Czech adventurers set off for lake Baikal challenge

Two Czech adventurers left Prague on Sunday at the start of an expedition aimed at crossing the ice-bound Russian lake Baikal by foot and on skis. Polar explorer Václav Sůra and computer programmer Pavel Blažek will start the 650-kilometre expedition when they arrive in Siberia. They will make the trip, which is estimated to take 35 days, pulling all their supplies with no help such as dogs or kites. They will use boots with special spikes for gripping the ice on the first part of the journey and switch to skis later. Temperatures on the lake can fall as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius.