Good weather is putting the Arctic Foxes Greenland world speed record attempt in jeopardy. Perversely, the Foxes – Rachel Pearson, of Ashcombe, is one of the four – need strong winds to help them crack the six days 23 hours target figure. But the Met office has told the team that a high pressure system over Greenland could mean little or no wind for the next week – or even 14 days. it is causing huge problems for the Foxes, who are aiming to power-kite their way to the record, said a spokesman. The Foxes – they have dubbed the challenge the Greenland Quest and is raising money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer – have already become the first British all-female team to cross the Greenland ice-sheet. Now they have moved to a position from where they intend to launch the assault on the speed record. But a lack of wind could even jeopardise hopes of getting some extra kiting practice in before the actual attempt, according to the Foxes' website. Miss Pearson, a former Teignmouth Community College student, is one of four women attempting the challenge. She and her colleagues have trained for months to tackle the challenge. Since the 1930s there have been regular British crossings, but in 1965 the Scottish Trans-Greenland expedition included the first woman to traverse Greenland. The first all-female team to cross the ice cap was led by Norwegian Explorer Liv Arneson in 1992, closely followed by Ann Bancroft and her American team in the same season. In 1995, the record for the fastest crossing of Greenland was set by Norwegian Sjur Mordre. He made a crossing in just eight days. Ten years later, the Greenspeed Expedition set a kiting record for crossing the Greenland ice cap at six days and 23 hours. It is this record that the Foxes are determined to conquer. But with no wind, it is a question of waiting – and hoping.
