Børge Ousland

Longyearbyen, Fridy morning: It was a very tired team that arrived back in Longyearbyen early this morning. Gjestehuset 102 where we stay, had the rooms ready, so after a quick breakfast they headed straight for bed.
It was not only a short night and terribly early rise, but it had been a super gathering with lots of travelled explorers and Polar veterans in Barneo. What a way to round off a super trip. – We here back home take our hat off and can only say we are very impressed by this group. They have performed way above our expectations.
We thank all who have followed the trip for reading this, and if it inspires you, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be back up there next april!

Barneo, Thursday evening: Suddenly the helicopter was right on top of them. Hovering over their heads and making the last gasp packing pretty hectic. But soon they were on their way to Barneo. That will be a semi introduction to civilization. Toilets, engines, noise, activity – but first and foremost: a heated mess-tent. To get the first warm meal served sitting on chairs is always special.
The only danger to them now is Russian vodka. But, they are scheduled to an 05:00 flight tomorrow, so they may take it easy. Anyway, they will have a fantastic evening. Nothing is like sitting up there as other explorers come in. It will be for the ‘ice-heads’ only – on one hand it is good for all of us that they get it all out – on the other hand, nothing is more addicting than chatting with other explorers…
So, tomorrow around breakfast time, they will switch on their cell phones and meet the world. Start bombing them with greetings and sms’es!

Thursday 11:50 – Just this moment the helicopter is landing by their camp to pick them up and return them to the Basecamp at Barneo. They have actually drifted more than 10 kilometres from the geographical North Pole, so the ice is still moving a lot and breaking up, but their camp is well placed in safe ice.
Yesterday was a truly bonus day. They just relaxed, ate and played around. They found a lead and went for a swim! – While being great fun it also filled them with deep respect for the waters up there. It is quite something to swim and struggle around among slush and ice knowing you have 4000 metres of water below you.
But now their sights are on the return. We do not know for sure when they will be back in Longyearbyen, but it still looks like Friday is the best bet as the weather looks good. We should know later today.

Wednesday evening: After having celebrated wildly the reality struck. They had been on their feet (skis) for some 24 hours and they soon collapsed into their sleeping bags. –The day today was spent relaxing, visiting the main tent, drinking coffee, chocolate, eating and enjoying the great sensation of having reached the Pole.
The next hurdle is to get back to civilisation. As it looks now, they are scheduled to be picked up by the chopper Thursday late afternoon. Then they will stay for a day at Barneo as different expeditions gather for a flight due back to Longyearbyen the Friday the 21st. That is a day before planned, and probably as fast as possible.
First chance to go home may be Saturday, but it is a bit early to be 100% sure of that.
Everyone sends their love, Stay tuned.

05:50 – The North Pole
Wednesday morning: They did it! A long, hard and difficult night took them to 90° North.
But it was far from an easy task. The ice in the area broke up badly, parts was smouldered into slush and it was like a labyrinth. At one point they were afraid they would not get close to the exact point itself!
But they did. And just before six o’clock in the morning they could let the cheers loose. Out came cigars, cognac etc and it was wild scenes. The suspense of the last 24 hours let rip and they were just ecstatic.
Then they dived for the tent for some food, before they should give their body some long overdue sleep.
The next step we will learn about after 15:00 when they will contact Barneo again to plan for the return to start.
Stay tuned!

Tuesday Evening: Short message from our friends. The stopped as usual and camped for dinner and some rest. BUT they will keep going. Before camping they had just crossed a big lead, and as they have experienced a lot of movement in the ice, they take no chances and press on.
They had some some 17-18km today and they have 11 km left before they can celebrate. It will probably take them deep into the night before that – though, night? With the midnight sun ruling up there it is not down to the light – more probably stamina.
Stay tuned!

Camp 5, Tuesday morning: The wind was kind to them. The Sun showed up in the middle of the day. There were no leads. But quite a bit of snow – and a lot of pack ice. Parts were really challenging with huge pressure ridges. So it was a lot of forth and back, up and down around and over.
But Bengt tells of tremendous spirit and happiness, so the day flew by. As is now custom, they dined together. The main meal is now the day’s main happening. Laughter, stories and jokes compete with food and surprises. It seems this gang are really scared of heading for the sleeping bags…
This morning they woke up at N89°46’ E170°40’. This is some 18,5km from the previous morning and there is a bit less than 30km to the North Pole. The drift is not so strong any more and is now easterly – as you can see from their position.
Can they get in a favourable position tonight to be within striking distance to the Pole on Wednesday? Find out tomorrow morning.

Camp 4, Monday morning: Another very good performance. They did (including night drift) over 25km. Some of that was due to not finding old and safe ice for the camp so they had to keep walking for some 45 minutes longer then planned.
The day was overcast, but the sun was visible through the clouds parts of the day. So contrast was not optimal. The good news was that the wind eased off to just a draft. That made the day nicer.
They are doing very well, and with this progress they look to reach the Pole Tuesday. They is much faster than planned. They could have take it easier, but have decided to press on. Up there you never know what the Ice can throw at you, so they will go straight up and then see what to do.
Their day is starting the day 10:30 and go 1 ½ hour stints between breaks and being out between 7 and 8 hours. At the end of the day they measure the thickness of the ice for the Norwegian Polar Institute before hitting the tents.
Everyone is in great shape and the spirit if high. This morning they woke up at N89°37,392’ E163°01’

PS – In case you have forgotten what our heroes look like we rune a series of fresh portraits from the ice.

Changing conditions, good progress
Camp 3, Sunday morning: Another impressive day. This group do not hang about. They had sun from the morning before both clouds, some white-out and wind came their way later in the day. But the challenge was two big areas with rumble ice. It was difficult, but they came through and were able to maintain good progress.
Yesterday Dave was not happy with temperature management, and after a long hard rethink he changed his approach for Day 2. It worked wonders and he was much happier. Another one had a near miss and had one shoe in the drink. It was not a big lead and was quickly safely back on the ice. Shoe and sock became wet, but by this morning that was taken care of and dried out completely.
Every evening they all gather in the main tent where the boys invite all for dinner. We understand that round off the day in a very entertaining way. For last evening Andrea brought her surprise: A Guatemala chocolate cake with coffee beans inside! Very popular indeed.
The again covered over 20 kilometres including the nights drift and woke up this morning at: N89°24,858’ E163°58’