ExplorersWeb featured athlete:  Doug Stoup

Part III:  Cho Oyu 2002 and a bike trip to the South Pole

Doug’s fellow teammates for Cho Oyu this autumn, John Griber and Kris Erickson are no strangers to adventure either.  John was with Doug this past autumn for the South Georgia trip and is an experienced snowboard mountaineer.  He will be the focus of a documentary Doug wants to make of this expedition and will be doing some work behind the camera as well.  Kris is a well-seasoned ski mountaineer and still photographer who’s traveled all over the world climbing and skiing.  All in all, Doug couldn’t feel more confident in the team’s ability - they have all worked together in the past and are good friends.  One of the first things Doug said to me when we spoke over the phone was, “It’s all about being in the mountains with your buddies!”  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Doug will be using Eric Simonson for logistical support and will be climbing the normal route up Cho Oyu.  During acclimatization the team will be making some turns and sending back pictures from the days event to complement the phone calls and audio content.  Up high, Doug will continue to phone in his progress and will also field questions.  He departs August 23 and will be returning states side in the middle of October. 

Upon returning from Nepal, Doug won’t have that much time to cut the film.  He is slated to head down to Antarctica guiding trips for ANI and to do some exploring of his own.  Most notably he will resume his quest to ride a bike solo to the South Pole.  Due to time constraints he was forced to put off the ride that was scheduled for the winter of 2000/2001. 

The bike he will be testing is designed and manufactured by Hanebrink.  It is a variant of their Extreme Terrain Bike with all the plastics removed and some components beefed up for the anticipated stresses of the journey and the extreme low temperatures.  Large tubeless tires with low air pressure will help it gain traction on the slippery surface and disk brakes will help it slow down.  I doubt the brake levers will get much use – it is an uphill journey to the bottom of the world.   

Doug has plans slated for a 10-day test around patriot hills on the bike interspersed with some climbing in the Independence range.  Should everything go to plan he will be ready to embark on the solo journey to the Geographic South Pole.  While it normally takes 60+ days for the journey, Doug plans on more than halving that and making the journey in only 21 to 22 days. 

Should this dream of Doug’s come true, he wants to start guiding Antarctic bike trips.  One idea for a trip is to drop off inland and bike the last two parallels to the Pole.  Another possibility is to have trips around Patriot Hills with some climbing mixed in.  With any luck, you will be able to sign up for one of these adventures not too far down the road.  For now though, we just have to sit tight, log in, and watch Dough pave the way.

Join us in the upcoming weeks as Doug starts publishing dispatches from Cho Oyu    

DD - ExplorersWeb

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