From the Dept. of I Hate It When That Happens:Rune Gjeldnes found out that as he heads into the tough finish of his 4400 kilometer (2734 mile) trek over Antarctica that he has lost one of his skis. As he prepared for the last leg of his solo trek across Antarctica, Rune Gjeldnes discovered he had lost one of his mountain skis. After nearly 80 days in Antarctica, Gjeldnes made the discovery at an altitude of over 2000 meters (6562 feet). Gjeldnes, 34, is trying to become the first man to make the long trek over the South Pole region without being resupplied. On Tuesday Gjeldnes noticed that one of his mountain skis had fallen off the sled, and he decided against the possible two-day retreat trip to look for it. "This isn't possible, I thought. On the world's longest ski trip, you should at least know where your skis are," Gjeldnes said by phone.
He is now left with one ski and a pair of kite skis, the latter fairly useless on the final leg across a glacier and down to Terra Nova Bay. Gjeldnes, who has crossed the North Pole alone without resupplies, paddled the Rio Merevari in Venezuela, crossed Baffin Island in northern Canada and scaled Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, faces other problems as well. A spell of nasty weather has forced him to hold position for several days, and good visibility is essential in order to make the hazardous trip down the glacier.
"If I don't manage to come down the glacier, there is an alternative, going back and across the mountains and down to Terra Nova Bay. It is not an ideal route, but one way or another I'll make it," Gjeldnes said. He has a month left to reach the bay. If he arrives late for the scheduled boat departure the Norwegian will have to spend the spring and summer on Antarctica. "But I am still ahead of schedule, so I have some room to spare," Gjeldnes said.