An arctic dream
The silence is all around us. We and the wind produce the only sounds. We a constant rhythmic sound of movement. Ski poles piercing through the snow and the slushing sound of the sleds moving the snow apart. The wind generates the only irregular sound. Other than that it is utterly silent. It all feels surreal and I can't believe that we are actually on our way. Looking at the vast surroundings I suddenly feel very far from society.
One of our first training camps was at Svartisen Glacier in the north of Norway. The glaciers at Svalbard are constantly moving. With unstable temperatures and more rain due to climate changes, now more than ever. High temperature during summer melts the snow and ice on the top of the glacier.
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions. Our plan was to ski unsupported from Longyearbyen to Svalbard and back. A trip we estimated was around 500 kilometers. Our team consisted of 3, a good size for an expedition like this.
We could use one tent and were able to distribute the shared equipment between us. We had a hard deadline of 30 days to complete our mission and prepared rations for 32 days. Two days extra if we were to be caught in bad weather. Not the biggest margin but we anticipated to spend less than 30 days. As part of our preparation we did a lot of physical training - preparing our bodies for skiing for 8-10 hours per day while pulling all our belongings in our sleds.
On our own
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
All around us are
Amazing landscapes
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
Traversing glaciers
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
with deep cracks
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.
A dream that has been following us for the last three years. We wanted to do the next expedition on our own, to own the plan and to be fully dependent on ourselves. Good preparations are a big part of an expedition like this. Something we had never done before on our own. We spent countless hours looking at maps and talking to participants on other similar expeditions.