Sounds like a stupid question perhaps, but I understand that lots of people were forced to retire, but how come those of us who were keen to compete on Sunday were not able to? The weather was better on Sunday and we'd all had a chance to get a good night's sleep and some food. I heard an official say on Saturday night that they wouldn't cancel - for the sake of those who wanted to continue - so why the change of plan?

Some random thoughts, from someone who was dissapointed not to get a second day

Insurance considerations - Was it reasonably forseeable that someone with wet kit from the previous night might suffer from hypothermia in conditions that were forecast to be identical to those the previous day? Yes - so a lawsuit beckons in the event of injury.

How many teams had one partner who wanted to continue and one who didn't? What would the fall out from that have been? People competing who weren't up to it?

I think that the organisers made a responsible decision.

How about using the Southern part of the map for a 1 day Trailquest special event? Those who overnighted could be rewarded with reduced entry charge.

John
Not a stupid question but a selfish one.
As Event Director I was faced with a difficult decision to make.
On Saturday around 1pm the event centre was full of dripping, shivering people on the verge of hyperthermia. With horizontal rain and gale force winds at their worst teams returning and others were calling the emergency number advising that they were dropping out. At that stage I was considering cancelling the event but after talking to my colleagues at O/N we decided to continue.
Of the 288 teams entered 188 dropped out.
A number of riders had to be warmed up inside the bothy upon arrival and during the night. Many teams, however, left O/N camp to return to Leyburn or find a B&B.
After a wild night, during which Roger maintained a vigil of O/N camp to check tents and competitors, we decided to curtail the event by recommending that teams return direct to Leyburn. We went round every and spoke to most individually and met with little resistance.
I did not make this decision lightly but based upon many years of mountain rescue experience.
Teams had experienced a hard wet day and uncomfortable night, used up most of their spare clothing and the weather forecast was for more gales and rain. Sod's Law meant that it improved later in the morning but at 0730 it was 2.5c with a wind chill factor taking it below freezing and there was snow lying on the tops. We therefore dispensed with the start grids and opened 1 CP and asked all teams to return.
Health and safety of all is paramount and it is our job as organisers to ensure the safety of all, after assessing the risks I am sure that the right decision was made and I would rather that everyone went home safe and sound to tell the tale and compete again than lose one life due to pressure from a minority of teams who felt they could continue.

Good call Graham,

We didn't make it to the overnight camp. After changing into our dry gear at 12.30(ish) we decided our tent was not up to the challenge.

You decision was right as was ours. I think we were lucky not to have any serious rescues on our hands.

Looking forward to a less windy summer event.

I also believe the right decision was made, despite having made it to the O/N camp and having chosen to stick out the night in the wind and rain.

I had mixed feelings about the decision at the time; I was disappointed to have missed a second days riding but relieved that the decision on whether to continue or not had been taken out of my hands.

Thanks for taking the decision and facing the inevitable flack that some will wish to direct as a result.

I look forward to the Summer, when at least the rain will be warm!

You made the right decision Graham. I know for sure you would have thought about it very carefully. We had made it to O/N thought very wet and cold, but we carried enough extra clothing to survive the night out there. On Sunday we were going to go straight back to Leyburn anyway.

Keep up the good work.

PS: How about producing a T-Shirt "I survived Spring 2004"!

Definitely the right decision. I didn't make it to the o/n deciding that I do this for enjoyment and after 4 hours there was nothing enjoyable about it. People are making comments in posts that they enjoyed it in a masochistic kind of a way � anyone who thinks that way needs to see a specialist (in my view!). It was atrocious and very, very dangerous.

It's one thing to be stupid enough to be on the moors of your own volition in conditions like that (a 10 year storm?) but to be doing it as part of someone else�s event???.... I can only assume the Polaris team were shi**ing themselves on Saturday afternoon in case someone was badly injured or worse.

Out of interest, are Polaris insured for event cancellation due to the weather? I mean a complete cancellation from Saturday morning rather than the type of abandonment that actually occurred.

I'm amazed that you got everyone back accounted for, with no rescues, no bike/ditch/car type injuries, no lost hypothermics sleeping in barns on the moor.
I think the best question to ask yourself is "how long would I have stayed out there on Saturday if it weren't the Polaris?". Half an hour or maybe a full hour before realising the pointlessness of it all? So why risk your neck for getting your name on a results list??

Good call for cancelling.

I always said that changing to pre-marked maps was a baad move - and look at the wrath that was visited upon us!!

Seriously, even as someone who spent the night in the sheep pens I must fully support the decision of the organisers to cancel day 2. If you have ever had the responsibility for other people out in the hills you would be aware of this (sorry but it's my Scout leader training).

The reason we were in the sheep pens was that we took the view that the earlier we got to the campsite, the better the chance of a decent pitch, as we always pull ourselves together a bit for day 2 and gain a few places as others go straight for home on Sunday. We took this decision at about 12 o'clock when it was clear that surviving was more important than scoring, and were proved right.
I was originally very anti solo entries for the reasons of safety in these sort of conditions, I wonder if peoples views on this have been changed by this weekend? I have also been a bit concerned over the suitability of some of the extreme lightweight kit used on Polaris and wondered how on earth people get away with such small rucsacs. Tales of near hypothermia, flimsy Sup airs and Polaris tents etc bear this out. It's mostly envy on my part but I wouldn't go into the hills without a reasonable tent, sleeping bag and waterproofs. Sadly the extra weight penalty that this forces me to carry is but one of the reasons that I always finish in the bottom third, but note "always finish". Sadly there is no prize for this but as my team mate and I do Polaris for fun and a weekend break from the family then it is of little consequence, we are looking for an 'epic weekend experience' to remember, and boy did we get it this time. Did you hear about the hand grenage in the ditch at CP19?
My biggest worry of the weekend was not the weather, or even the nightmare jurney up the M1 and A1, but the 288 team entry which was rather low to start with.
Seriously though, well done the organisers as ever, well done those who had the bottle to give up because it is a very hard decision, and well done to those who made it through the night.

The Polaris has always been a Wilderness Event, where responsable people should be able to look after themselves, and part of this means taking the proper kit. It has amazed me in the past how some people scrimp on tents and clothing, but have got away with it in the past.

I spent a comfortable night at the o/n with plenty of hot food, after enjoying 80% of Saturdays ride. Maybe I'm a masochist. I would have enjoyed a proper ride on Sunday, and feel that it was up to each team to make the decision to ride or not.

Sunday morning is usually difficult, getting into cold damp clothes, before cycling and warming up. We had to do this regardless of whether day 2 was abondoned or not, and I guess if we hadn't warmed up with the weather getting worse, then we'd have called it a day, but we did warm up and the weather did get better.

Still, it was a hard decision to make, and at least I got to listen to the Archers Omnibus, and I'll be back for the next winter Polaris.

How do prepare for event like that? All the comments made above (and on other threads) regarding kit are all made with the benefit of hindsight. At some point people will find themselves in conditions they are not comfortable with, with kit that isn't generally used in such extreme weather. I am not suprised that so many opted to return to the event centre on the first day.

I can't say that I was really prepared for such appalling weather, but having spent months training quite specifically for this, I planned a careful route that avoided many of the exposed tops, or attempted to tackle them in right direction, except CP5, and had bail out options if needed.

The kit I was carrying was all very minimalist (hooped bivi + all the minimum required kit) and was acutely aware that I could have problems. However, at the overnight camp I managed to get into dry clothes, get warm, cook some food and get a good nights sleep. I would have continued for the second day if the option had been available.

The decision to curtail the event must be made in the interests of the safety of all entrants, especially those that are less experienced or that are less well equipped. It was a shame that it had to be like this, but you can't change the weather.

I know I am just reiterating what most sane people have added in that retiring was the sensible option and a brave decision. It was a great shame given the the good rides that were available under more reasonable conditions. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience which will live with me for a long time.
Big thanks to all the organisers for their time and efforts which were certainly not wasted.
Congratulations to all those who finished who probably didn't feel as bad as I did on Sunday morning due to an unexpected Saturday night out !
Summer event should be a breeze !

Sensible decision to call it off Graham.

Have been on many Polaris's since about '93 and have experienced much adverse weather but this was the 'biscuit taker'.
We had a bad start with a puncture from the hawtorn and slurry porridge of the first CP and not being able to repair it we were onto our emergency inner tube within the first half hour! Having got soaked trying to repair the tube we eventually carried on only to find that as we increased our altitude so did the armageddon scale.
We eventually decided to sack it and head for the overnight camp(this to me has always been the raison d'etre). This proved to be a good decision especially as we lost our map, blown away into the ether and as we were having the unusual experience of having to forcibly push our bikes downhill due to the wind. We arrived at the overnight, probably one of the first, feeling like whimps but we were soon followed by many - we just made the decision earlier - discretion and valour and all that! We were soaked,frozen -shellshocked I think would be an apt description and were very grateful for he help from the marshalls in helping us hold the tent down to get it up as it were! We were soon ensconced and after a cup of the proverbial tea and some food we felt fine. It wasn't long before the overnight camp became a mini Glastonbury with hardly a jot of space between the tents as every body fought for space in what little shelter the sheep pens gave. We slept reasonably, considering (long time since I've had 12hrs sleep)and although there was a tinge of disappointment at the 2nd day's curtailment we understood the rationale behind the decision.
We are not going to do our sport any justice if we have dead and dying MTB's out there!!
Thanks a lot for all the enjoyment you have given (well maybe not quite so much this weekend)and it will fuel my stories in the pub for a long time to come!

Now I'm not saying that Helen and I found it any 'easier' to ride than any other riders, but I must say we were pretty fired up, well fed and warm enough to ride on the Sunday, even after a night in a Sup Air (which held out fine through the night - they're just so noisy). So we were dissappointed not to go for a further 5 hrs, but we were also happy enough to accept the decision to fold the event up. For me the most significant issue related to the safety of solo riders. I even wondered whether they could have been paired together at the start - unworkable?, or have their start times brought forward so that there were other pairs leaving behind them. What do you think? I took unprecedented action at 992016 and persuaded the solo Steve Heading and soon after a 'Cotswold' solo to turn back from the attempt to reach control 03 on the basis that it was too dangerous for someone to attempt alone. Maybe the two of them could have paired up, but I don't think that they could have physically covered the 2km plateau at 500m altitude and heading West in those winds. Helen and I had dropped down on the road and approached from the North, and I know that the winners had approached from the West, and it was almost unrideable with the wind on your back and causing several crashes. The four of us buddied up to follow the road South to Feetham, and some of that time was spent pushing the bikes downhill, cycling at 30 degree side angles and careering off the road, wrestling with the bike and being hit repeatedly by my own bike, bruising my ribs. My most memorable image from the event is the incredible angle at which it is still possible to ride. Stunning.

Well done Graham for having the balls to make a tough decision and the brains to get it absolutely right. Mr Safe-hands! My highlight came whilst watching the wind blowing the waterfall 20 ft back up in the air at CP30. One adventurous soul attempted to ride across the river with predictable results. I didn't laugh - well, not at the time! See y'all in the summer! Oh - and thanks Steve for a nice map and some lovely routes - pity we couldn't get the full 12 hours in!

Following from Gary - what a place to meet! I was considering turning back - completly exposed track, solo and limited kit. A short conversation (shouting) Gary and Helen confirmed what I thought, they had seen no-one between me and the checkpoint). Shortly after getting back to the road conditions got worse! The hail started. Reluctantly leaving the 50 points I opted to get the longer but safer checkpoint 5 before heading off the hillside.
Unprecidented action for unprecidented conditions, thanks Gary.

Important points have been raised about the safety of solo riders here. I have ridden the event solo in Spring and Autumn 5 times now, obviously Saturday's conditions were by far the worst have experienced as a solo Polaris rider. I headed north to checkpoint 2 via a number of others and was heading to checkpoint 6 as an out and back, then dropping down to Grinton. I was less than 1.5km from checkpoint 6, heading directly into the wind and decided not to bother, turned back and went to Grinton via 12. In Grinton I had a good think, knowing that staying low as much as possible was a necessity.
I headed up the Swale, and then over the road climb to Askrigg via checkpoint 21. Once down in Wensleydale things were much better as I had the wind on my back.

When I got to the overnight I struggled to put my supair up, many thanks to Helen for providing ballast inside while I pegged it down!! Once it was up though it was pretty stable although flappy, like Gary has said.

I got into my dry clothes and brewed up. Before long I felt alot better. I slept off and on during the night, not really because of the cold but the flappiness of my tent! I was ready and keen to ride for another 5 hours on Sunday but completely understood the organiser's decision.

I think we all know that Saturday wasn't a just test of our biking and map reading skills, more a test of our kit. I didn't skimp on my kit (I've been too cold in the past and learnt!), I made sure my spare clothes stayed dry, had they got wet I would have had to retire or at the very least go and sleep in the bothy.

I thought to myself on saturday night what I would have done if I was too cold, the immediate answer was 'go and ask for help, get in the bothy'.

I'm writing this in defence of the solo cat, we always take a calculated risk when out in the hills, we all have the ability to make decisions for ourselves, there is nothing wrong with retiring from an event when conditions are atrotious.

Graham,
Just want to add that I fully support your decision; as I said in my original post, it just seemed (at the time) strange that it was cancelled Sunday rather than Saturday.
I guess I am kinda selfish that I would choose to ride in weather that increases the chances that someone else will have to rescue me. But I consider myself fairly experienced and capable of deciding what I can manage, and when I heard on Saturday night that the event was continuing, I imagined that 'Polaris' probably thought the same about the remaining competitors.

Again, good decision; we all live to fight another Polaris.

I've already put my comments above but the further comments regarding solo's do raise some points. I was lucky enough to team up with another solo during the day and we agreed to ride together and support each other, Although we both made the decision (independantly of each other) after reaching the O/N to pull out. I'm not saying that I wouldn't have survived on my own as I have (too many) years of experience but one incident proves the potential danger.

I punctured, was unable to repair the tube so had to resort to my spare only to find my pump was so full of cack it wouldn't work, luckily my new found friend (sorry I've forgotten your name - guy with a blue Cannondale M400) lent me his. OK so this all occurred in the bus shelter in Reeth and had I been alone I'm sure I could have popped into any tea shop/pub and borrowed a pump! However we had just come down from CP3, where it might have been a different matter had I been alone. And before anyone says it, the pump was only 6 months old and I had checked it worked two days previously.

Kit choice was important and in hindsight I would have gone for a heavier weight jacket and warmer gloves but I did have warm dry clothing, plenty of food a decent(ish) sleeping bag and had every faith in my tent (a Jet Packer) as it has stood up to similar conditions in the past. However I also knew I was Hypothermic and didn't want to take the risk of not being able to warm up sufficiently in what was soon a soaking wet tent (the disadvantage of a cotton inner).

I'm not sure what the answer is? as so much is down to individual experience. Maybe a beefed up kit list for solos? but that would just mean more kit to take and weight is always a dilema when on your own. I did cut down on weight after Alston but by buying a lighter rucsac, sleeping mat etc, which allowed me to carry more clothing and food whilst retaining a double skinned tent and half decent sleeping bag.

The important point is everyone did survive and whether you ended up in a pub, baled out saturday night or stuck it out until Sunday, everybody deserves respect for trying and Graham most of all for what was a very difficult and courageous decision.

PS. A message for Paul Allen... So it was you singing on the way down from CP8, Zippidy doo dah indeed!!!

Actually TonyF it was Slippery doo dah slippery yeah,it was an awesome decent,Better than the climb mes think!

A few good lessons were definitely learnt over the weekend, particularly with regards to kit.

My team mate and I were up on the ridge above the 50 point checkpoint when the worst of the weather hit us. We'd been battling along nicely so far, keeping fairly warm, but then suddenly we were forced to walk over rough ground and at the same time the wind increased dramatically and we were pounded by horizontal hail. We could feel our body temperatures dropping and within minutes we were both shivering violently. We had no choice other than to get out of there as quickly as possible so we put our backs to the wind and headed straight down a steep hillside to the shelter of a wall which we followed down to the valley.
I opened up my rucksack to get some extra clothes on and found that my waterproof liner had somehow leaked and my spare clothes and sleeping bag had all got a wetting. Also our tent would never have stood up to the conditions. If we had got stuck out on that hill for any reason we would have been in big trouble as I don't think even our survival bags would have been much use in the conditions.
The last couple of events we've done we've always been thinking about how to minimise our kit to cut back on weight (while still staying on the right side of the rules), but this event has been a massive kick in the teeth and next time I will certainly think twice about what I'm taking and maybe stick in a bigger, heavier jacket and an extra layer.

By the way, just repeating what everyone else has said already, well done to those in charge for calling the event off before anyone got into trouble. It was the right decision.

From the responses on this and other threads, it appears that the competitors / participants in the Polaris have demonstrated a good degree of awarness for both the elements, the hills and their own well being based on kit and experience.
It would be interesting to hear from anyone involved if personally, they made the wrong decision to retire / continue respectively.
As far as kit is concerned, carrying sensible minimalist kit for the Polaris is part of the event. I don't think any of the correspondents here would consider heading out to proper wilderness with the same kit. The Polaris is never far from civilisation so bale out can remain a realistic option at any time.

To summarise, it appears that the participants have a good sense of risk assesment, gained no doubt from plenty of time outdoors. Perhaps someone should let our esteemed leaders know we don't all want to live in a nanny state (no rant intended)

Just some thoughts

At the risk of teaching my grandmother.....I always double-bag my sleeping bag and spare clothes - use a freezer bag and tie to completely seal them up, then you know that at overnight you're going to be warm and dry. Light equipment need not be a compromise on safety - if you're wearing a base layer, thin fleece and wind/water proof you can survive any weather as long as you keep moving. Perhaps some people take less than this - with the forecast as it was, we took a complete change for the second day. I think that preparing and thinking about the kit is all part of the challenge of this kind of event, as is taking the difficult decision to quit. A major factor contributing to our decision to quit was knowing that the tent would stuggle to stay up where overnight was located.

It was the right decision to cut the event short, Graham. My mate chanted a two word mantra for several hours, beginning around 11am on Saturday, 'Deeply. Unpleasant. Deeply. Unpleasant'. We bailed out at about 5pm, realising that staying warm was a faint hope. Lots of respect due to your team, who were out in it too. See you in the summer.

It seems that the only real question is whether the event should actually have been cancelled on Saturday morning. What happened between then and Sunday that was not entirely forseeable? Don't you know that two days out in a gale and heavy rain is going to be tough?

Not really meant as a serious flame, but I have to wonder.

IMO and IME, the most important skill in mountain safety is knowing when to give up and turn back. Of course is is primarily the responsibility of the riders to make that decision for themselves.