Product Description

On 28 May 2000, explorer David Hempleman-Adams took off from Spitzbergen in Norway on his record-breaking flight to the North Pole. His fragile wicker basket contained tanks of liquid oxygen to allow him to survive at high altitudes, an inflatable raft in case he crash-landed in the freezing Arctic Ocean, together with ten days of emergency rations. He knew that if he survived the week ahead, he would be the first man ever to have reached the North Pole by balloon. Hempleman-Adams had chosen to fly in a basket, rather than in the sophisticated enclosed capsule favoured by round-the-world balloonists today, in order to pay homage to three Swedes - Salomon Andree, Nils Strindberg and Knut Frankel - who in 1896 had also taken off for the Pole in their hot-air balloon. Only David knew the emotional significance of their expedition, which was characterized not only by extreme bravery and the determination to survive in extreme conditions but also by a tragic love affair that transcended both its period and its setting. For the Swedish explorers had been brought down by freezing fog three days into their polar attempt, and perished some time afterwards on the ice cap. Thirty-three years later, their bodies were discovered. Close to Strindberg's outstretched hand was the engagement ring of his fiance, in his pocket the locket she had given him for his birthday, and in their frail whalebone tent his last letter to his love. In this adventure book, David tells the extraordinary stories of both journeys, featuring drama from his own expedition, and original photographs and documents from the Swedish voyage.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79485 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-04
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From the Back Cover
On 28 May 2000, explorer David Hempleman-Adams took off from Spitzbergen in Norway on what would be a record-breaking flight to the North Pole. The contents of his balloon's fragile wicker basket included enough liquid oxygen to allow him to endure the high altitudes, an inflatable raft plus forty days worth of emergency rations. He knew that if he survived the week ahead he would be the first man ever to have reached the North Pole by balloon, but not the first to have tried.

Indeed, Hempleman-Adams's journey was of great emotional significance. That he chose to fly in a wicker basket, rather than in the hi-tech sealed capsule favoured by round-the-world balloonists today, was in homage to an earlier - and tragic -expedition. In 1897, three Swedes - Salomon Andr‚e, Nils Strindberg and Knut Frænkel - tried for the Pole but only days into their attempt freezing fog brought them down on the pack ice. Fighting off polar bears, loneliness, despair and the bitter cold, they managed to survive for three months. It would be thirty-three years before their bodies were found.

At the Mercy of the Winds tells the extraordinary, compelling stories of both journeys. Alone in the skies above the frozen and harshly beautiful landscape, David Hempleman-Adams battled against the elements to fulfil the dream of those pioneers a century earlier - to become the first man to balloon to the North Pole.

About the Author
David Hempleman-Adams was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, in 1956. His interest in adventuring was inspired by the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, of which he is a gold medalist. In 1998 he became the first person to complete the explorers' Grand Slam, a challenge that has seen him conquer the North and South Geographical and Magnetic Poles and scale the highest mountain in each of the seven continents, including Everest. A businessman by profession but an adventurer by preference, he lives near Bath with his wife and three daughters. Robert Uhlig, who wrote At the Mercy of the Winds with David Hempleman-Adams, is the Technology Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph in London. In 1998 he accompanied David Hempleman-Adams and Rune Gjeldnes to the Canadian High Arctic to document their trek to the North Pole in Walking on Thin Ice. He is also the author of The Daily Telegraph James Dyson's History of Inventions. He lives in Cornwall with his partner and young son.