Polar Attack: From Canada to the North Pole, and Back

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental/social consultant in Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories.

Weber and Malakhov are two seasoned polar travelers who decided to try
for a new world record: to be the first to complete an unsupported
return trip to the North Pole.

They assembled a four-man team and departed in March 1992. Before they
had even left Iqaluit, one man dropped out; another followed about a
third of the way to their goal. Weber and Malakhov continued across an
endless number of open leads and pressure ridges, but they couldn’t
keep ahead of the southward drift of the polar sea and were forced to
turn back just 39 kilometres short of their destination. When they set
out again in 1995, they had the advantage of an earlier departure date.
On May 12 (day 81), they reached the North Pole. Without much ceremony,
they promptly turned to complete the second half of their journey back
to Ward Hunt Island.

This isn’t a story driven by testosterone and blind ambition. The
authors speak openly about conflicts, inadequacies, and self-doubts.
They also touch on the mystique of wilderness travel—the phantom
companion who appears and disappears and the apparent influence of
thoughts on weather conditions, ice movements, and wildlife encounters.
Their well-written book is enhanced by color photos.