She makes many PROUD.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

May 07, 2007 23:48 PM

Sharifah Mazlina To Embark On Greenland Expedition In 2011

SHAH ALAM, May 7 (Bernama) -- After becoming the first Asian woman to complete a Pole-to-Pole mission, Malaysia's intrepid woman adventurer Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir now has set her sights to conquer Greenland in 2011.

Sharifah Mazlina said that she had accepted an invitation to cross Greenland, Denmark from the International Polar Explorer, an association for those who had reached the North and South poles.

"It will not be an easy task as it will be an all-women expedition. Not many (women) have made it to both poles," she told reporters after a function hosted by the media to honour her here today.

Journalists present were given a preview of Sharifah Mazlina's video footage of her achievement in trudging a 110 km path to the North Pole.

She said a lot of preparation had to be done for the Greenland expedition and that the frostbite on her face, legs and hands sustained during the North Pole expedition did not dampen her spirit.

"For the time being, I want to share my Pole-to-Pole mission experience with others," she said, adding that she would relate them at talks and motivation programmes.

On her North Pole expedition, she said at one stage she had to be in the thick of action when her tent almost caught fire.

The video footage showed her pushing her way to the North Pole where she had to cross a path full of ice crevices with water flowing past fast.

It was at this stage that she sustained the frostbite as she had to expose her face on the surface of the water.

-- BERNAMA

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

obmar,

Have they announced the make up of the team that will be going with her?? Are many of them also Malaysians??

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

The south pole was a solo effort.

So was the north pole.

Well since this will be the 50th celeb there are many similar efforts

The guys that did the everest just came back.

The north pole paratroopers also did a sucessful effort for the north pole jump.

Wonder what will be next.

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

Obmar,

Did you hear that Greenpeace just went up Mount Everest and they say that there is extensive glacial damage on some of the slopes when comparing them with pix from 1968? I wonder how extensive the damage can be.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Greenpeace? the weather was good this year I presume. In today's paper a 71 year old Japanese is attempting it as well.

An ex-Minister during Mahathir's time, tried an attempt to do it this year. He wanted to be the oldest Malaysian to climb the everest, but health was not on his side...He decided to abort his attempt, before the last few checkpoints.

Me, I am satisfied with Kinabalu.

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/6293/

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

Greenpeace expedition shows dramatic impact of climate change at the Mt. Everest

http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/press/release/himalaya-in-crisis

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

She had a website although it writes her plans before the Journey.

http://www.sharifahpole2pole.com/cda/m_arctic/arc_history.php

Now that she is done.

Wink

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

The Expedition

The proposed NORTH POLE Expedition begins at Borneo Base, a temporary camp set up on the drifting ice of the Arctic Ocean, and covers a distance of 100 km through one of the least explored places on Earth. The challenge will be to overcome the extreme conditions to successfully cross the Arctic Continent to the Last Degree within a time frame of one month.

The mode of movement during the Expedition will be skiing and walking while pulling a sledge carrying 60kg of food and essential equipment for communications, research and survival.

The Arctic North Pole

The geographic NORTH POLE rests on massive, shifting sheets of polar ice surrounded by the frozen expanse of the Arctic Ocean. This last frontier of the extreme wilderness exists in total silence, the nearest land mass located more than 800 km away.

The average temperature measured in the Arctic is –45oC. While the Arctic Ocean lacks the extreme cold and high winds of the Antarctic Continent, there are storms instead that cause ice drift, the ice sometimes moving up to 20 km in a single night.

This ever-changing landscape poses many dangers in the form of ice floes and other ice formations such as pressure ridges, rubble and open water leads. These features and other hazards such as snowstorms or “whiteout” will also make it difficult to maintain direction. In order to minimize navigational problems, it will be necessary to identify “waypoints” far on the horizon to use as a guide so as not to get lost. A technique known as “scouting” will also be used, which involves climbing up to the top of an ice ridge prior to travel in order to have a feel for the terrain and avoid large ridges and leads.

Problems Unique to the NORTH POLE

* Dense fog (gray and dull blanket of damp air)

* Fast ice/screw ice (solid, packed ice – old sastrugies)

* Thin and dangerous ice (commonly black, and can fall through)

* Storms and blizzards (can break up the ice into open water leads)

* Full moon (brings on high tide and rising ocean water and leads to breaking ice)

* Black skies (shadows in the sky reflecting mirages that create illusions)

* The Phenomenon (halos and diamond dust that precede bad weather, creating whiteouts that cause loss of depth perception)

* Polar bears

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

DATIN PADUKA SHARIFAH MAZLINA SYED ABDUL KADIR
Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir was born on May 23rd 1965 in
Malaysia. She received her Honors Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education from the University PUTRA in July 1990. As a student she actively took part in many games and sports events. She was a javelin thrower and excelled in track and field events. She was a good Hockey player as well. She continued her education to receive a Master's Degree in Education (Psychology) in 1997 from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

After completing her studies, Mazlina became a lecturer of Sports Psychology at the University Technology MARA. As a teacher she is well known for creating new ideas and helping the students to develop positive thinking thus preparing them to face the realities of life. For her services as a lecturer, she has earned a "Level-1 Qualified Trainer in Athletics" certificate from International Athletic Association Federation
(I.A.A.F). In the year 2002, the Center of Excellence Training ASIA based in Sweden selected her to be a board member of the Association representing the Asian countries.

The idea of the expedition was brought about in the year 2003, when Mazlina decided to make a World Record by becoming the first Malaysian and the first Asian woman to step into the land of the Antarctic. When she first proposed an expedition to the Antarctic, her whole family had their doubts. She sat down and discussed the matter over with the members of her family and finally succeeded in getting their full support.

After Mazlina came up with the working paper on the expedition, she spent most of her time undergoing rigorous training and polishing her skills. Even during the month of Ramadan, she continued with her training in the nights while fasting the whole day.

On December 9th 2004, Mazlina started her 1100 K.M. long solo expedition from the South Pole to Hercules. She had many obstacles like wind and chilling cold climate standing in her way to realize her dream - becoming the first Asian woman to trek in the Antarctic region. But her strong mental attitude kept her going on her arduous venture.

On the 18th day of her journey, she was pushed and blown by the wind. She was dragged for about 40 to 50 meters through the treacherous landscape. She only came to a halt when the ski on her right foot was embedded at a 90-degree angle in the ice. After falling down, she relaxed for a while and setup a tent. She was badly injured and her knees were
swollen. Undeterred by this series of unfortunate events, Mazlina continued on her trek.

Once settled in the tent, she called the organizers at the base camp and they asked her if she needed any medical assistance. She insisted that she didn't need any because she didn’t want her journey to be a supported trek. She was determined to make it on her own. On December 30, Mazlina reached her destination, Hercules Inlet, creating records
for the fastest time of 22 days, beating an earlier record of 24 days.

Mazlina became the first woman in the world to ski-sail in the Antarctic region. Mazlina used the solo ski-sail trek across Antarctica as a opportunity to study her own mood variations. She used an analysis tool she had devised herself called MEPS to monitor her performance. MEPS stands for mental, emotional physical and social elements that motivate an individual and gauge one’s coping mechanisms. She explains, "When I was injured, I never allowed emotions to rule or have negative feelings."

She has been invited to become a member of an all-women team that plans an international expedition to Greenland in 2011. The condition to be a part of this team is that each member should have visited both the North and South poles. So, Mazlina plans to go to the North Pole between 2007 and 2008. Presently Mazlina is writing three books, two on her experiences in Antarctica and the third is a biography

Sources:
http://www.newsreview.cl/844/sports/sports.htm
http://www.100plus.com.my/flash_c...romo/event_antarctic/content.html
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=128625
http://www.sharifahantarctic.com/Profile.htm