A rainy day in the Arctic

The last Friday gathering (a real UNIS-tradition that makes the dark time pass faster by congregating students around the fireplace with some liquid) before we embark on the trip proved to be a very wet affair. Longyearbyen put on what must have been the worst weather-day in 2007, with “pouring” rain (not tropical, but this is the Arctic!!) and some wind. Not a lot you can do then, even the monster boots can get wet if water flows in from the top.

Instead, we spent the day gathering the equipment from Longyearbyen’s various sports shops and making a digital plan of our planned route. In theory, we should thus be able to know where we are even in a white out. The route is mostly based on gathering information from the locals, especially the governor’s office, the 3 girls that crossed Svalbard last year (see here) and of course our many contacts at UNIS and the local community. Things always go easier if the network is already in place, but even so thanks to you all that help us along the way!

Tomorrow, there’s a promise of a brief window with good weather, so maybe there’ll be time for a nice ski trip before Mats and Hella arrive in the afternoon. With another two pairs of helping hands, everything should be ready for our Thursday departure. It’s soon, real soon. The fact that our date of departure is already on the met.no forcast is a sure sign that we’ll be off very soon. But don’t worry, this blog will be kept updated while we’re “out there”…

Greetings from a Bergen-like Longyearbyen,

Kim