#4: day of climbing

This is proving to be another very cold trip. We recorded -36°C last night and it’s currently -33 outside as I type on my phone, and it’s only 8.30pm. Today we climbed almost 600m up Marmorbreen (glacier) onto Helefonna (ice dome) where we’re currently camped. It was a difficult climb with the sleds dragging heavily on the super-chilled and hardened snow crystals, like hauling a sled though treacle. But everyone was up to the.task and we reached camp at 5pm, overlooking mountains in almost every direction and the frozen coast of Spitsbergen to our east. Tonight may be even colder with totally clear and still conditions outside. I wouldn’t be overly surprised if it reaches -40 with the additional 5° of lapse rate we should experience at this altitude. Hot water Nalgenes for everyone. I’m camping with our Swedish intern, Isa. Eric Photos is of the team on Hellefonna