Arctic Team Navigates with Lacy Panties, Plans Swim to Pole

Okay, now this report is comical.

Funded by the World Wildlife Fund and Prince Charles, the Catlin Arctic Expedition is trekking 700 miles to the North Pole to measure ice thickness.

Since the cold temperatures have disabled GPS instruments and proximity to magnetic North has confounded compasses, the researchers navigate using the position of the Sun, when it can be seen, and wind direction as indicated by a pair of lacy panties attached to a ski pole.

According to explorer Pen Hadow, speaking on satellite phone:

"It an (sic) entirely genuine situation. If you can get gossamer thin material and attach it your (sic) ski pole it is particularly useful for this project because we can cannot (sic) use the compass as we are so close to magnetic north and it is too cold to use the GPS.

"The knickers have taken up a whole new value operationally."

Interesting enough, but there's more.

Mr Hadow said he is having to spend up to three hours in temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius and below to drill down and measure the ice after hard days trekking (sic).

So far the team have (sic) covered almost 62 miles (100 km) and expect to have to swim through open water to make it the Pole by May or June.

Swim to the North Pole? Heh, sure they will.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.