The actual route is yet to be decided. As we get closer to take off, we will outline in more detail the start point and route onto the icecap.

During September and October 2000, a team of three Australians will set out from Chile's labyrinthine coast paddling plastic white-water kayaks loaded with equipment and food.

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At the base of a remote glacier, the team will utilise their kayaks as sleds and painstakingly haul their belongings up the steep and crevassed glacier to the plateau beyond.

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Here, they will launch steerable kites and convert the infamous wind from foe to friend, to make a ski/kite crossing of the South Patagonian Icecap.

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The traverse will take the team over the high plateau summit and amongst the famous granitic towers that have made Patagonia famous.

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The views are like no other on earth and the freezing winter temperatures enhance the crystalline clarity of the mountains.

Once on the icecap, the team has many options. Carrying provisions for forty days, they will head south across the ice.

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Unlike the predominantly flat terrain experienced by Eric during his expedition to the South Pole, the South Patagonian Icecap is much affected by the underlying rock and surrounding mountains, and the trio will need to ply a weaving course over and through a series of ranges, valleys, icefalls and crevasses.

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If they are seriously hampered by Patagonia's notoriously violent weather, the team will descend east into a maze of glaciers that flow into a series of rivers to the massive Lago (Lake) O'Higgins.

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Should the winds and weather be favourable, and the team able to move quickly with their kites, they will continue further south over the undulating ice to the Upsala Glacier. This glacier descends to Lago Argentino, the most southern of this spectacular lake district, and the site of the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. Paddling past the glacier's terminal face, the trio continue south to the lake's most southern arm, Brazo Rico. From here they paddle and portage over lakes and glaciers to a river that connects with the River Paine water corridor. The River Paine takes the team past the spectacular granitic spires of the Torres del Paine National Park.

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If conditions are exceptional, Eric, Wade and Gary will continue over the icecap to the Mayo Pass, a narrow and treacherous corridor of broken ice that leads to the southern section of the icecap. This elusive geographical point will mark a significant achievement and present an opportunity to complete only the second true north-south crossing of the South Patagonian Icecap. Click here for details on previous expeditions.

Which route will the team choose? They are carrying an Argos satellite tracking beacon which sends position and temperature updates back to this site everyday. Click here to find out how they're doing.