The achievement of this expedition has been granted the status of official Russian record and entered as such in the “Russian Book of Records” on October 26^th 2009.

Marine Live Ice Automobile Expedition MLAE-2009 has successfully traversed over 2000 kilometers of frozen Arctic Ocean starting at Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and after 38 days and nights reaching The North Pole.

VASILY ELAGIN

The organizer and expedition leader of the MLAE-2008 and Mlae-2009 expeditions. He is also the engineer, designer and builder of the “Yemelya” amphibious vehicles. Geologist, race driver and a participant of Paris-Dakar rally he is a Decorated Master of Sport of the USSR, bears the title of the International Class Master of Sport in alpine climbing, achieved the title of “Snow Leopard”

Traversed Kangchenjunga, ascended Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Aconcagua, Mount Vinson and has been decorated with the Medal of The Red Labor Flag.

VLADIMIR OBIHOD

Driver-engineer, ice reconnaissance specialist. Holds the title of the International class master of Sport in alpine climbing, has been awarded the title of the “Snow Leopard”, twice. Completed complex vertical wall ascends on Khan Tengri, ascended The Peak of Communism, Annapurna, Lhotse and the Mount Everest. Participated in the MLAE-2008 expedition.

SERGEY LARIN

Doctor, supply and inventory manager, cook. Mountaineer, mountain guide, parachutist, yachtsman, surfer, alpine skier, participated in “Seven Peaks” program ascending the highest peaks on all continents.

LISKA (FOXY THE BOARDER GUARD)

Our guard dog, who viciously chased away polar bears. Year and a half ago had been born on the Sredniy Island frontier outpost in a pack of semi-wild dogs.

AFANASIY MAKOVNEV

Second in command of the MLAE-2009 and MLAE-2008 expeditions. Photographer and videographer. Mountaineer, speleologist, alpine skier, polar traveler, yachtsman, sea hunter, organizer of ethnographic discovery and adventure journeys in dog sleds and leather built canoes through Chukotka, Kamchatka and Alaska.

ALEKSEY SHKRABIN

Technical and machine maintenance engineer. Sport car racer, diver, alpine skier, alpine sports instructor, participated in Mount Elbrus and Shkhara ascends. Organizer of ascends of Upper Svaneti and Kirgiz Ata mountains.

ALEKSEY USHAKOV

Photographer, ice reconnaissance specialist, geologist. Conducted research in: Crimea, Karelia, Transbaikal Region, East Yakutia, Kola Peninsula, Dickson Island, Taymyr and Chukotka.

        NIKOLAY NIKULSHIN

Mechanical maintenance engineer. Has taken part in geological research expedition in Chukotka. Traveled solo from Chukotka to Moscow in a UAZ-469. Has been an expeditionary driver in “To the top of Elbrus in Land Rover” adventure expedition.

MLAE-2009 Vasily Elagin Arctic Expedition to The North Pole in Yemelya Vehicles

MARINE LIVE-ICE AUTOMOBILE EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH POLE 2009

MLAE-2009 

Traveling in an automobile over the ice is challenging enough even when the surface is merely ice covered asphalt. When the road lay across ice floes floating over miles of ocean waters with unpredictable currents underneath that cause these large ice fields to shift and collide creating meters high ridges, then car travel becomes a thing in itself, a challenge for both - resilience and resourcefulness of men and dependability and versatility of the machines.

Amidst the white endlessness of the Arctic Ocean there is an infinitesimally small point – the North Pole. Explorers, scientists and adventurers have been traversing the ice of the Arctic to reached this invisible point on foot, in dog sleds, on skis, in airplanes and gigantic atomic engine powered ice breaker ships. Never before, however, had anyone traveled all the way to the North Pole in an automobile.

Not until on April 26^th 2009 the Russian crew of seven men had accomplished the feat by reaching the North Pole in two auto vehicles “Yemelya”, thus contributing to Russia’s leadership in Arctic exploration and research and establishing the new world record in Northern travel and exploration using wheeled vehicles.

The following three objectives of the expedition had been established and successfully met:

1.     Establishing Russia’s leadership in Arctic research and exploration by expanding research and development capabilities through the introduction and field testing of the surface vehicles capable of handling Arctic ocean ice and waters while establishing the new world record in Northern exploration and travel using wheeled vehicles.

2.     Field testing and proving effective the new innovative design of engineer Elagin’s “Yemelya” amphibious all terrain vehicles.

Over the course of the expedition the unique and innovative design of “Yemelya” vehicles proved to be efficient and resilient, perfectly fit to tackle unpredictable ever changing conditions of the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean. Until now civil and military aviation had been the primary if not only mode of transportation for staff and equipment in the Arctic research. Capabilities of aviation in this capacity is greatly limited by two factors: the weather conditions and the high costs. The other alternative to aviation is of course vessels, however, the waters of the Arctic can only be navigated about three months per year, which limits the capability of marine transportation in the region to an even greater extent. “Yemelya” vehicles are the new, capable and effective alternative to traditionally primary Arctic research vehicle – helicopter. Unlike the helicopter, however, “Yemelya|” can be deployed in any weather conditions and as such is valuable and essential vehicle that can assure uninterrupted, reliable transportation, communication and supply between remote communities of the far North as well as the remote bases and outposts in the Arctic.

 “Yemelya” can become essential vehicle for the scientific expeditions exploring the Arctic seabed, it can be an invaluable transportation for the northern communities as well as an irreplaceable instrument in the work of the search and rescue services in the North.

Yet another unique aspect of the “Yemelya” vehicles, according to their designer, creator and the expedition leader – Vasily Elagin – is that, unlike caterpillar equipped off-road vehicles, Yemelya’s large, low pressure tires tread so lightly even on the most ecologically sensitive and vulnerable terrain of tundra that they leave virtually no marks.

This expedition successfully reinforced Russia’s leadership in Arctic exploration and proved “Yemelya” to be the perfect off road vehicle for transportation over tundra terrains as well as both – frozen landmass, as well as live shifting ice floes of the Arctic Ocean.