Antartic Lineage
Looking at this photo, it got me thinking about the origin and use of these machines. Turns out, this style Sno-Cat (not this exact one) was among the vehicles used to complete the first crossing of Antartica. In fact, there is a book co-written by Sir Edmund Hillary and Vivian Fuchs to tell the tale of the 2,158 mile traverse. A much shorter trip to the local library and 240 very impressive yet matter of fact pages later, I learned the role this Medford, Oregon produce machine played.
Temperatures consistently in the -40s, months of darkness, itinerary crushing ice flows, and logistics that would make your head spin were just the start. Actual travel included dog sled and airborne reconnaissance, then in these massive vehicles at a snails pace, often over snow hidden crevasses. The book included a number of photographs of the landscape, the team, and a Sno-Cat like this teetering over one of the aforementioned crevasses with a tread vertical in the air. The book is worth a read if you are into historic adventure, or at least web search the image of the precariously perched Sno-Cat.
This Tucker Sno-Cat resides up at Timberline Lodge near Mt. Hood, 6000ft above sea level. Bright orange, it definitely stands out against a snowy white backdrop. Now I know it stands out in history as well.
Image with my Hasselblad 500cm.
Antartic Lineage
Looking at this photo, it got me thinking about the origin and use of these machines. Turns out, this style Sno-Cat (not this exact one) was among the vehicles used to complete the first crossing of Antartica. In fact, there is a book co-written by Sir Edmund Hillary and Vivian Fuchs to tell the tale of the 2,158 mile traverse. A much shorter trip to the local library and 240 very impressive yet matter of fact pages later, I learned the role this Medford, Oregon produce machine played.
Temperatures consistently in the -40s, months of darkness, itinerary crushing ice flows, and logistics that would make your head spin were just the start. Actual travel included dog sled and airborne reconnaissance, then in these massive vehicles at a snails pace, often over snow hidden crevasses. The book included a number of photographs of the landscape, the team, and a Sno-Cat like this teetering over one of the aforementioned crevasses with a tread vertical in the air. The book is worth a read if you are into historic adventure, or at least web search the image of the precariously perched Sno-Cat.
This Tucker Sno-Cat resides up at Timberline Lodge near Mt. Hood, 6000ft above sea level. Bright orange, it definitely stands out against a snowy white backdrop. Now I know it stands out in history as well.
Image with my Hasselblad 500cm.