PECS - Polar Expeditions Classification Scheme

Quick Guide

Our Quick Guide is a useful resource for anyone that has a good understanding of PECS. If you're new to PECS you'll likely need to select Guidelines above.

Keywords are highlighted in bold text and can be used in a label.

An example of a label is: Unsupported South Pole Ski Expedition

TEAM SIZE

SOLO

  • A single person traveling alone for the entire length of a journey.
  • A soloist may not tack onto other teams or soloists and still claim to be solo.
  • A soloist should break trail for much of the journey.
  • Fleeting encounters are permitted.

TEAM

  • More than one person at the commencement of a journey

In the absence of Solo in the label, Team is implied.

AID

Will the journey benefit from any aid between start and end?

SUPPORTED

A journey is Supported if:

  • it is resupplied
  • it off-loads or discards anything during the journey, except for human waste and greywater collected south of 89oS
  • it enters any building, vehicle or aircraft, or tent other than its own
  • it travels on or next to a road, vehicle track or flagged route, except when following routes into, out of or around bases, stations and camps as directed by authorities.
  • it is aided by a vehicle providing either physical or psychological support
  • a team member is evacuated

UNSUPPORTED

A journey is Unsupported if it denies the use of all forms of above Aid.

In the absence of Unsupported in the label, Supported is implied

MARGINS

The start and end points of a journey.

A Journey is:

FULL: if it utilises a coastal margin/s (fronted by sea or annual sea ice)

UNLABELLED: if it utilises inner coastal/perimeter margin/s

INLAND / MID-OCEAN: if it utilises inland or mid-ocean (North Pole) margin/s

In the absence of Full or Inland/Mid-Ocean in the label, Not Full is implied.

PATH

A journey’s route between start and end.

EXPEDITION: can be One Way, Return, Alternate Return or Reverse

CROSSING: a traverse of a landmass or ocean

CIRCUMNAVIGATION: a unidirectional path that encircles a feature

LOOP: a path that encircles any undefined area

Expeditions and Crossings are either Full, unlabelled or Inland/Mid-Ocean.

Circumnavigations can be unlabelled (implying they are complete) or Partial

Loops can be Closed or unlabelled (implying they are open)

The Path variant must be included in the label

MODE OF TRAVEL

The methods or combination of methods used to move or propel expeditioners on a journey.

  • Ski
  • Snowkite
  • Foot
  • Dogsled
  • Wind-Craft
  • Pedal Drive
  • Paddle
  • Row
  • Sail

The Mode/s of Travel must be included in the label eg Ski, Ski-Paddle.

Each Mode of Travel typically but not necessarily tows a sled

Supplementary Mode/s eg. Paddle, should be listed if they are are planned, sustained and repetitive

Verified sub-categories eg. Fat-Bike or Catamaran or Kite-board etc may be used.

GUIDED

A guided journey is not considered Supported because the term does not apply to the guide. However clients must recognise and acknowledge that the apportioning of planning, skill and risk is vastly different between guided and unguided journeys. A journey Description must include reference to it being guided.

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