Pink Lady Polecats Polar Challenge 2005
The first all-female team to complete The Polar Challenge, an annual endurance race across Arctic Canada to the 1996 position of the North Magnetic Pole. Sponsored by Pink Lady Apples, the Polecats finished the race in 6th position out of a field of 16 teams.
The Polar Challenge was an annual endurance race across Nunavut, in the Canadian Arctic, which took place every year between 2004 and 2010. The race began with a training leg of 120km from Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island to the official start line at Polaris Mine. From Polaris, teams of three competed against each other to ski across 360 nautical miles (approx 650km) to reach the finish line at Isachsen Mine on Ellef Rignes Island.
While racing the teams were completely self-sufficient, sleeping in tents on the ice and hauling their equipment and supplies in sledges as they traverse large areas of sea ice as well as low-lying Bathurst Island. Teams could choose their own route but had to pass through two mandatory checkpoints and the 1996 position of the North Magnetic Pole before arriving at the finish.
The challenges of the race were not just the extreme cold and the terrain, but also Polar Bears. The race passed through prime Polar Bear territory and while always respectful of this incredible animal and its habitat, the team had to learn how to defend themselves in a worst case scenario. Fortunately all bears encountered kept their distance.
The Pink Lady PoleCats completed the race in 13 days, arriving at the finish line in 6th place out of a field of 16 teams. They were the first all-female team to successfully compete in the event.
Route of the Polar Challenge
This is the video that was shown to guests at the team's fundraising Snow Ball in February 2005.....scary how young we all look!