Cordula and Lorenz were out of the tent an hour before the scheduled time While Bobby and I slothed inside marvelling at Swiss/German efficiency.

Not a breath of wind or cloud in the sky as we skied north across endless pressure ridges, some easily negotiated, others not. We soon shed our shell jackets preferring the coolness (at -28c) and breathability of fleece.

Today we crossed three leads. The first was around 10m wide, thick enough to hold us aside from a wide black ribbon that meandered its way through the middle making a safe crossing impossible until a closure was found. At one stage the giant plates of ice either side shifted, making blocks of ice in the lead groan and roll. The second lead gave itself away before we reached it with a curtain of fog hovering above it so we deviated to find a convenient crossing, narrow enough to place my sled inside it and ski over. The third was about 5m wide and likely strong enough to hold all four of us but I don’t take chances with newcomers and set up a ferry system with two sleds side by side that each could ski between safely to the other side.

That brought us to 5pm with a respectable 17.6km behind us. Bobby had a better day after I offset his bindings to prevent his ankles rolling and he managed his perspiration better by removing his shell and trying different combinations of handwear. Lorenz is much fitter than on last year’s Svalbard trip and enjoys this environment as would a bear. And Amazonian Cordula is a machine with seemingly boundless energy, her experience on skis and in the mountains shining through. We are a great team.

Now camped 81km from the North Pole.

Pics
1. Lorenz crossing a frozen lead
2. Arctic art never ceases to amaze
3. Bobby
4. Cordula and Lorenz set up their tent

Eric

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