ITACE and Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Expedition and the Science of ITACE

Washington, DC, September 23, 2012 --(PR.com)-- British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, described in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s greatest living explorer, recently announced his latest adventure – the first ever attempt at a winter crossing of Antarctica. Going with Fiennes next year will be Ian Prickett, a team member of the 2014 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Centenary Expedition (ITACE).

Prickett is a construction worker from Gosport, Hampshire, who’s worked in Antarctica building the new Halley Base 6 for the British Antarctic Survey. With an enormous passion for Antarctica, he has been fortunate enough to spend the last seven summer seasons working on the frozen continent. His fine mountaineering and kite skiing skills are essential for the ITACE team. Prickett’s previous expeditions include the Mongol Rally, Anna Purna Circuit, in the Himalayas, and various expeditions made while working down on the Antarctic ice.

Dr. Mike Stroud, a former Antarctic companion of Fiennes, has joined ITACE as science patron, and will be working closely with Dr. Alexander Kumar, the expedition’s physician, scientist and nutritionist. Dr. Kumar has a particular interest in human physiology, and is currently overwintering in Antarctica, acting both as the base doctor at the Italian Science Station Concordia, and as a research scientist for European Space Agency (ESA).

Crossing Antarctica on foot is one of the greatest physiological and psychological endurance challenges in the world. In 2014, ITACE will present a unique opportunity to conduct scientific research at this extreme. Biological samples will be taken prior, during and after the expedition, and analyzed alongside specialist imaging. Working in collaboration with institutions around the world, ITACE's six team members will become a focus of study to better understand the limits of human physiology. Studies of the mechanisms in endocrinology and immunology will incorporate and build upon the nutritional research conducted by Fiennes and Dr. Stroud when they first crossed Antarctica on foot during 1992-93.