When out on an adventure or expedition, we like to share stories, emotions and images with those staying behind.

During the Atacama Crossing updates and news will be available on www.inuksuk.be
I really would like to thank "the man behind the scenes" for all the information and beautifull images he will be putting on the website, while I will be enjoying the sun!
 
Thank you for your help and for being a friend Gino
 
Bert

Dear Competitors,

As many of you will be calling the airlines and your travel agents to confirm your flights today, we wanted to ensure that you have as much time as possible to reach Chile. We will be able to give you until
Sunday night, 7 March 2010, to arrive in San Pedro.  If necessary, we can begin the Atacama Crossing 2010 on Monday, 8 March 2010 and still achieve the 250 kilometers to finish as scheduled.  You should still do whatever you can to get to San Pedro by Friday, 5 March, but if you are delayed until Sunday, that is okay.  Please proceed to San Pedro according to the original meeting instructions.  We will have message boards in each hotel and will also keep you informed by email.
 
The first flights are en route to Santiago and the latest report that we have is that the airport will be more fully functional on Tuesday. According to a government official from Chile, "damage to part of a
roof in the passenger terminal caused the airport to close, but otherwise, everything in the airport is working."  The government official also confirmed that Santiago is functioning well and that any relief efforts are confined to the south of Santiago.  He was encouraged that we were still planning to stage the Atacama Crossing.

There are competitors already in San Pedro who have emailed us to say that all facilities are working well in San Pedro, and that there was no impact from the earthquake.
 
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me.  See you in San Pedro.
 
Best regards,
Mary
RacingThePlanet, where athletic frontiers begin
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www.racingtheplanet.com

As of about 3 am this morning (Hong Kong time), the Santiago Airport is now open, much earlier than expected.  Again, the majority of the damage took place in Concepcion.  Santiago is operating in a relatively normal manner, except expect there to be possible power and cell phone outages.  We would advise you to make sure that your cell phone is fully charged before you depart. If you have an extra battery pack, do take that with you.  Our communication with friends and colleagues has been done entirely through the Internet.  Please carry extra snacks with you just in case the restaurants are not operating in the Santiago terminal.

Please call your airline NOW to confirm your ticket. You may find that the flight is full, however, do you best to get on the next available flight. You do not need to be in San Pedro until Friday, 5 March. There should be multiple flights to Calama each day, however, you may find that there is a delay in Santiago as well.  If for some reason you are not able to get to San Pedro de Atacama on Friday, email me. Remember that San Pedro was not impacted at all by the earthquake.

Thank you for everyone's understanding and patience in dealing with this natural disaster.

Best regards,
Mary
www.racingtheplanet.com