The Belgian explorer and cross-Iceland veteran, Louis Philippe Loncke has released a tongue-in-cheek parody video on the Inspired by Iceland campaign. Louis recorded the video while crossing Iceland alone on foot this summer.
Following the success of the original Inspired by Iceland video, Loncke decided to parody it as part of his sponsorship drive to return to Iceland this winter to set another gruelling record: although many people have walked right the way across Iceland, Loncke is the first to have taken the route from Rifstangi in the north to Kotlutangi in the south completely alone and without backup. But now he wants to do it again in the dead of winter.
The gruelling 560km jaunt this summer took 19 days and left Loncke with an array of injuries and eight kilogrammes lighter. But the brave Belgian is not going to stop there: he now wants to do it all over again in January or February.
The only difference, he says, will be that next time he plans to secure sponsorship to equip himself properly so that he won’t have to climb glaciers in winter without so much as an ice axe or crampons.
Loncke’s video, below, is a parody of the original Inspired by Iceland video. If you have not seen the original, watch it first, here.
It’s all about being accurate. The article clearly mentions “completely alone and without backup”. The person C.M., who did it in 2008 is trusted to have done the journey in 2008 indeed. First to do the journey. But if you read his blog carefully, he asked help by asking a pill to a group of people (scientists i think) who he walked with for an entire day (they started and finished at the same spot).
Ask anybody around if he think that:
1) being solo is also walking with people for a day ?
2) asking a pill is considered support or not ?
C.M. to me: ” I did receive an antibiotic tablet from a team of scientists on the Vatnajökull glacier but does one pill really matter?”
The reader is the judge.
I would never have claimed a world first without checking facts beforehand. I have proofs (by email) C.M. never complained that if I would link the extreme latitude points I would make a first unsupported. I still consider him first to do the journey, but supported. He also only later mentioned he didn’t use his extra food at the hut. I never slept in a hut, I consider it support.
What is my definition of unsupported for the Iceland crossing ? I imagine the landscape like it is and I’m the only human being on the island. So do not want to ask or accept help. I would only do to save a finger, a limb, my life or someone else’s life.
Actually, he’s not the first person to walk unsupported between Rifstangi and Kotlutangi. It was first done in 2008