Disappointing end to Greenland expedition

NAMIBIAN adventurer Kobus Alberts is expected to return home this week after his Greenland skiing expedition to raise money for the Afri-Leo Foundation came to a premature and disappointing end.

With an uphill struggle of 150 kilometres behind them, the adventure finally disintegrated completely when Per-Thore Hansen from Norway was injured on Saturday. By then, Alberts and Hansen were the only two members left of the four-man squad that was dropped off by helicopter on the icy terrain 10 days earlier.After heavy snowstorms kept the four adventurers inside their tents for more than two days, the two British members, Mark Hannaford and Sean Hudson, decided to return home.With their departure, a research project on polar medicine that would have been conducted during the expedition fell through.Alberts and Hansen were determined to complete the challenge and made good progress, especially when they caught up with two Finnish adventurers on the same route.On Thursday, Alberts told his wife via satellite telephone that, although he was suffering severely from blisters and pain in his feet, they had made up for lost time and travelled almost 150 kilometres.By then they had reached an altitude of 2 130 metres – only about 300 metres from the highest expected altitude.Alberts was determined to complete the 550-km route in the planned 27 days, or with time to spare.The extent of Hansen’s injury is not known, but the most recent word from Alberts is that they have been airlifted to a nearby hospital.The gruelling test was backed by the charity challenge company Across the Divide Expeditions.Alberts chose the Afri-Leo Foundation as the charity to benefit from his Greenland expedition, while the other members were raising funds for cancer research and treatment as well as a mines advisory group.By then, Alberts and Hansen were the only two members left of the four-man squad that was dropped off by helicopter on the icy terrain 10 days earlier.After heavy snowstorms kept the four adventurers inside their tents for more than two days, the two British members, Mark Hannaford and Sean Hudson, decided to return home.With their departure, a research project on polar medicine that would have been conducted during the expedition fell through.Alberts and Hansen were determined to complete the challenge and made good progress, especially when they caught up with two Finnish adventurers on the same route.On Thursday, Alberts told his wife via satellite telephone that, although he was suffering severely from blisters and pain in his feet, they had made up for lost time and travelled almost 150 kilometres.By then they had reached an altitude of 2 130 metres – only about 300 metres from the highest expected altitude.Alberts was determined to complete the 550-km route in the planned 27 days, or with time to spare.The extent of Hansen’s injury is not known, but the most recent word from Alberts is that they have been airlifted to a nearby hospital.The gruelling test was backed by the charity challenge company Across the Divide Expeditions.Alberts chose the Afri-Leo Foundation as the charity to benefit from his Greenland expedition, while the other members were raising funds for cancer research and treatment as well as a mines advisory group.