For the past several months we've been following explorer Mark Wood as he attempts to become the first person to ski to the North and South Pole back-to-back. He completed the first stage of that journey in early January when he reached the 90ºS and he has been anxiously preparing for the second stage of the expedition ever since. A few weeks back, Mark announced that he would no longer be skiing to the North Pole but would instead begin at the top of the world and ski southward once again. The reason for that change in direction was because of the dramatic break-up of the Arctic ice and how that could impact his ability to make progress early on.Now, it seems Wood has hit another snag in his plans, although this one is more financial in nature. Because of the increased danger for travel in the Arctic, rescue teams are now requiring a substantial deposit ahead of time just in case they need to retrieve explorers from the ice. Conducting rescues above the Arctic Circle is a dangerous, costly affair and in order to ensure that that can happen, Mark now needs a considerable amount of money so that he can proceed with the expedition. Money that he doesn't have, and won't have, unless he can find a corporate sponsor or raise funds elsewhere. To that end, he has released the video below in the hopes that someone will be able to assist his cause.
It should be noted that prior to this, Mark wasn't asking for funds or donations of any kind. While he is making the journey to raise awareness of the impact of global climate change, he has always asked us to pledge to help his cause through the Donation website. On that site, we don't pledge money of any kind, but instead choose to select a number of activities that can help us lower our carbon footprint and help ease the burden on our planet. It is a great approach to this issue and I respect that Wood has chosen to go this route rather than simply passing the hat around the table.
Now it seems that Mark is definitely in need of a white knight to come along and save him. His expedition is a good one and his message is definitely positive as well. Hopefully he'll find a sponsor soon and can begin the second phase of his journey as expected.
