Well, the mythical good conditions in the last degree are still eluding us. No sign of the flat hard terrain and easy skiing that other expeditions approaching from different directions describe unfortunately. Most of today was uphill in soft sticky snow with scattered small sastrugi; backbreaking work.
There is a strange phenomenon that occurs when it’s very cold, the crystal surface structure of the snow becomes rougher and there is much more friction when dragging sleds. It’s -32degC here today and we’re certainly feeling the increased drag of the sleds. Despite them being very light now as we near the end of the expedition they don’t slide over the surface at all and are still a dead weight.
Just have to keep going for 3 more days!
Suunto Stats
Skiing Time 12hrs 10mins
Distance 26.64km
Gareth
Average HR 118
Max HR 176
Calories burned 8327
Richard
Average HR 120
Max HR 171
Calories burned 8298
