We’re back from our first polar training expedition as our Polar Dogs Antarctica Expedition team! 8 days around Norway’s Hardangervidda Plateau.

Most of the week we were inside a cloud.
Despite this, I still managed to get a bad sunburn on my face. I didn’t know getting sunburnt inside a cloud with near zero visibility was a thing.

Visibility was mostly poor (between close to zero, as in, could barely see end of skis, and around 60 meters max), which was a shame as it’s a stunning area. But when the clouds opened, we had some spectacular views of the mountains, glaciers, and frozen lakes we were passing and skiing over.

Two early stops

On 2 days we stopped early. One because of strong winds, blizzard and zero visibility on a steep area. The second time a hailstorm, but it was too warm so it all melted. All our stuff got soaked so we made the call to ski back to the nearest town (collection of huts with a hotel and drying room plus, crucially, blazing hot showers and food that isn’t rehydrated) a day early to dry our downs and tent else we’d have frozen.

What we worked out

Still, we had a super good week. Great practice, learnings, and many laughs. We worked well together working out the best way for us to get our pulks (sleds) up steep hills, both harnessing to one pulk at a time then going back for the second, which saved loads of energy and time criss-crossing, and also getting down the steepest hills by finding a better way to rope up the sleds to slow them down. And then nailed every hill after that.

The thing I’d been most worried about Antarctica was not being able to shift my sled (which will be double the weight we had here) up the steepest hills, and the downhills. That worry is now overcome and feeling so much more confident about it all.

I’m still a slow skier, have zero efficiency, and need to get stronger to pull the heavier sled. But we have a year and a half to practice on more trips and training.