Ice traverse will go ahead

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33443, 26 January 1974, Page 20

Ice traverse will go ahead

French scientists are likely to resume their traverse across Wilkes Land to the Soviet Vostok Station either next summer or the year after, according to the director of French Polar Expeditions (Mr P. E. Victor).

The two-year, 2000-kilo-metre journey from Dumont D’Urville station, in Adelie Land, begun the previous year, should have been completed last summer, but difficult terrain and bad weather forced the second leg to be called off. Mr Victor said the corrugated terrain — sastrugi sft high, and very rough — badly battered the five tracked vehicles. The

temperature remained between minus 35 deg. and minus 45 deg. “We could probably have gone all the way, but the risks would have been high. So we decided to return to our base. In 27 years in both the north and south polar regions we have never abandoned anything. Now the vehicles are in France being overhauled and repaired,” said Mr Victor in Christchurch.

Once the traverse, part of the International Antarctic Glaciological Project, resumes, the French scientists will investigate an under-ice dome formation along the way between the French and Russian stations. Mr Victor said he was keen to compare the Antarctic under-ice dome with one discovered in Greenland.

Mr Victor will go to the

Antarctic tomorrow to discuss with the National Science Foundation and the United States Navy Antarctic support force the International Antarctic Glaciological Project, being run by France, the United States, Russia and Australia.

Asked what progress had been made with the proposal for an Antarctic research expedition made up of member nations of the Council of Europe, Mr Victor said it had reached Ministerial level, and generally the response had been favourable.

“Now we are working on the formulation of a scientific programme. Our main problem is the financial support to be provided by each nation. The response they make will determine the scientific priorities in the programme,” he said.

“Because of the oil crisis, the concept does not exactlj; have a high priority. But the European expedition to the Antarctic might become a reality within two or three years.”

Going to McMurdo Station with him is Colonel J. Traineau, a French Air Force officer, who will talk with the Americans about the feasibility of an international “airbus” system between the Antarctic stations.