May

Five Minutes from Antarctica: Amazing Places on Earth

by Joyce McGreevy on May 13, 2019

The International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand is the only specialized Antarctic attraction in the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Christchurch is home to the only specialized Antarctic attraction in the world.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Cool New Zealand Experience

Arriving at Christchurch Airport, I overhear a family discussing one of the most amazing places on Earth.

“We should stop by Antarctica.”

“Do we have time? It’s almost 3:30. Mum’s expecting us.”

“No worries. It’s only five minutes from here. A waddle, really.”

“Kids, do you want to go to Antarctica? We’re just popping in for a bit.”

It’s the most matter-of-fact call to adventure I’ve ever heard.

Intrigued, I roll my suitcase past waiting taxis, hang a left, and tag along on the the World’s Most Casual Expedition.

Funny, it doesn’t look Antarctic! Christchurch is the logistics center for the
Antarctic research expeditions of NZ, the U.S., Korea, and Italy.
© Joyce McGreevy

What’s It Like to Travel Antarctic Terrain?

Minutes later, we’re staring at what look like giant tractors. Hägglunds are all-terrain amphibious Antarctic vehicles designed to clamber over the roughest, iciest terrain. A driver calls, “Last run of the day, lovies!”

A Hägglund outside the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it’s like to navigate the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Not your average parking lot. Across the street are the headquarters
of the U.S. Antarctic Program.
© Joyce McGreevy

As our suitcases rest comfortably in a locker, we discover how it feels for scientists to travel in Antarctica.

Bones shake, brains rattle, and stomachs flip. We picture the real thing: going up and down steep icy slopes. Through treacherous water. Across flat land that may hide a deadly crevasse.

Somewhat wobblier for the experience, I approach the main building. A sign says “Gateway to Antarctica.”

Extreme cold weather clothing on display at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors how to dress for the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

What the cool crowd’s wearing in Antarctica this season.
© Joyce McGreevy

Why Is the Antarctic Center in Christchurch?

One of five official “gateway” cities, Christchurch has designed the International Antarctic Center to let the public experience what life is like in the coolest place on Earth.

A replica of an ice cave at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it’s like to explore the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A replica ice cave is eerily convincing.
© Joyce McGreevy

Instead of just looking at exhibits, you explore them. These range from a full-scale ice cave to an explorer’s hut and its surroundings, complete with changing weather and visibility.

It’s so immersive that afterward, says a guide, some folks feel “exhilarated and a bit bedraggled.” That’s probably in keeping with the effects of an actual Antarctic sojourn.

A replica of Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova hut at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it was like to live in the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Step into the hut from Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova expedition (1910-1913).
© Joyce McGreevy

By honoring New Zealand’s cultural heritage of Antarctic science and stewardship, the Center has attracted many prominent visitors, from prime ministers to presidents. But none have been more warmly welcomed, says our guide, than “Ed.”

Who Was “Ed”?

Our guide says: A shy Auckland city boy and beekeeper who secretly dreamed of adventure.

Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand shows what inspired Edmund Hillary to climb Mt Everest and explore the coolest place on earth, Antarctica. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A secondary-school ski trip to New Zealand’s Mt Ruapehu inspired “Ed” to seek adventure.
© Joyce McGreevy

As “Ed” later wrote in his autobiography, “I returned home in a glow of fiery enthusiasm for the sun and the cold and the snow—especially the snow!”

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary embodied the spirit of exploration to some of the most amazing places on Earth. (Public domain)

In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and “Ed”—a.k.a. Edmund Hillary—reached the summit of Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
© Joyce McGreevy

Five years later Ed Hillary led the New Zealand contingent of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition. His team became the first to reach the South Pole overland since Robert Scott’s tragic journey of 1911–1912.

Hillary’s enthusiasm for snow had, in the understated words of our guide, “turned out rather interesting.”

So folks must have been “rather pleased” when Hillary stopped by the Center, especially when he praised the realism of the world’s first indoor Antarctic Storm.

How Do You Create the Perfect Storm?

Designed to simulate a blizzard on the South Pole, this snow and ice experience takes place in a special room complete with icy surfaces, wind chill machine, stunning lighting effects, subzero temperature drop, and authentic Antarctic blizzard audio.

The Storm Room at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it’s like to experience the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“Hurry!” the guide says. “You don’t want to miss the blizzard!”
© Joyce McGreevy

As visitors don parkas and boots, eagerly awaiting their chance to be blasted into human ice cubes, I question my own eagerness. After all, I’ve lived in Chicago.

The Storm Room at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what a blizzard is like in the windiest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Even the Windy City can’t top Antarctica’s record as windiest place on the planet.
Winds exceeding 198 mph have been recorded.
© Joyce McGreevy

Why Does This Continent Captivate Us?

Author Jon Krakauer says Antarctica has “mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space.” But I think that’s only part of it, because Antarctica—our most vulnerable continent–also registers the huge impact we humans make.

Uniquely lacking in permanent residents, this continent models the cross-cultural heritage of protecting our global home.
Isolated from other continents, it connects to every continent through its oceanic and atmospheric effects.
Farther than most of us will ever travel, this continent connects the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the daily choices we make.

Oh, I see: Antarctica is even closer than I realized.

A replica of the C-130 Hercules interior at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand lets visitors imagine what it’s like to make to the long flight to the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Think Economy’s rough? The C-130 Hercules is equipped with skis for landing on ice.
© Joyce McGreevy

Discover one of the most amazing places on Earth in a new podcast series, “Antarctica Unfrozen,” here.

Explore New Zealand’s heritage of Antarctic science, here.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Adventure Travel/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/New Zealand

Mar

A Monumental Race: The Eiffel Tower Vertical

by Meredith Mullins on March 18, 2019

Night shot of the Eiffel Tower, one of the amazing places on earth, for the Eiffel Tower Vertical race. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A hint of the moon on the night of the Eiffel Tower Vertical race
© Meredith Mullins

One of the Most Amazing Places in the World Rises to the Challenge

Remember those days as a child when you couldn’t help but run up stairs, two or three at a time.

You often didn’t know (or care) what you would find at the top. You were just excited to get there in a burst of energy, wrapped in the sheer joy of running.

That same exhilaration still exists. In Paris last week, running up stairs (two or three at a time) took center stage—during the 5^thannual Eiffel Tower Vertical race.

La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel—one of the most challenging tower races in the world—made one of the most amazing places in the world even more thrilling.

Two runners at the 2019 Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Moments of joy at La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel 2019
© Meredith Mullins

The Vertical Challenge

The race is legendary. Tower runners from all continents vie to participate.

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, one of the most amazing places on earth, hosts the Eiffel Tower Vertical run 2019. (Image © Meredith Mulllins.)

The 1,665 steps of the Eiffel Tower become even more challenging on the night of the race.
© Meredith Mullins

The 1,665 steps, which gain 276 meters (three football fields) in altitude, make this one of the most difficult races in tower running—a vertical tour that includes such skyscrapers as One World Trade Center in New York (2,226 steps), the Lotte World Tower in Seoul (2,917 steps), the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong (2,120 steps), and the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai (1,334 steps).

International Commerce Center in Hong Kong , one of the tallest buildings and most amazing places in the world for tower runners who have participated in the Eiffel Tower Vertical. (Image © bpperry/iStock.)

Tower running reaches new heights, including the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong.
© bpperry/iStock

Only 130 runners were accepted into the Paris race this year—one runner for each year of the Eiffel Tower’s existence. (The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for the Universal Exposition. With just a bit of math calculation: In 2018, the race hosted 129 runners, and for 2020 . . . 131 runners.)

Of the 90 men and 40 women selected, 40 are elite runners, 80 are amateurs, and 10 are wild-card recipients.

Janet Goodwin, an entry in the Eiffel Tower Vertical race came to one of the amazing places in the world for this tower race. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Australian Janet Goodwin, a wild-card recipient and stair-climbing trainer,
flew 22 hours just for the race.
© Meredith Mullins

Jean-Charles Perrin—founder of La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel and EcoTrail International CEO—is rightfully proud. “There are tower races in many countries, but creating a race at such an iconic monument makes it special.”

The Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris and one of the most visited monuments on the planet. It took years of negotiations to bring the race to this historic tower.

Jean-Charles Perrin, founder of the Eiffel Tower Vertical race, at the Eiffel Tower, one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Jean-Charles Perrin, the founder of La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel, cheers on the runners.
© Meredith Mullins

What also makes the Eiffel Tower so special are the unique challenges for the competitors. It’s the only tower race that is outside—open to the elements.

Add to that the complexity of spiral stairs (some so narrow that no runner can pass another), steps of varying sizes, and a combination of stairs and flat stretches—from one staircase to the next, from one floor to the next, or as runners move from the south pillar to the west pillar for the climb.

ECOTRAILORGA_CHRISTOPHEGUIARD_Laurent Vincente runs in the Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Photo © EcoTrail Organization.)

French runner Laurent Vincente surrounded by the structure of “The Iron Lady”
Photo courtesy of the EcoTrail Organization

The stairs from the second to the third étage are not open to the public, so the runners have the unique privilege of climbing these stairs in the last leg of the race.

Oh, I see. This is one tough race. But the expansive view of Paris at the top is well worth the climb.

ECOTRAILORGA_CHRISTOPHEGUIARD, a woman running up stairs at the Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the amazing places on earth. (Image © EcoTrail Organization.)

Fighting for the reward at the top: a finish line with a view.
Photo courtesy of the EcoTrail Organization

A Dramatic History

The Eiffel Tower has the distinction of hosting the first-ever stair climbing race more than 100 years ago.

In 1905, a daily sports newspaper organized the “Stair Championship,” which attracted more than 300 participants to climb two levels of the Eiffel Tower (only 729 steps rather than the three levels and 1,665 steps of today).

Stairs of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, one of the most amazing places on earth and host to the Eiffel Tower Vertical race. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A magnet for daredevil activities, the Eiffel Tower also lays claim to the world’s oldest elephant trying to climb the stairs, athletes racing up the stairs on mountain bikes, people descending the stairs via wheelchair, and the inevitable illegal parachuting or bungie jumping from the tower.

The famous French high-wire artist, Philippe Petit, walked from the Palais de Chaillot to the second floor of the tower via tightrope in 1989 (to celebrate the 200^thanniversary of the French Revolution).

Group of runners at the 2019 Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

2019: Under Eight Minutes!

This year’s story was no less dramatic. The good news was . . . it wasn’t raining. The bad news was . . . it was cold and the wind was fierce. The top of the Eiffel Tower was swaying.

The race was delayed by 30 minutes as the organizers waited for the wind to subside and debated whether to make this a “race to the middle” rather than a “race to the top.”

Not a chance. La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel is a race about summiting.

Runner #2 climbs the stairs of the Eiffel Tower Vertical at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Let the challenge begin.

The race is in time trial format, with a runner in the starting block every 30 or 60 seconds.

Runner checking watch at the 2019 Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Support shouts of “Allez! Allez! Courage!”could be heard at every turn as, one by one, each of the 130 racers did their best to manage their breathing and overcome muscle pain, dizziness, and burning lungs to reach the top—a finish line with a view.

Piotr Lobodzinski, winner of the 2019 Eiffel Tower Vertical, rounds the corner at one of the most amazing places on earth—the Eiffel Tower. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The 1^stplace winners of the 2019 Eiffel Tower Vertical were Piotr Lobodzinski from Poland (7:53:97) and Suzy Walsham from Australia (10:16:57). Not surprisingly, both are the reigning world champions in tower running. More results can be found here.

ECOTRAILORGA_ANTHONYCHAUMONTEL_VTE2019_Suzy Walsham running in the Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image courtesy of the EcoTrail Organization.)

Suzy Walsham’s focused race brought her another victory.
Photo courtesy of the EcoTrail Organization

They were pleased with their race, given the challenging conditions. And, as Piotr said when he received his award, he hopes, like fine wine, he will just get better with age.

It is certain that more amazing places in the world—the tall ones, especially—will continue to attract these super athletes. Congratulations to all.

The runners of the 2019 Eiffel Tower Vertical race at one of the most amazing places on earth. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

For more information about the Eiffel Tower Vertical, visit La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel website, the EcoTrail website, and the Towerrunning World Association website.

Health Note: Research shows that climbing stairs has significant health benefits. You don’t have to enter The Eiffel Tower Vertical race, but if you take the stairs every now and then, you’ll be the beneficiary.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Adventure Travel/France/On Foot

Feb

Amazing Places in the World: The Kumbh Mela

by Meredith Mullins on February 25, 2019

Pilgrims on the main street of the 2019 Ardh Kumbh Mela in Praygraj, India, one of the amazing places in the world. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Where Faith and Family Merge in Festival

Some travel opportunities are so rare and so provocative that their seductive siren’s song goes straight to the soul.

A total eclipse of the sun in Patagonia. A full moon at the Taj Mahal. Summiting Mount Everest (well, maybe, Base Camp). Running with the bulls in Pamplona. Finding the spiritual rhythm of the Camino de Santiago. The unending magnetism of amazing places in the world.

The only way to silence this call of adventure is to “just do it.”

Such was the song of the Ardh Kumbh Mela for me in India this month—the largest peaceful religious gathering of humans on Earth.

Meredith Mullins 6 Comments

Adventure Travel/India

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