South Georgia '03

Continuing the Tilman sailing/climbing tradition, this team (with representatives from UK, NZ and Canada) sailed from Cape Horn with the intention of carrying out a programme of mountain exploration along the NE and SW coastlines of South Georgia. However, with the engine immobilised early on, and horrendous weather throughout the entire period (including 160kph winds and a pressure drop of 40mb in five hours), the expedition turned out to be a battle for survival and with tents blown away they were forced to bivouac in snow holes. An attempt to climb the east ridge of Mt Paget (2,934m) was sensibly aborted at c2,450m, and attempts on Paulsen Peak, Marakoppa and Quad Five similarly abandoned owing to avalanches and other objective dangers.