[ FAQ & Interviews ]
Q & A: with Explorer Wave Vidmar
Q. How safe are you sleeping at night in your tent?
A. That's a relative question. More accurate to ask what dangers will I face while sleeping. Attacks from polar bears are still likely, though I'll have a perimeter wire attached to trip flares to alert me to their presence (and hopefully scare them away). Also, the ice could crack beneath my tent and the ocean could swallow me whole. Or the ice could be rammed under or over another piece of ice.
Q. What happens to the equipment that your sponsors give you when you complete the trip?
A. All equipment that makes it back will be used for the Wave's next expedition, solo and unsupported to the South Pole in November 2004.
Q. How do you swim a mile underwater?
A. During my training, I swim up to a mile underwater each day, at 100 and 50 yard intervals. I take a deep breath, and then swim underwater for one or two laps at an Olympic-sized swimming pool. I come up for air, take a few breathes and then repeat the cycle.
Q. How long can you expose your skin before you get frostbite?
A. At the 'average' temperature of -30F, it takes less than 10 seconds to
get frostbite to exposed skin.
Q. What sort of food will you be eating?
A. I'll be using mostly freeze-dried backpacking foods and other foods
high in calories. Reducing the weight I carry/drag is important,
freeze-dried foods are the lightest with the most amount of calories.
Q. How many days of food will you take with you?
A. Approximately 70 days, with about 7,000 calories worth of food for each
day.
Q. Is there a way of knowing how long stretches of water will be?
A. No, even a glaciological map will be inaccurate within a few hours to a
day.
Q. Can you listen to music while you are walking?
A. I could, but I won't. I need to listen carefully for polar bears,
which actively hunt humans and have been known to follow explorers for
several days.
Q. Will you take any books with you?
A. I won't take any 'traditional' printed books, but will bring several ebooks, stored on memory cards that I can read in my PDA. The kinds of things I'll bring are world history, and science references. I don't read fiction.
Q. Are you taking a bottle of champagne or will it freeze?
A. Though champagne (good champagne) is the beverage of choice I won't bring a bottle with me because yes it will freeze, it will weigh too much, and when the helicopter comes to pick me up at the pole they'll bring the champagne and caviar!
Q. Do you have any hobbies?
A. My lifestyle and interests are closely integrated so that most of my 'hobbies' are actually careers. Perhaps extreme snowboarding would be one of my hobbies, since I don't consider it a career. I do enjoy doing many different things in life, and often end up supporting myself from such interests as: art (glass, ceramics, pastels), music (creating, composing,
recording, producing), science, exploration, writing, video, and product design.
Q. What's your greatest fear?
A. For this expedition : Not accomplishing my goal. Swimming in the inky black ocean will be disconcerting. Overall : not being able to explore and attempt to accomplish my dreams and goals would be my greatest fear. Dying before I had attempted what I truly wanted to attempt or accomplish in life would be tragic to me.
Q. What's your greatest hope?
A. That I inspire positive change in this world, both for the present and future. I think we've come a long way as humans, but we still have a long way to go.
Q. Do you have any personal heroes?
A. Yes, renaissance men such as Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo DaVinci, and others that forged their own paths in life, despite popular or public opinion. Regarding polar exploration, Borge Ousland is the man. I admire and find inspiration from many different people, many of which will never be famous; it's the desire, and drive to accomplish their own dreams and goals that makes me smile.
Q. How will you deal with the isolation?
A. Hahaha, I'm looking forward to it! 24 hours of daylight, and no one to bother or be bothered by, it's a dream come true! I like people, but will mostly miss warm cheeseburgers and hot showers. Daily I'll be able to talk and communicate with the outside world, and I know that my adventure will come to an end within roughly two months. I'll miss my loved ones and friends, but know that it won't last forever, so I embrace the opportunity for solitude, and the experiences to come.
