Skiing on thin ice ends North Pole trek   More>>

Dispatches   More>>

Associate Professor Rosemary Rayfuse is going to the end of the earth to raise awareness of new challenges to polar governance and to raise funds for the Faculty of Law Endowment Fund.

In April 2006, Rosemary Rayfuse will be the first Australian woman to attempt to ski from the North Pole to Ward Hunt Island, the northern most point in Canada. Rosemary will traverse over the most inhospitable, dangerous and ever-changing ‘terrain’ on earth.

Rosemary is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales where she specialises in International Law, in particular, the Law of the Sea and oceans governance relating to marine living resources, topics on which she has published extensively. She is passionate about the value of education and has previously been awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to her academic credentials, Rosemary is an experienced mountaineer and has completed other ski expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic.

For details on the North Pole Challenge and on how you can donate click here to download the PDF.

About the Expedition   More>>

The expedition will begin on 10 April 2006 in Longyearbyen, Spitzbergen, from where team members will fly to the floating Russian Ice Station ‘Borneo’ which is established in April each year on the Russian side of the North Pole at approximately 89^oN. From there, hauling loads of up to 85 kgs each, Rosemary and the other six team members will ski approximately 108 kms to the North Pole and continue over the top of the world for a further 770 kms on to Canada. The team will have one air resupply around 29 April and plan to arrive at Ward Hunt Island, Canada, on 23 May 2006. After reaching Ward Hunt Island the team will be flown out to Resolute Bay by chartered aircraft and from there Rosemary will return to Sydney by commercial air carrier.

About The Team  More>>

The team consists of seven people, including Rosemary. Rosemary holds dual Australian/Canadian nationality while the other team members are from Canada, France, Norway, Russia and the United States. Each person on the team has skied together with other team members on previous expeditions. In Rosemary’s case, these expeditions have included a traverse of Ellesmere Island in 2000 and a traverse of Bylot Island in 2003.

International Law and Polar Governance

Global climate change, increasing human impact and technological developments are leading to significant changes in polar environments. These changes present challenges for the future of polar governance and have serious implications for countries, like Australia and Canada, who have sovereign interests in polar areas.

North Pole Challenge Sponsors and Donations   More>>

We are grateful for support from the Australian National Maritime Museum which has generously provided the use of the Museum’s ANZ Theatre as a venue for Rosemary’s public lecture.

Donations are tax deductible and should be made to: UNSW Foundation Ltd
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