my promise


“To everyone who once upon a time gave their dream to the girl on the tractor.

I made you a promise. I promised your dream would come on an adventure with me all across the World and all the way to the geographic South Pole.

I want to let you know:
It took me a while but I’ve made it! I’m here!
Maybe dreams do come true!
They do! Believe in it. Walk towards it. Really the reality of it is so beautiful.

Now, there was another part to the promise I made…about which I wanted to let you know I’ve made a small decision.

At the geographic South Pole I realised that this to me was not the most appropriate place to build a snowman. The American scientific base there sees many people moving in and out, vehicles and even planes come to visit on a daily bases. 

And I really felt the urge to hold on to the dreams just a little bit longer. And to travel back into the open wide and frozen white landscape of Antarctica. And to find I place in the midst of the extreme beauty of this continent to build the snowman with the ‘dreams of the World’ in it’s belly. 

I hope you can all agree or understand this decision I made.
There’s only one thing `I can say right now, which is: -to be continued-

And if you still wish to see your dream being planted in the belly of a snowman on Antarctica, be quick and upload it now via www.thetractorgirl.com!” 

Talk to you soon!

- To be continued – 

 

Manon

Update day 20 Matty

Matty tells it is sunny and they are on their way back. They are halting for a break after a 15 hours drive. The landscape is wide and white, and in the trucks they are cramped with stuff at their feet and lap.

Simon and Matty at arrival on the South Pole

On Tuesday 9th December 2014, the Antarctica2 crew reached the South Pole after 17 days of driving in the MF 5610 tractor.

Shortly after arrival at the Pole, Simon, Creative Director & Audio Visual Lead, and Matty, Expedition Lead Guide, gave their thoughts to camera.

#believeinit

How does the Antartica2 team cope with life on the ice?

On the Antarctica2 expedition to the South Pole, it’s not just the Massey Ferguson MF 5610 tractor that has to handle the toughest conditions on earth.

The people in the team also have to cope with the extreme cold that makes it a huge challenge to carry out even the most mundane tasks.

The teamestablished set routines to accomplish regular tasks and these make it easier for them to cope with life on ice, where everything is much harder to do than at more normal temperatures.

With the tractor travelling more slowly than the escort trucks it provides time for one of these to get ahead and set up camp, putting up the sleeping tents, ‘Arctic Oven’ kitchen tent and start heating water. Obviously there’s no running water on Antarctica – it simply freezes. So before the team can make a drink, have water for cooking or washing they first have to melt pots of snow.

Depending on the conditions on each particular day and how far they are travelling, the tractor team usually arrives two to four hours later. By this time the camp is established and team’s dinner is being prepared.

The extreme cold means the team needs a special diet that is high in carbohydrates for energy and rich in protein to maintain muscle mass. They mainly eat freeze-dried meals, along with rice, pasta, cheese and Spam supplemented with nuts, dried fruit and flapjacks. Breakfast is usually granola, which with dried milk and hot water makes a warming porridge.

All the team members sleep in their own special tents capable of withstanding Antarctica’s high winds. While these provide protection from the wind, the thin sheet of material offers no insulation from the bone-chilling temperatures. This is why they sleep in thick polar sleeping bags, which they place on inflated mats that insulate them from the snow.

Despite hours of strenuous activity and concentration, the cold, combined with the constant sunlight, can make it difficult to get to sleep.

And lastly, in response to a young reader’s question – yes going to the toilet in sub-zero temperatures also presents its own problems! This a subject Creative Director, Simon Foster, says he tries to ‘avoid thinking of, let alone talking about!’

Every direction is North

Amazing! Heading from this Pole every direction is North 

tractor at pole
 
“This is South 90 – as far South as anybody can go. It’s unbelievable – at the South Pole there is a red Massey Ferguson tractor!” #BELIEVEINIT

Phonecall from Antarctica

On 9th December 2014, Richard Markwell, Vice President and Managing Director for Massey Ferguson in Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME), received the call from Manon that they have arrived at the South Pole.

looking back on my journey through Africa

Living on a tractor:

A look back at the original Hillary expedition

“Despite quite unsuitable conditions of soft snow and high altitudes our Ferguson’s performed magnificently.” A look back at the original Hillary expedition

verslag hillary

Day 18: update from Matty

Matty tells they had a tour around the Pole station and made various films and video’s from the Pole. After a couple hours of sleep they will head North. Doesn’t matter which way you go, from the Pole you always head North