|
|
Skiing Siberia in -45F at 10 am
Dec 10, 2004 12: 09 EST
Johan and Micke have done several dispatches over the past days. Johan's ski boots are broken and he's walking instead of skiing. They had a rest stop at a local hut, grateful to be fed the Siberian soup Borschtj, potatoes, with fried and dried fish, and fresh bread made on fire stove.
But then it was back out in the cold - and darkness...
Gear failure
10 Dec, 04 - 18:14
GPS-pos: N67°00' | E152°59' | Alt: 13 M
17 km of skiing today, -45°F, another clear freezing cold day and no wind. N 67°00'25.9 and E 152°59'42.2
Johan Ivarsson at the pen:
One of the tent poles broke yesterday whilst putting the tent up, and as that was not enough, we had to change one of the ski-bindings after it had broken during the day. None of these occurrences caused too much worries, though, but it is still irritating when this happens all at once!
All the equipment we are using are the best that can be found on the world market today. It has been thoroughly tested. It is, no doubt, the optimal equipment, when it comes to skiing long distances and pulling heavy equipment in Arctic surroundings. And even though it seems like everything is falling to pieces for us at the moment, it has been expected.
One thing I've learned during this precious time since I left Sweden, is that there's no such thing as an major, long time expedition in extreme surroundings without plenty of equipment problems! And with all this pressure through hard work we are putting on to this equipment, especially in this extreme cold, it's not strange that some equipment does break!
Despite these momentarily irritations with failing equipment, and the discovery of a few more new light frostbites on my fingers, and that we're both exhausted right now, we're still very positive in mind and enjoy this challenge and this life! And, we're rapidly closing in on Srednekolymsk!
That's all for now! Time to get out of the sleepingbag, pack the Ipaq in the zipbag, quickly send the dispatch, tuck the phone and Ipaq inside the sack and then I'm off for another night of happy dreams. And let's hope that the weather tomorrow will be as clear as it has been today!"
Did you know? Broken bindings have been a major cause of several aborted unsupported polar expeditions.
An unsupported expedition doesn't only suffer a heavier load, it also has to fix stuff insted of getting replacements. That's when details and preparation become crucial. Find tips on boots & bindings in the Survival Guide on this website.
The start of this Siberian winter crossing expedition didn’t go too well – mosquitoes, broken fishing poles, a rising river flooding their camp site, doctors judging them too fat to go, wife leaving... This expedition paddled their way through Siberia and eventually took to land to get a taste of what Siberia is really known for – bitter coldness.
Husband and wife adventurers Mikael and Titti Strandberg, planned embarking upon an epic journey through Siberia stretching over 3500km. Joining them is a young guy, a great outdoor talent, and good hunter, Johan "Delta" Ivarsson. Before the expedition started, however, Titti decided to abort as previous medical conditions mean it’s very unsafe for her to be exposed to such cold for as long as they will.
Image live over Contact 3.0: "We spend a lot of time pulling in the darkness now, this photo taken at 10 a.m!" courtesy of the team.
|
|
Feature Stories |
|
Latest News |
more news |
 |
North Pole Russia: Borneo Base up and running
Full Story
|
 |
North Pole Russia: It's over - all teams evacuated!
Full Story
|
 |
Russian Polar Borneo Station status update
Full Story
|
 |
The rules of Adventure
Full Story
|
 |
Russian frontier department angered by Cerpolex
Full Story
|
 |
North Pole teams on the ice - no rescue agreement with Borneo
Full Story
|
|
|
The battle for the North Pole - full story
Full Story
|
|
|
| OneWorld expedition: It's over Jun 3, 2005 | | Vancouver to Moscow - 1 year anniversary! Jun 2, 2005 | | Arctic wrap-up: The Single ski Weight Watchers Greenland program Jun 1, 2005 | | Arctic wrap-up: Rain and world record May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | 12 year old doing well on Greenland ice cap crossing May 27, 2005 | | Vagabond update - Polar bears, 200 candles and ice melting in Inglefieldbukta May 26, 2005 | | Arctic wrap-up: Polar hygiene, and Napoleon on ice May 26, 2005 | | Contact GEO hits Greenland May 25, 2005 | | Iridium: "Invalid battery - matches found, 0" May 24, 2005 |
| | Arctic wrap-up: Adventure family kites 162 km, reaches halfway point May 23, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
2004
BEST of EXPLORERSWEB
|
|
|
|
