icebird - 22-10-2007 at 03:50 AM
Anyone got any tips on snowkiting on Hudson Bay/James Bay?
Best season for wind, ice, weather?
Where can I get hold of a bangbang?
Do you reckon I could make it to Iqaluit?
Just a thought.
Cheers:
Pat
kitesled.com
Scudley - 5-12-2007 at 07:50 PM
Hudson's Bay would be a challenge. In the winter it is the feeding ground of the highest concentration of polar bears in the world. If you are
thinking that you could out ski them, think again. They can run for a fair distance at thirty miles an hour. Believe it or not, a 1000 lb polar bear
is hard to see until you are fairly close. They have no fear of man and think of us as a source of food. It is illegal to shoot polar bears without
a permit which you must buy from an Inuit, 25,000$+. Gun ownership requires a fair amount of paper work in Canada.
Settlements are few and far between. I suggest you look at google earth. Maps will show you places like York Factory, but it was abandoned as a
community fifty years ago. In the summer there is a park ranger, but come September they are gone. It is about 400 miles between Churchill and
Rankin Inlet. It is a very empty, lonely 400 miles.
The weather will be a real challenge. Environment Canada's web site will give you the weather forecasts for Churchill and Rankin. If it is warm,
above -30 C, it is probably a blizzard with complete whiteout conditions. If it is sunny, the temperature is probably less than -40 C. Wind chill is
almost always 2500 W/sq.m.
Ocean ice is not dead flat and has open leads and pressure ridges, a bit like the earths plates.
The will be ice from December until break up sometime in May or early June. Shipping used to start in July.
Not being sure of your experience with really extreme conditions, but I would wager that if you tried it without a team and/or lots of support, you
would never be seen again.
I did five winters and four summers in Thompson MB, about 250 miles SW of Churchill and the end of paved road. On the highway at both ends of town
was sign reading to the effect: "Carry survival gear in your vehicle if going beyond this point." People froze to death if their car left the road.
Best of luck,
S