Dispatch #1

Icetrek North Pole Extreme Ski 2010

Dispatches

Mar 30

Published at 12:06

Cathy and I are in Longyearbyen, Svalbard and we met yesterday for the first time. She had been out walking most of the day and is doing a snowshoeing trip today to both keep her fitness up and to absorb some of the fantastic surroundings. It's windy and drifting snow today but I'm told it has been beautiful for the last few days. This is in contrast to the unusually warm winter the locals have endured, with minimal snow and even rain disrupting their usual winter activities. But there's a healthy covering of snow on the mountains now and even some pack ice in the fiord, a rarity over past years. Tomorrow we begin our preparations in earnest - fitting clothing and skis, sorting food and doing some local ski training. Then, come April 2, the adventure begins and north we go. Eric
The photos is a view to the north across Adventfiorden from near Longyearbyen.

Name: Longyearbyen
Elevation: +20 m
Latitude: 78° 13’ 18” North
Longitude: 15° 38’ 1” East