get away with it (you wouldn’t even have to pull the trigger) – who would you assassinate?

This is purely for kicks. Although there may be an app to go with the book before you know it

Join the debate over on Amazon: http://amzn.to/xvqyBL

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/index.html

or here: http://cablegate.wikileaks.org.nyud.net/

Analyze the content and post your findings and you’ll make an investigative reporter yet.

The full ad reads:

Extras / Characters required for Top Gear
filming:

Various extras / characters required for Top
Gear filming on 14th December – Male and
Female age range 16 to late-50 s
TOP GEAR FILMING on 14th December.

1. Audi Driver – Male in his mid to late 20s -
30s (think businessman, suit jacket over the
shoulder, Oakley sunglasses, Bluetooth
earpiece)

2. Ferrari Driver – Older male 40s/ 50s (think
hairy chest, white trousers, sunglasses)

3. Bus Passenger – Late teens/ early 20s
male or female (hoodie)

4. Peugeot Driver – Middle age male or
female (think comfortable shoes, lots of beige,
nothing very exciting)

5. Saab Driver – Male, 30s (think architect, roll
neck jumper, trendy glasses)

6. Honda Driver – Female 60’s (think little old
lady)

Apply by December 7th at Stars in my eyes.

Have fun!

Download or open Google Earth. Search for a location say Otterburn, United Kingdom. Double click the high street to centre it.
Click the add a placemark icon.
Right-click (alt-click for Macs) the placemark icon in the left hand navigation column.
Copy the latitude/longitude with a comma between them in www.google.com/maps. EG: 55°13’53.63″N, 2°10’35.19″W.
Paste this location code in your browser address bar.
Then copy and paste the javascript below in your browser address bar.

javascript:void(prompt(”,gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));
Hit ENTER. A pop-up will appear with your geocode. Remove the brackets to make it usable.

2. GPS Visualizer.

Take the same lat/long reading – EG: 55°13’53.63″N, 2°10’35.19″W – from Google Earth and pop it in the location field here: http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/geocode.
Your geocode will then appear with a map ref. The geocode will look something like this: 5.2316968, -2.1761311.

3. Reverse lookup (including zip/postcode).

UK
The post office charges a small fortune to use their gps/postocde look up. There’s an open source version here: http://www.uk-postcodes.com/.
Take your Lat/Long data or postcode data and pop it in here. It will return your geocode and a range of postal codes.

US
In the US this data is freely available. Try adding an address to Google Earth, such as Google Investor Relations: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043. Right click the location marker and there’s your Lat/Long data. Feed it into the GPS Visualizer above for finer detail and the geocode. you can also feed it a geocode to get the Lat/Long – just enter the geocode such as: 37.4211444, -122.0853032 and you’ll see the Lat/Long coordinates beneath.

Let me know if this helps or if you come up with any other methods.

If you want to convert data files for different GPS systems use the open source Easy GPS: http://www.easygps.com

Number 1: Miracle Blanket – White – Swaddling Wrap – no poppers or Velcro that could scratch baby Make it easy for them to sleep in the first three months by controlling the moro reflex.

Number 2: The New Contented Little Baby Book: The Secret to Calm and Confident Parenting A baby has to be taught how to shake a rattle, feed and to use a potty. They also need to be taught how to sleep. None of this feed on demand gibberish. Gina is the business. Her sensible plan will help your feel calmer and in control and lets your baby get the sleep and food it needs.

Number 3: My Brest Friend. If you’re breast feeding (or your mrs is) and your other half is well endowed this will save her months of back breaking pain. This is just the first of many on this subject. Obviously I’m just waiting for normal life to resume…

This inspiring illustration from software guru, writer and designer Kai Kruse shows how and gives you the low down why.

Entering Oman’s capital through tree-lined suburbs, immaculate hedgerows and unexpected flower sculptures to discover a remarkably relaxed and hospitable city is a pleasant jolt to the senses when compared to arrival at other more frantic Middle Eastern capitals. Although the city is almost 50km in length, due its location wedged between mountains and sea, it feels more like a series of small fishing towns than a bustling metropolis.

Muscat has been a lure for romantics, seafarers and entrepreneurs from all over the world since the 16th century. The city’s distinctive Arabian low-rise architecture and the physical characteristics of its people reflect this dynamic heritage. In fact, the face looking back at you is so welcoming that it is little wonder that this prosperous capital inspires the same reverence in Omanis as Paris does for the French or New York for Americans.

Mix in the Sultanate’s natural beauty and the diverse wildlife found within its 1700km of shoreline, empty deserts, canyons, rugged mountains and living history and it is easy to see why investors, journalists and tour operators from the Middle East, Europe and the US now believe Muscat could be tourism’s next big thing.

The sheer number of travel and media professionals that recently made the trip to Muscat for the soft opening of Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa reveals an ever-increasing interest in this refreshingly unpretentious and inviting country.

Tracie Simpson, Director of Oman Experiences Ltd a UK-based tour operator set up to promote and sell travel packages to the country explains why, “After many years of relative isolation from mainstream tourism, Oman is fast emerging as one of the most sought after destinations in the Arabian Gulf. It is now becoming increasingly recognised for its friendly people and its dramatic landscapes peppered with historic forts and stunning desert scenery.”

As editors and entrepreneurs continued supping with the great and the good in one hotel, a few kilometres down the road at the Al Bustan Palace, in yet another beautiful and secluded bay, the Oman International Conference on Eco-Tourism was also taking place.

In attendance were Oman’s political movers and shakers, their international peers, and many whose goal is simply to make that little prefix ‘eco’ a less unpalatable concept in the Middle East, as nations scramble to implement pre-emptive tourism strategies to bolster dwindling oil revenues.

The Omanis, with good reason, are a receptive audience. The country’s heritage is deeply connected to the land and the abundant waters of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Muscat itself is a sea-borne city whose name means ‘anchorage’. It lies on a rocky shore that tapers down from the sweeping shoreline of Batinah and the protected marine area of the Dimaniyyat Islands Nature Reserve.

Striking underwater landscapes and sea life thrive in the seas around Muscat, with rainbow fish proudly displaying their colours and sharks prowling the plentiful coral reefs, while whales and dolphins gambol in deeper waters. There isn’t a hotel in the capital that won’t seize the chance to show off Oman’s natural bounty by arranging a local trip to capture a dawn or sunset with dolphins that, like an actor with impeccable timing, always seem to know where and when to make an appearance. An easy trick when the Arabian long-beaked dolphins can school in their thousands.

South of the city as many as 50 individual sperm whales live among the Halaaniyat Islands while 30,000 female turtles nest on the rocky coastline of Ash-Sharqiyah, making the country a paradise for divers and snorkellers, with a total of 21 types of whale, dolphin and turtle flourishing along its shores.

It is unsurprising then that Oman has an enviable record of environmental protection. Few countries can boast of a ruler who has won awards for his ecological understanding and Oman’s exemplary record of conservation and environmental control is often cited as an example to others. It was the first Arab country to set up a ministry whose sole responsibility was the environment and since 1991 the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation has established itself as a prestigious international award for ecological high achievers, with winners selected every two years by UNESCO.

Professor Christopher Davidson of the UAE’s Zayed University, a specialist in Middle East business intelligence says, “Of the GCC states Oman has a big advantage in that it has natural beauty, and it is really the only part of the GCC that has it.” With so much latent potential it is no surprise that developers are flocking to the region to help Oman develop its fledgling tourism industry.

The Barr Al Jissah is the first of many new developments expected over the next few years and if its opening months are anything to go by it will raise the bar for future entrants to the market. Composed of three hotels: The five star Al Waha, ‘The Oasis’, is Oman’s first dedicated family hotel; while the five star deluxe Al Bandar, ‘The Town’, is aimed at couples and business travellers. Since the first two hotels opened the demand for rooms has totally outstripped supply.

The third and most luxurious hotel of the resort, Al Husn sits atop a jutting headland with spectacular views on either side, its name and design inspired by the traditional architecture of Omani forts. Hidden within the natural Bandar Jissah bay the hotel isn’t the only feature under development; a 74 berth marina, CHI spa village, 12 private villas, a heritage centre, extensive conference facilities including an amphitheatre that hopes to attract MICE organisers, as well as enticing international performers already playing in Dubai to add the resort to their Middle East itineraries.

The 680 rooms at this one resort have, says marketing manager Russell Loughland, “doubled not just Muscat’s five star hotel capacity but the whole of the country’s by 60%.”

The Barr Al Jissah appears to represent the beginning of a new type of development in Oman, one that will hopefully provide enough inward investment to grow the economy without sacrificing what has already been nurtured in a dash for short term gains.

A number of projects already in development may achieve this. To the north of Muscat the $1 billion Wave project will provide luxury homes on six kilometres of natural beaches. This includes an 18-hole golf course designed by Greg Norman, four luxury hotels, parks, and the usual retail opportunities. Demand is already so high that earlier in 2006 the Wave’s first release of property onto the market was oversubscribed by 20 times.

Dr Habib El-Habr, Director and Regional Representative of the UN Environment Programme for West Asia emphasises that one of the first things that needs to be undertaken when developing tourism infrastructure is “the implementation of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to the start of any projects.” This he explains alleviates some of the major concerns in the region due to the rapid development of coastal areas. “Such development has been seen to have an impact on the environment, in particular threatening the marine environment and the coastal biodiversity.”

An EIA was used in the planning stages of the Wave project. The project’s promotional material states, “Parks, tree-lined streets, waterways, landscaped gardens, have all been woven into the development to enhance the environment.” By incorporating a natural beach in the design they have tried to limit the need for extensive reclamation or building into the ocean as is common in many similar projects. It even includes a nature reserve to help protect the local environment.

To anyone jaded by the hyperbole surrounding most Middle East developments it almost sounds too good to be true. An investment opportunity with all the perks of other projects but with none of the downsides, investors may even choose to live there once construction is complete.

Oman’s tourism strategy for Muscat goes further than just one project, by establishing a dedicated Ministry of Tourism the country has made it a goal to increase this sector’s contribution from 1% to 3% of GDP by 2010, primarily through a series of resort developments and foreign property ownership deals.

By the second quarter of 2006 the Muscat Golf and Country Club will be offering completed luxury two bedroom apartments, penthouses and three, four and five bedroom villas.

Also this year the $1.9 billion first phase of the ambitious Blue City project was given the go-ahead. The creation of this seaside city between Muscat and Barka, complete with all the amenities a new city needs, from hotels to health centres, is estimated to cost a cool $20 billion over 15 years and will be completed in ten phases. The city will eventually cover 34 square kilometres, house 250,000, and cater for an additional two million tourists per year.

As these projects gain momentum it is inevitable that more hotels and developments will eventually be announced. To cater for the expected increase in traffic Seeb International Airport, Muscat’s main entry point, will also be undergoing a face-lift over the next 18 months, as $150+ million is spent on a new terminal with a potential five million passenger annual capacity.

Travelling through downtown Muscat it is hard to tell that these developments are already underway. Mainly because most of the new tourism projects are being built in secluded areas away from the main populace.

“The question is who are the adverts in Oman aimed at?” asks Professor Davidson. “The way it’s being managed is that these property developments are being targeted at westerners, almost like compounds.” He believes that it has to do with a large population where authority cannot be maintained by “distributing wealth” as it is in neighbouring countries, so it must come from something else. In this case ensuring money flows in while keeping non-traditional cultural influences at arm’s length. “They have to be kept separate,” he says, “otherwise it’s like playing with dynamite in Oman.”

Preserving the country’s cultural and social environment is of course as important as the natural one and Oman for all its beauty would be nothing without the Omani people and their genuine hospitality. I was offered a perfect example of this when I found myself lost in Muscat’s old town. Without a map and late for my appointment, I gave in and asked an on-duty soldier, using a pidgin of Gulf dialects, how to get to the Barr Al Jissah resort. He wasn’t sure but the two Omani teenagers he then asked did, and rather than simply giving me directions they graciously guided me all the way there.

It would seem that if any one can pull off such a feat of financial development and social engineering then surely it must be environment friendly Oman. The green and pleasant idyll described by the Wave project already sounds so much like present day Muscat that is hard to believe they don’t have the will to make it happen.

To drive the point home Simpson highlights what is felt by many tour operators in the Middle East, “We just know the time is right, Dubai has opened up the gulf as a desirable tourist destination, Oman just offers even more.”

Breakout#1:

Emerging Giant

Oil & Gas Far from being dependent on tourism Oman is also diversifying its industrial sector with gas based industries coming to the fore. Projects in development or on the drawing board include a $1.25 billion refinery in Sohar and further multi-billion processing facilities for methanol, polypropylene and fertilisers. The Oman LNG facility alone is expected to generate $20 billion revenue during its lifetime.

Power A new 450-550MW power project in Sohar will produce 33 million gallons of desalinated water a day and will form part of the GCC’s integrated power grid with the UAE.

Roads A national road system linking the south, north and the interior is planned for the next 20 years, opening up the eastern coast to tourism by a coastal road and eventually linking Dubai and Muscat.

Breakout#2:

Nature’s Finest

Superb diving can be found near the capital in Cemetery Bay, Fahal Island and Dimaniyyat Islands. Despite sometimes poor visibility expect to see an amazing variety of sea life, the wreck Al-Munassir and plenty of coral. Night diving is always popular with a remarkable amount of phosphorescence in the water.

Whale and Dolphin watching takes place all year round although whales are easier to spot during the cooler months of October to May. Speed boat, snorkel or kayaks are available but always make sure you choose a reputable guide.

Endangered Species

Oman is global player when it comes to ensuring the continued existence of certain species and eco-tourism is highly encouraged in the Sultanate.

The islands of Ras Al Hadd and Ras Al Jinz contain five endangered species of turtle protected by royal decree and have become a major eco-tourism attraction. The iconic Arabian Oryx was hunted almost to extinction; one of the last remaining herds is now protected on a UNESCO World Heritage Sight at the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary.

Gazelles, rare plants inhabit Saleel Park. The Arabian Tahr mountain goat is found at Wadi As Sarin, while the Arabian Leopard can still be spotted at Jebel Samhanin in Dhofar which was declared a Nature Reserve in 1996.

Adventure

Adventure tourism is key to encouraging the right kind of tourists in Oman. The natural cave system connected to Wadi Hota near Nizwa is 3km long and houses long, deep cavities with a giant stalactites and stalagmites aplenty while Majlis Al-Jinn is the second largest underground chamber in the world.

Climbing is still relatively unexplored, although the 300m towers of Jebel Ghul and the 150m to 850m alpine style routes of Jebel Mishfa and Jebel Misht are well-liked climbs.

Hiking and trekking is encouraged across Oman’s diverse mountain landscape, one of the most popular is the Jebel Shams rim walk, on Oman’s highest peak, around the sheer drop of breath taking Wadi Ghul, the Arabian Grand Canyon.

Originally appeared in the Friday Magazine in Gulf News

Skiing to the Pole | Gallery

The true geographic pole of 90 degrees north is one of the most inaccessible places on the planet. It’s where temperatures of -20 to -30 degrees C are considered balmy. The only life you’re likely to see there are seals, bearded scientists, or possibly the polar bear that’s been silently stalking you for its supper.

Unlike the South Pole it’s not even on dry land. It lies beneath a shifting sheet of ice that stretches from the shores of Russia to the glacial plains of Canada and Greenland. But now thanks to the enterprising Russian agency VICAAR the North Pole is becoming more accessible. In addition to ice breaker tours in summer they also operate the floating ice camp Barneo during the month of April. A time of year when the daylight lasts all night and the ice is still solid enough to support you.

From there it’s just a short helicopter ride to the last degree of latitude before you hit the pole. So what used to cost a small fortune – a North Pole expedition – now costs about as much as a new sensible family car, still not cheap, but then who wants to be sensible anyway?

-4 Days

It takes four flights to reach Svalbard, an island off the Norwegian coast, and the most northerly inhabited place on the planet. I set off for the airport before dawn, the waning moon a reminder that I won’t be seeing night for at least another nine days. This really isn’t a trip like any I’ve ever taken before.

My connection through Paris makes its way north to Oslo. Then onto Tromsø the self titled ‘Gateway to the Arctic’. The flight in is something else. I’ve read about the beauty of the Norwegian Fjords and as the plane descends into the small city through picture postcard mountains and rocky inlets the realisation hits me – I’m going to the North Pole. In the airport I’m greeted by a poster of cheesily cheerful Norwegians sitting in a hot tub at Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg, it’s the first hotel of my trip and I can’t wait to get there.

On the final leg to Svalbard the hairstyles and high fashions of Oslo and Paris are long gone. ‘I’m pleased to announce the weather in Svalbard’s Longyearbyen is a glorious -29⁰C.’ quips the captain. The sturdy looking passengers appreciate his timely humour.

We fly in over an even more mountainous Svalbard shoreline. In the murky twilight that passes for night time at this latitude I’m struck by the sheer size and emptiness of the place. As we approach Longyearbyen airport small bergs dot the cold slate grey of the unforgiving sea beneath us. The forced good humour of the captain makes sense, if the engines fail and we plunge into those freezing waters, we’re dead, it’s that simple.

Thankfully we don’t and I’m met at the airport by a smiling Sascha, our driver, and Mikhail Lamakin, an arctic climatologist by training and guide for our journey to the pole. He tells me there have been delays at the ice camp due to a tractor that refused to work and the dearth of replacement parts in the region. He hasn’t slept for days.

Behind me an excitable Alexei Dmitriev bounds over to tell us he’s just seen the arctic marathoners heading out to Barneo. They’ve been hanging around in the hotels of Longyearbyen while the equipment problems are dealt with and the weather clears. A marathon at the pole makes a strange kind of sense; to stay warm you just have to keep going.

-3 Days

Mary-Ann’s is an old mining lodge; the clean and simple single room I’ve booked is functional and above all warm. Neither chained nor themed the hotel retains the character of its former occupants. The people that stay there today crave comfort without pretension. The kind of people I want to meet. In the lounge the previous evening I even managed to speak some rusty Arabic with Hassan. A Libyan who’s been working for three years in this northern frontier town where the men ride skidoos and nobody leaves home without a shotgun – those polar bears might look cute from a distance, but up close they’re fast and deadly.

Over breakfast I meet ten submariners from the Indian Navy on their way to ski the last degree of latitude to the North Pole. Raj Kumar the leader of their expedition tells me that they have a passion for adventure; they’ve previously scaled Everest and trekked to the South Pole. It’s great to see that the arctic isn’t just the domain of crusty old white boys called Ranulph or Vladimir.

The morning is spent collecting our arctic kit from the expedition warehouse. Then Alexei takes me to meet the town’s cultural heritage advisor to discuss the flexible dynamics of land issues and citizenship that affect Russian and Norwegian business interests. We then head out for food, coffee and last minute supplies. At the Kroa Bar we realise we really are a long way from everywhere else. It’s the first place I’ve ever seen whale meat on the menu, a forbidden food in most parts of the world.

Mikhail treats our six person group to dinner at a restaurant on the edge of town. It used to be the place for miners to drink and fight, but now hosts a suitably high brow reputation. It’s an opportunity for us all to meet for the first time. We’re independent men and women with bloodlines from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas. World citizens with nationalities that don’t necessarily match our heritage. This leads to an inevitable but short lived game of ‘who’s the spook?’ Nobody wins.

We make the most of our last opportunity for a real meal, from here on in it’s packet food and melt water.

-2 Days

Our sleds are packed high with tents, cooking equipment, gas, dried provisions and skis. On board the Russian Antonov 74 airplane we’re joined by the Indian Navy, along with an American and a Russian, Kai and Sergei, here for a longer nine day ski trek to the pole with their Austrian guide Christophe. Also on the flight is Georges Baumann a lone explorer on a test run for a coast to coast trek from Siberia to Canada.

The AN74 looks rickety but thankfully flies more smoothly than most airlines could ever hope and, with its jet engines mounted above the wings rather than beneath, it lands easily on narrow runways cut through jungles or ice.

At Barneo we are met by Victor Boyarsky, arctic explorer and organizer of our trip. It’s his agency VICAAR that makes all this possible. We hump our gear to the wonderfully warm mess tent only to find out our departure is going to be delayed at least a day. With nothing else to do we pitch a camp nearby and get to know our way around. Victor shows us how to make the gas stoves work in cold temperatures, essential guidance as they’re our only source of heat.

When I venture outside to take photographs of the Indians leaving for their first day of skiing the temperature falls below -35⁰C. I’m wearing thin camera friendly gloves and within two minutes my hands are so cold they hurt, really hurt, to the point where my head spins and I begin to feel sick. I rush back to the tent and literally thrust them into the stove’s flame to warm them up. Once they’ve defrosted I grab a heavier set of gloves and head back out.

That evening my tent mate and I tuck into one of the many packs of dehydrated food we’ve been given. They’re labelled in Russian so it’s a literal pot luck what we end up with. One chicken, noodle and couscous concoction later we finish up with excessive amounts of chocolates, biscuits and handfuls of trail mix.

In the Arctic Circle you don’t have to watch your calories. Even sitting still in those temperatures is an effort and your body uses energy stored as fat to keep you warm. On an average trek you’ll burn somewhere in the region of 7000 calories a day. In our daily meal boxes there’s over 5000 high-fat calories and it seems like we’re eating constantly just to maintain energy levels.

Water is also not an issue, we’re surrounded by it. The pot is constantly on the boil melting the palatable drift snow and the less tasty salt water of the ice.

And there’s the thing about the Arctic, it feels like land but it isn’t, even though you can walk over the horizon in any direction the occasional whiff of salt water and the sensation of the ice moving beneath your feet reminds you where you are.

Night stubbornly refuses to fall but we eventually settle into our -40⁰C rated sleeping bags, remembering to zip up the neck section to seal the warmth into our bodies. Then it’s warm hat pulled down over the eyes and the sleeping bag’s hood over the face to block out the midnight sun.

It doesn’t work, the light keeps us awake and we chat until the early hours, too excited to sleep.

-1 Day

We’re supposed to head out today and make for the pole, but one of our team is ill. She stays wrapped up in the tent and tries to recover while Christophe takes us on a training day with skis and partially loaded sledges. We change into thinner gear which in the extreme cold seems a perverse thing to do. Christophe tells us that if we don’t we’ll overheat when we’re skiing hard.

We head out into the icy expanse of this great northern desert. It’s wonderful to be away from the claustrophobia of camp. The two strongest skiers break away from the pack. I’m not far behind them and just like yesterday my hands begin to worry me. This time I can’t feel the ends of my fingers and we’re barely ten minutes away from base.

I want to ask someone what I should do, but the guys ahead are out of hearing range and the rest of the group is a way behind me. I could stop and wait for them to catch up but that will only make me colder. I push on as hard as I can in an effort to keep the blood flowing through my extremities. Even with hand warmers in my gloves it doesn’t get any better. Eventually Christophe stops and gives me a questioning thumbs up? I give him the thumbs down. He tells me to spin my arms through the air to get the blood flowing, but after two minutes I still can’t feel a thing. Then he gets me to straighten my hands out. Hot needles of pain stab through the senseless finger tips as the blood begins to flow back into them. But I don’t care, it’s a happy pain.

Christophe tells me later that he was beginning to get worried, but right then we ski on through the startling alien landscape of the arctic and with the adrenalin pumping I really don’t want to be anywhere else.

0 Days

The camp is stripped down and packed on our sleds and we board the MI-8 helicopter that will take us to our final destination a half day’s ski from the pole. We’ve lost a day already and with illness still in the group the decision has been made that we camp out for an extra day rather than ski.

For a city kid like me, only a few short hours from the North Pole, it’s still a dream coming true.

The helicopter is noisy but warm and flown by the hardiest and hairiest looking pilots I’ve seen outside a war zone. We sit in two long lines on either side of the deck and stare out over the vast emptiness and wide cracks of open water beneath us.

There’s nothing and nobody out there, no wonder my insurers were getting twitchy about recovery costs. We drop off Kai, Sergei and Christophe for the 110 kilometres and seven days of their last degree ski trip. They have a lot of distance to make up. Like us they’ve left a little later than planned and with the ice constantly moving beneath your feet you can ski all day and find the drift has taken you back further than you’ve skied.

Then it’s our turn, we drag our sleds from the chopper and prepare our harnesses and skis for the trek ahead. It’s beautifully sunny but it’s deceptive, subconsciously you still expect the sun to be warm.

With no camp nearby and the helicopter gone the last vestiges of civilization are behind us and for the first time since we arrived in the arctic I feel free.

The wind is behind us and our pace fast, the sweat is pouring off us. My hand freezes up again but this time I know how to fix it. The sleds topple over in the snow-filled cracks between ice sheets and stick on ridges but overall there’s nothing to do except switch off the whining monologue of commutes, deadlines and suburban stress and let the wilderness take over. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time and there are moments where the landscape simply takes my breath away. Add a red filter to my goggles and we could be on Mars.

Victor is leader for the North Pole stretch of our trip and he pauses for a break. He points in the direction of the pole and tells us it’s been moving around us as we’ve been skiing.

We push on and only a couple of kilometres later Victor cries out: “We’re here!”

By the time we’ve skied up to his position, disconnected harnesses and removed cameras from backpacks the GPS tell us we’ve already drifted a couple of hundred metres from where we first stopped, the geographic North Pole – the top of the world.

He fires a flare to mark our position and we grab quick photographs of each other. Before we’ve even had a chance for our arrival to sink in we’re off and heading towards a sheltered spot nearby.

Once we’ve made camp we all dive into our tents for a hearty rehydrated meal and a well earned sleep.

+1 Day

When I wake I can’t stop smiling. We’re at the North Pole. I repeat this quietly to myself as I light the fire. We endure a breakfast of salty porridge and brackish tea. Outside the tent we hear our neighbours talking; apparently the industrious Alexei has been walking around in bare feet and dug a camp toilet for us during the early hours. Bless him.

Victor greets us in his underwear, whereas I’ve got about four layers of thermal clothing on. I guess that’s the difference when you’ve acclimatised a little. And I find this happens during our enforced break. We have time to wander around our small camp and over the icy ridges nearby. Whereas two days ago my fingers could barely cope with a couple of minutes I’m now happily snapping away with my camera and passing the time of day chatting with my neighbours. But you can never be complacent; you can’t feel frost bite set in.

In Victor’s tent he offers me his Satellite phone and I make two calls home, one to my grandparents – a frosty greeting with lots of love I tell them – and one to my mother. And this is where it hits home what we’ve done and where we are. The hint of disbelief and awe in my family’s voice makes it all seem much more real.

Initially we even moaned about not being able to ski more and then about having to spend a day on ice simply camping, but I’m so glad we did. You get a real sense of where you are after 24 hours in the same spot. Your routines become established, you know what works to keep you warm and what doesn’t.

You also develop a sense of where you really are, sat on top of a planet with a fiery ball of light circling overhead. Time loses its meaning, depending on which way you face it can be either midnight or midday. The nearest we get to a sunset is the arctic twilight. It’s a truly magical light, one that neither I nor the camera know how to truly capture.

+2 Days

The following morning we pack up all the tents bar one and Victor offers us a traditional and perfectly chilled Russian toast for breakfast. The helicopter takes us back to Barneo and then the plane back to Longyearbyen and a comfortable night in a superior room of the Raddisson SAS Polar Hotel, the northernmost full service hotel in the world.

Over dinner Victor presents us with a certificate of our trip and small statue. A dark metal spike driven into a slice of white Italian marble that looks just like a piece of arctic ice. Traditionally the Inuit thought of the pole as a spike, the twist in its stem is Victor’s addition and represents the suffering endured by those who travel there.

+3 Days

My last day is spent recovering and buying souvenirs and postcards before catching the red eye flight back home. The receptionist of my third hotel, The Spitsbergen Guesthouse, a local, spies the VICAAR North Pole badge on my jacket. ‘You really went to the North Pole?’ she asks.

‘Yes, of course,’ I say.

She nods her head with a new found respect. I’m quite taken aback, you get it in your head that everybody does this, even though I know only 200 people will make the trip from Barneo this year and we were the first people to ski from there this season. Emma-Kate, one of our group, was only the second Australian woman to ever ski to the pole.

+ 4-8 Days

Flying out of Svalbard and along the Norwegian fjords is even more spectacular than flying in. I’m reluctant to leave. I fight the urge to run up to people and say, ‘Do you know where I’ve been?’ By the time I make my connection in Paris, I’m longing for the wide open spaces and marketing free landscape I’ve left behind.

A few days later the sensation of having done something unique, different and unlike everything else remains. I now understand why people go off and do crazy things in far flung places. Thank goodness I didn’t buy a sensible car. Next time I think I’ll try to stay a little longer.

HOW TO GET THERE

Expeditions

VICAAR and www.northpolextreme.com run North Pole expeditions and operate the  Barneo ice camp during the month of April as well as ice breaker tours and husky rides throughout  the rest of the year.

There are several other operators offering specialised trips through VICAAR/Barneo such as  www.voyageconcepts.co.uk who the Indian Navy used, www.icetrek.com and if you’ve got the  stamina for an arctic marathon www.npmarathon.com.

You can also travel to the pole from Canada and Greenland, see www.thepoles.com.

Svalbard accommodation

Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg: One to four person guest house rooms in the Polarrigg and Luksus-riggen.  www.polarriggen.com | +47 79 02 37 02

Radisson SAS Polar Hotel Spitsbergen: This full service hotel offers suites and superiors all year round. The hotel has amazing view from the dining area and a spa on the way. www.radissonsas.com | +47 79 02 34 50

Spitsbergen Guesthouse: The backpacking and budget traveller option, again clean, comfortable and warm but less sound proofed than all the rest. www.spitsbergentravel.no | +47 79 02 63 00

Basecamp Hotel: A timber themed but well thought out hotel in the style of a trapper’s cabin with the gourmet Kroa Bar on site. www.basecampexplorer.com | +47 7902 4600

Excursions

Dog-sledding, glacier treks, skidoo expeditions, ice breaker tours, sailing and trips to old mines can all be booked through your hotel and the websites above. Do shop around for the best price.