Børge Ousland

Well, then we are at the North Pole! The last day we only had 10 km to go, but that proved enough. A 10 m/sec wind made the day more than chilly, and everybody had to take real care.
But I must say the two participants continue to impress. We have a lot of fun at the same time as they are doing very well. It goes to prove that if you have the will, you can learn, adapt and concur the most wonderful challenges and adventures.
The two cameramen, on the other hand, are not having such an easy time,. They are not fit and struggle. We had to take their sledges so that they could get something done at all. But, it seems they will have some good footage.
Tomorrow we will film, play and make sure they return to chine well equipped, and with a result that honour the North Pole and give the competition a great at visually stunning end.

Two happu chinese and Børge at the Pole, and pure joy

I must say the two participants Wong and Fong are doing great. We spent the first day training at the Barneo Base. Then we flew out to about 30 km from the North Pole.
It has been pretty windy, 12m/sec, and tough ice with still quite a bit of drift. But we are doing well and hope to reach the Pole tomorrow.
The cameramen are working like heroes. They have a huge task too as this series for the Chinese Travel Channel will have 5 half hour programs with an audience of 30 million…

Then we are off again. And this time it is something quite unique. I have been approached by a Chinese TV company that produces huge reality series in China.
This time it is some 36000 starters who compete. And it is all about surviving in nature. The final leg is getting and tackling the ice up to the North Pole.
It is something totally new, and very exciting for me.

The partissipantsenjoying Norwegian sosages

This trip does not stop surprising. We had a very good night at the North Pole. Had a leisure breakfast, and barely got the camp packed before the Russian helicopter landed at 10:00.
We darted back to Barneo, and moments later, at 11:00 (am), the plane for Svalbard embarked with all of us. – That is, Tom stayed behind. He is putting in some more training for his own full North Pole assault next year, and will therefore assist me on the next trip in a few days.
So we are back in Longyearbyen. The equipment is sorted and checked, and the great first shower is behind us. Now we are all heading for ‘Huset’ where you find the best gourmet restaurant up here. A fitting end.

Pickup at the North Pole and Max and the Antonov 74 at Barneo

We stood at the very North Pole at 13:00. Today we used but 3 hours to complete the Last Degree Journey. But it was not a walk in the park.
Last night the drift continued, and we ‘sailed’ some 40° west, all the way from 132° to 90°. That meant we had a pretty sever headwind. It made for a chilly day, but with very good masks none had any problems.
The ice and skiing conditions were again great. Very spectacular ice and a fun challenge.
Upon arriving we pitched out tents right by a blue green pressure ridge that was a fitting backdrop for another super meal. This time Gunnar’s friend Terje Næss had prepared muscle soup with halibut and lamb casserole with apple and rosmarin. – We have a hard time finding fitting words to describe the treat.
This trip has been absolutely superb. A lot of wind, yes. But we’ve had super conditions, a staggering drift and the most wonderful sculptured ice. Now we are going to enjoy a very welcome night in the world’s most amazing experience.

Closing in and Tom

Max and Toffa in the tent and Gunnar on the outside. All at the North Pole.

A stunner of a day. Beautiful sunshine and super conditions greeted us from the morning. The wind is from the side now, and the drift is still strong. Some 600 metres pr hour.
Today we just calmed down and enjoyed our selves. It was like walking in a park full of fascinating ice sculptures. We took tons of pictures and played around a lot. It can’t be much better than this.
Now we are in the tens. We are drifting northwest, so it will be interesting to see how far we are from the Pole when we wake up.
We camped 10km away, so we are pretty curtain we will be there tomorrow!

Toffa, Max and David enjoys a break

Max (inside) nearing his first Pole

What we experience now is very special. The wind at the current drives the ice in a northerly direction at a staggering speed. Last night we drifted 9km! It is not directly north, we have taken a sideways sweep of 10°, but we are not complaining.
With the skill and stamina of this group we have but 40km left for the North Pole. And that is after just day 2! Unbelievable. Even though I have enough experience from the Arctic Ocean to never let the guard down and believe you are there before you stand on the very Pole, we have started talking about carrying on… We’ll see.
Today was another cold but very skiable day. The ice did not disappoint, and the had to negotiate 4 leads. We did very well till Tom had a very close call. One leg disappeared into the water, but he was quickly back up.
Now we are in the tent and awaiting a gourmet meal. Gunnar have brought along some super meals from the celebre chef Terje Næss. For tonight he has prepared a seafood soup with King crabs, and with veal stew as the main course.
If anybody are worrying, we ca ensure you we all feel great and have a very good time.

Tom and David waiting for dinner tonight

Our first day on the ice proper was a pretty cold ordeal. Down to -30° with a fierce 10 m/sec wind on top meant a very cold baptism. But what warmed us was a stunning effort by the team. We moved 28 km closer to the Pole. And that is phenomenal for first timers.
But we have to confess the drift in the ice helped us a bit. Last night we drifted a staggering 8km – luckily towards the North Pole. That drift also helped us somewhat today, but it takes nothing away from this team.
The enormous movement in the ice means we have seen no leads yet. They are bound to come, but still the wind packs the ice together and pushes everything north. – Another thing that helps us compared to other teams is that the wind have polished the snow and created perfect conditions for our wax free skis. Others use skins underneath which gives great grip no glide. We have very good glide and still grip!
Can’t wait for tomorrow

Tonight's camp

Since I last wrote, Salvatore and Stephen have left for home. They had a very successful journey to the North Pole and were as happy as could be. – Nothing pleases me more. That makes it really worth it for me.
In the meantime my new team has gathered in Longyearbyen. Together we will challenge the Last Degree to the North Pole. That is going to be a 110km adventure that will be with us for the rest of our lives.
Among the participants is my son Max who happened to turn 21 yesterday! We all found some time to celebrate, though most of the day we packed, checked and prepared everything for the expedition.
The plane is set to leave Svalbard at 1600. All is set, all of us are very well prepared, and the weather is good. It is GO!

Bording the Antonov 74 at Longyearbyen heading for Barneo