Mikhail Malakhov. Photo: Anna Yurgenson / RGS press service
A meeting at the editorial office of «Rossiyskaya Gazeta» was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the unprecedented expedition to the North Pole by Russian Mikhail Malakhov and Canadian Richard Weber. In 1995, they traveled 123 days from the Canadian island of Ward Hunt to the North Pole and back across the polar ice on skis. The uniqueness of the event was the complete autonomy of the campaign. The travelers did not use any means of communication, they literally dragged all the equipment and provisions behind them and did not expect any help from the mainland.
Yuri Lepsky, Deputy editor-in-chief of «Rossiyskaya Gazeta», was one of those who greeted travelers at the finish line in 1995. Opening the current meeting, he noted that over the past 30 years, no one has been able to repeat this feat and is unlikely to be able to do so in the foreseeable future.
The Canadian route connecting the mainland and the North Pole, which Malakhov and Weber traveled, is one of the most difficult in general. A significant part of the route consisted of piles of towering ice hummocks, deep cracks, and sometimes dangerous polynyas. The men started with a load of 230 kg each. They were aware of the challenges ahead, so they had been preparing for the journey for six years. According to Mikhail Malakhov, it was careful preparation and attitude that helped to cope with the task.
Strictly speaking, the 30th anniversary of the Malakhov-Weber expedition is still ahead, because it was not enough to reach the end point and not get lost in the drifting ice. The main thing was to return back on your own, having accurately calculated your strength and food supply and, importantly, remaining human. History knows many examples of how daredevils of the past simply lost their humanity in an effort to survive at all costs. Mikhail Georgievich recalls how, towards the end of the journey, his sense of smell became acute. A hundred kilometers away from the ground, he suddenly could distinctly smell hay.
Psychological compatibility turned out to be equally important. Moreover, as Malakhov admitted, he and Weber are different people: the former is more of an extrovert and a «talker,» while the latter is more restrained. Nevertheless, they managed to avoid any disagreements and disputes, and even more so quarrels.
«We were united by a common idea and responsibility, we never fought,» he said.
The expedition ended on June 15, 1995. In total, the brave men covered more than 2,000 km, the average speed was 20 km per day. According to Malakhov, by the time they finished, they looked «like dried Herculeses». At the same time, Mikhail lost at least 1.2 kg and Richard, 1.8 kg. And this was another achievement, confirming the correctness of the preliminary calculations. Malakhov, a medical doctor by training, thus carried out a professional experiment on the topic of human survival in extreme conditions.
Mikhail Malakhov and Jeff Mantel: A handshake after 30 years. Photo: Anna Yurgenson / RGS press service
During that journey, Mikhail Georgievich, now chairman of the Ryazan Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, was awarded the title Hero of Russia. He has had many different, sometimes very difficult and dangerous expeditions in his life, but he considers the trip to the North Pole with his Canadian friend Richard Weber to be the main one in his life.
For us today, this experience is important for another reason. Even in the most difficult times, ethnopolitical differences fade into the background if there is a common noble goal. It is noteworthy that one of the sponsors of that expedition, American Jeff Mantel, who participated in joint research programs with the Russian Geographical Society in Svalbard and Alaska, flew to the meeting at «Rossiyskaya Gazeta».
Aivar Valeev