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Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

nytimes.com

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Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#121

Post by hanley »

gumby wrote: post #2

At first I was shocked by how large a sled he dragged. I use a much smaller sled (just a deer sled). Then I saw how smooth the terrain was at least where the photo was taken. Then I read that he was out for 53 days . And of course his conditions are far, far more grueling than I have ever faced (all in North America). So then I was shocked at how little he had with him!

> Then I saw how smooth the terrain was at least where the photo was taken.

If you look through Colin's earlier instagram posts [1] you'll see that the terrain was not smooth for much of his journey. The terrain is covered in sastrugi [2] and this year was marked with unexpected higher temperatures and snowfall which made the skiing very slow for Colin and all the other explorers out there. Explorers Web has a good collection of blog posts about the various expeditions that are happening this season [3].

[1] https://www.instagram.com/colinobrady/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sastrugi [3] https://explorersweb.com/category/poles/antarctic/

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#122

Post by gumby »

x43b wrote: post #101
gumby wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe frosting is mostly fat by weight. Nevertheless butter beats it, pretty much by definition.

https://www.pillsburybaking.com/products/creamy-supreme/clas... Looks like a >4:1 carb:fat ratio by weight.

Thanks for looking this up!

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#123

Post by gumby »

bacon_waffle wrote: post #64
komali2 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thru hikes sometimes it's peanut butter and Nutella

A few weeks in to my first long trip, a mentor said in a grocery store in Franklin, North Carolina: "You'll become one of two kinds of hiker: you'll count calories per pound, or you'll count calories per dollar. Either way, you win with cake frosting".

I struggle with his on through hikes bc as a diabetic I can’t eat a lot of the standard calorie dense foods. A lot of fats is really all that works for me :-(.

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#124

Post by pastor_elm »

Fricken wrote: post #56
lostlogin wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I talked to a guy who tried to cross it once. To get the huge number of required calories in a compact form they drank olive oil. He didn’t like it and it sure sounds nasty.

O'brady describes his diet here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BqOWpIMl7Si/?utm_source=ig_share... 7000 calories a day!

Truly amazing this guy is crossing Antartica and plugging for a nutrition bar brand at the same time. I wonder why Red Bull didn't sponsor him.

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#125

Post by codezero »

paultannenbaum wrote: post #93
codezero wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If anything I would wonder if it’s easier because they can contact the outside world. Having a sat phone, gps, and a sympathetic ear had to help. At one point he got a call from Elton John! Imagine the morale boost :) also, knowing there is an escape hatch. Someone to send a rescue team etc...

It was actually Paul Simon that he got the call from. Agreed it must have been a huge morale boost.

Doh. Thanks for the correction!

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#126

Post by marssaxman »

code_duck wrote: post #98
landryraccoon wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it really that weird? We are all going to die eventually someday. If you want to risk your life doing something you love I think that’s your call, as long as you don’t risk hurting other people in the process. I mean, what do you think you keep after you die anyway? Does it really matter in the end if you sat at a desk for 40 years and then died quietly in your bed as opposed to falling off a mountain at 40somethi…

It depends what you wish to accomplish in your life and who you have depending on you.

Seems like a good argument against having people depend on you!

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#127

Post by antisthenes »

msiyer wrote: post #113
beefield wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wonder if you have to a certain level of insanity for doing something like this. My assumption is that people want and need some level of "excitement"[1] to feel like living a meaningful life. Say, in scale 1-10, if you only get exposure to level 1 excitement, you kill yourself to avoid a boring life, occasional level 5 keeps your life interesting, 7-8 starts to be so uncomfortable that you rather avoid and 10 is…

This model is good. To me, the whole point of doing something like this is that there is no point. It matters, at the moment, to the guy doing it and that is all that matters. A couple of years back, I rode my motorcycle for 18 hours with only fuel breaks. 8 hours of the ride was in 40+ degree Celsius heat and the next 10 hours I had to endure the monsoons. I loved the whole experience. What did I gain from it? In th…

Exactly. The only meaning in life is one that we create for ourselves.

If crossing the Antarctic has meaning for you, by all means, go ahead! But just in case, be prepared ;)

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#128

Post by bacon_waffle »

peterkshultz wrote: post #82
bacon_waffle wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A few weeks in to my first long trip, a mentor said in a grocery store in Franklin, North Carolina: "You'll become one of two kinds of hiker: you'll count calories per pound, or you'll count calories per dollar. Either way, you win with cake frosting".

Appalachian Trail? I did it too! Fritos and Nutty Buddies were my go-to. I added a few notes about my trip here: https://pkshultz.com/at/

Yep! Dropping out of high school to go backpacking on the AT was one of the better decisions I've made. It's been a decade and a half, and I'm still making connections through the trail network.

Since you're such a recent finisher; Springer Fever is a real thing, and I think it's best not to suppress it too much.

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#129

Post by [deleted] »

antisthenes wrote: post #127
msiyer wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This model is good. To me, the whole point of doing something like this is that there is no point. It matters, at the moment, to the guy doing it and that is all that matters. A couple of years back, I rode my motorcycle for 18 hours with only fuel breaks. 8 hours of the ride was in 40+ degree Celsius heat and the next 10 hours I had to endure the monsoons. I loved the whole experience. What did I gain from it? In th…

Exactly. The only meaning in life is one that we create for ourselves. If crossing the Antarctic has meaning for you, by all means, go ahead! But just in case, be prepared ;)

[deleted]

Re: Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica with Final 32-Hour Push

#130

Post by code_duck »

marssaxman wrote: post #126
code_duck wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends what you wish to accomplish in your life and who you have depending on you.

Seems like a good argument against having people depend on you!

I have avoided having people depend on me all my life, because I felt I wasn’t up to it. It turns out I’m not, due to my health. But it is a way that some people give meaning to their lives.

That’s the decision that’s leading to declining birthrate in western nations, isn’t it? Why give up your freedom and increase your stress by creating obligation by having children?

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