WOLF’S FANG 2 TROLL

Saturday, 8 November

Lars and Roland were flown out in a Twin Otter toward Ulvetanna – and started the trip that same afternoon!
Unfortunately, they don’t have network (working on it), so the diary has been static so far.

Day 1–5 – 9–12 November

It has been an extremely tough start since Saturday!
Almost impassable ski days with pulk sleds. An extreme number of crevasses and snowdrifts, and the snow is drier than they ever imagined. But their spirits are good, even with understandably less progress than expected.

They are soon past the hardest section. The pulk is extremely heavy because the snow is so dry. Still, they remain in good spirits!

Lars calls Day 3 a crevasse hell: crevasses and holes on all sides, almost impossible to get through, plus snowdrifts.
“But we made it through in a good way.”

Day 6 – Thursday, 13 November

ZeroSixZero: Best camp in the world. A camp with beautiful Trollslottet in the background.
A very heavy day — crevasses, snowdrifts, and extremely dry snow.

Day 7 – Friday, 14 November

ZeroSixZero: Sun, light breeze, 6 white birds.
A dream campsite! “World’s best camp,” Lars writes. After a Ragnarok-like day with extremely dry snow, snowdrifts, and crevasses!
As they approached camp, the wind calmed and the weather became crystal clear!!

It has been an extremely tough start since Saturday! Nearly impassable skiing with pulk. An extreme number of crevasses and snowdrifts, and the snow is drier than they ever imagined. But despite slower progress, they are in good spirits.
They took an extra rest day when Roland developed stomach problems, but luckily he improved throughout the evening and was ready the next day.

But tonight the campsite smiled at them. Indescribably beautiful with a view of Trollslottet.
From Ulvetanna they have struggled and pushed only about 30 km since Saturday!

Day 8 – Saturday, 15 November

ZeroSixZero: Good windy morning.

They have covered 10 km as the crow flies — zigzagging down the glacier fall: a good day and very satisfying.
They are now on the other side of Gessnertind and beginning the next stage of the trip!

A bit of drama along the way:
In the afternoon, Lars realized after arriving at camp that he had lost his InReach device.
After tracking its location, he took the chance to leave camp in hopes of finding it. Down the glacier fall and a 2-hour extra ski trip (without pulk) — and he found it. At 21:30 he calls in, happily reporting it is recovered.

Day 9 – Sunday, 16 November

ZeroSixZero: Glorious morning.

They have now traveled about 75 km, with 200 km remaining.
Sunny and cold. “Last night was completely still, no wind, and we thought it would be an easy parade-march day — but a chilly small wind arrived. We have been going up, up, up, so it’s been a very heavy day. But we’re pleased with the distance and everything overall. We have rounded the corner of Habermehltoppen, so now we’re entering a new area. Exciting times ahead.”

“We’re thinking one week in this area, one week around Tor Station, and one week toward Troll. But this may change.”

“The snow is still dry and slow, so the pulks are much heavier than we expected.”
They hope to move faster in about a week with lighter pulks.

SixZerohSix: Beautiful, cold, hard, happy.

Day 10 – Monday, 17 November

ZeroSixZero: Good morning from quite blustery Antarctica
“What a day today. Right now the wind is absolutely insane here, but earlier it was beautiful. It blew a lot in the morning and was brutally cold. Took down the tent thinking it would be a terrible day. But suddenly the snow was exactly as we hoped, and we made very good progress in the first part of the day, even with the biting wind and cold. At the end of the day, we encountered a massive sastrugi field. The worst I’ve ever experienced. Half-meter sastrugi crisscrossing constantly. But we set a new record with nearly 15 km. So very, very happy with the day. The mood was extremely high at dinner!

Lars also mentions it is stunningly beautiful and that they are functioning very well.

ZeroSixZero: Wind, cold, good snow, sastrugi but record.

Day 11 – Tuesday, 18 November

“We woke up to a small storm and quickly took down the tent and started moving. Huge snowdrifts and completely hopeless conditions, but we hoped for the best. It blew incredibly hard, so breaks were very short, but we managed to round the mountain Sagbladet. It is unbelievably beautiful. We are camped on one side of it, which looks like a dinosaur with spikes on its back. The most beautiful camp so far!”

ZeroSixZero: Wildest, windiest day so far: 14 km! Rounded Sagbladet!
“That the tent is still standing is a miracle: 12–16 m/s, 3 m/s in the gusts!”

Day 12 – Wednesday, 19 November

ZeroSixZero: Morning: Quiet, some thin clouds.

“Today has been a brilliant day, we´ve worked well and had good pace. At the moment, we are located just north of Tor Station, resting by a cliff edge that we have to consider how to navigate later on. Tomorrow we will go through Plogskaftet, which we have thoroughly planned how to cross, going through small islands in the ice: It will be both very exciting and beautiful.

The wind has calmed down completely, the sun is shining warmly, but we are excited to see tomorrow´s forecast.

Day 13 – Thursday, 20 November 

ZeroSixZero: Morning, windy and snowy

Every day is so different that it's almost impossible to imagine: Windy storm to complete calmness - to full whiteout in 3 days. Regardless, today we've managed to do 15 km, which we are very pleased about. Fortunately for us, the hills were easy with not too many screeches, so we're delighted with where we are today. Now we've just passed the Tor station, a side station of Troll, which is only manned in December and January. We were unable to see it due to poor visibility.

Birdlife: Right behind Tor station, there is a bird mountain with 1000 birds nesting. We've recently seen a large bird of prey that has flown there to feast. It flies right back over us every day. We've also seen a lot of snow petrels. They fly in flocks around us and have been very curious about us.

It's been a lot of fun!

 Tomorrow there will be a total whiteout.

Day 14 – Friday, 21 November

ZeroSixZero: cold, snow, whiteout and the tent dancing in the wind

We are happy with the distance of 15 km today, despite very strong winds and whiteout. It is also blowing hard in camp, so we escape into our sleeping bags. Looks like it may be a rest day due to strong winds tomorrow.

Day 15 – Saturday, 22 November

ZeroSixZero: mye snø og kaldt med vind

A day off in the tent, resting.

Day 16 – Sunday, 23 November

ZeroSixZero: less wind and good to go

Distance record today: 19 km!! The night turned quiet and beautiful. We woke up to a lot of snow. Fierce work to dig out the tents and sledges – it took at least 1.5 hours. So we started walking a bit late, but the sun was shining and it was a lovely day to be on the move.

During the day, however, a biting wind picked up, making it much colder than we expected. Still, it was a very beautiful day, and we passed a mountain called Hoggestabben, which rises 800 meters straight up from the ice. There’s a chilly draft in camp tonight, but we’re very happy with the distance we covered today.

Day 17 – Monday, 24 November

 ZeroSixZero Hard day, Sun, little wind, climed to 1700m. Distance 21 km

Very strong sun today. The snow crusted, making the ascent heavy and slow. Our lunch, stored in the sled, melted through the pulk cover; by the time we opened the bag, all the chocolate, chips, and nuts had fused into one sticky, molten mass. Bon appétit.

We pushed hard and gained roughly 1,700 meters of elevation. We’ve made camp here for the night and will climb a bit higher tomorrow before beginning the descent. The day was dominated by long snow dunes—endless ridges of white. Each time we thought we had cleared the last one, another rose ahead. Progress was demanding. Still, spirits are high. We’re satisfied with the effort and believe we can cover good distance in the coming days as we continue toward Troll Station.

Tomorrow we plan to descend and navigate around a pair of islands whose terrain we know little about. We’re unsure what awaits—ridges, slopes, windblown valleys, or ice walls—so the route will likely be both challenging and interesting. All is well otherwise. We switched Roland’s skins to quick-skins, which should give him better glide moving forward.

Day 18 – Tuesday, 25 November

ZeroSixZero Beautiful day, sun, little wind. Zigzag great view. Distance 16 km

A truly remarkable day. Clear skies, wonderful sunshine, and only the faintest breath of wind from the south. Ideal conditions. The landscape was so beautiful it was almost unreal. We inadvertently strayed into a large crevasse zone and had to weave our way carefully out. Shortly after, we entered a pristine stretch of terrain — an absolute joy to travel through. We came in right beside two mountains called Gygra and Risen, with the ridge lying just next to them. We spotted two tracked vehicles from Troll-station, passing close by. They stopped briefly but continued straight past us without any interaction. Quite odd.

We carried on, circling and descending. Teamwork was excellent, and we navigated the entire section smoothly. Possibly one of the finest days of the journey. A truly delightful day. Tomorrow, we plan to push hard; with the Troll area now visible, we are preparing for a day with major progress. It appears we are nearing the end. Bad weather is forecast for the weekend, so we hope to be extracted before it arrives.

Day 19 – Wednesday, 26 November

ZeroSixZero The mission i completed!! 25km, sun, no wind - stunning area! Pick up maybe tomorrow!
Troll!

An incredible last day. There was a chance for a pickup so we gave it all. We will not be invited in to the station so we bagged 25km just to camp right before the runway. 

It was sun and no wind and the snow. Stayed hard and good making it a great end. After all we have seen, we didn’t expect much for the last day and Troll area, but rounding Stabben and descending into the area around Troll was a stunner. Those working here are really blessed

But, the pick up flight as cancelled due to weather around Novo, so this is another night out.

Today we have had several surprised visitors, they are not used to see skiers out here. Fun chats and a great way to feel we have arrived and it is mission completed.

Next is to find weather windows for out flights towards home.

Queen Maud Land is the Norwegian sector of Antarctica. Between the coast and the waste inland polar plateau, with several dramatic mountain ranges. One of these is ‘Fimbulheimen’. Here you find the Wolf’s Fang cluster of peaks shooting up from the ice, including the daunting Ulvetanna Peak.
It was discovered in 1938, and the mile-high NW face was first climbed by Ivar Tollefsen, Robert Caspersen, and Sjur Nesheim in 1994.

The area has been a hot spot for prominent climbers. But few have been there to ski. Thus, this is what we are setting out to do, crisscrossing the mountains and heading westwards to the Troll station.
Has anyone done it before? Don’t think so. But we believe this must be one of the most beautiful polar areas in the world for skiing.

Roland and Lars crossed Greenland together at the turn of the century. Now we are teaming up again for this Dream-Adventure.
It started out as a Where on Earth should we go? Where have we not been? What is on top of the bucket list that we do not dare to show anyone? What would make us cry in awe of what this incredible and (now) vulnerable globe has to offer?
The choice is this trip.

Team Roland and LArs

The team’s combined age is 131. This could either mean four pax in their best age – or two mates reliving past dreams.

In this case, that is the case.

As said, Roland and Lars crossed Greenland together at the turn of the century. Since then, they have had their fair share of exploits.

Lars recons that Roland is a wonderfully unique mix that makes him strengthen any team in anything. First, being a German with built-in accuracy and a love of detail. A background as a designer and in economics and marketing. Having worked and lived in many places around the world gives him an understanding of culture and language nuances that help him avoid traps and achieve results.
His sidesteps into adventure, whether it be ‘Marathon du Sable’, in the Arctic or the Antarctic, have taught him the world; The art of sailing close to danger with personal disaster on the line. What digging deeper than you thought possible rewards you with. And how to balancing it all, with personal perseverance, to obtain goals.

In 2005, he reached the South Pole together with Norwegian ledgents Cecilie Skog and Rolf Bae, and in 2011, he became the first German to reach the South Pole, solo and without any outside support.

Today, he lives with Claudine, he has the world as his office place, offering his experience and clairvoyance.

Fist visit to Greenland was in 1991 and 10 more visits to the Inland Ice followed. In 1993, he and his friends were the first to do Spitsbergen in full length. That trip took 14 days, and embarrassingly, that record stands to this day.

In 1994, Lars was part of the Unarmed expedition to the South Pole via the Berkner route. That trip sums up Lars’ philosophy and meaning of life. The name Unarmed stems from Cato having lost his arms in an accident as a kid. Use of broad smiles and humor is fundamental, together with Lars’ designer/advertising background; an expedition is not complete until all possible areas are maximized and optimized.

Later, he helped build up Hvitserk (the first Norwegian expedition travel company) before switching to Børge and his men.

Lars believes that having had the opportunity to visit and ‘play’ on all eight continents of the Globe (The Polar Sea being the 8th), mixed with his marketing and design skills, is the backbone of his global understanding of how to build an expedition.

But it also helps him be in total awe of the richness, variety, and beauty of this world while also appreciating its extreme vulnerability. That the thin layer of earth and atmosphere is the width of the skin on an apple should always linger in the back of everybody’s mind.

What really warms his heart is to see guides blossom and to help everybody reach an impossible personal goal.

He has been the invisible helper for hundreds of expeditions all over the world. Tips, tricks, preparation, training, whether, and strategy make him a very busy man.

The plan

Inspired by climbers who have sought the ultimate polar challenge, we settled for East Antarctica and Queen Maud Land. The tales and photos of Ivar Tollefsen, Aleksander Gamme (who took the photo on top), and others allude to this being unnaturally beautiful.

Most have either gone climbing or doing research. – We will ski
From Ulvetanne Mountain in the Worlf’s Fang cluster of peaks, we will sig-sag these daunting nunataks eastwards towards the Troll station.

 Ca 250 kilometres on rolling icecap is not easy. With maps, Google Earth, and, not least, satellite images from KSAT, we have mapped out an exciting route.
But glacier safety will always have to be taken seriously. Only two skiers roped up is not optimal, thus we have worked hard to safeguard the route and our safety measures.

Why do we use the Helsport Lofoten X-Trem 3 Camp? Well, we think it is the most beautiful of extreme tents out there. When you are to pitch it in the most picturesque area in the world, you can’t throw up anything:-•

That it also, with double poles, can see off any catabatic storm, helps too, of course. – And it saves quite a few grams, which is always crucial for us sled-haulers.

One thing that is important for us is to ski. Not ski-walk. Walking does work, but skiing gives pleasure, efficiency, better distance, and saved energy. Lots of energy.

Thus, the choice of skies was fun. On one side, we have our own Ousland ski. It is a very good polar ski, while still good for skiing, has a nice design and colors, and is pretty lightweight.  You may of course debate the joy of having the legend Børge Ousland staring you in the eyes all the time. But on one side, it is useful to constantly be reminded of keeping your guard up. – And you may of course cut out the face of your loved one and replace his – just don’t tell him…

But with a sled around 70-75kg we may opt for Åsnes Mountain race skin. It is great ski for skiing. Both the shape, weight, and characteristics will give great joy. – Well, yes, sorry Frank; the design is, eh, let's say not our favorite (we can’t write horrendous, that would be too harsh). But a small snowbird has whispered that an overhaul and new design are coming. But the joy of skiing them overrides everything :-)

There are several shoes and bindings around. Some even look like Lars’ first pair that he got when he was 3. Today there are basically very few combinations that provide efficient skiing. The best combo is an Alfa boot and a Rottefella NNN system.
The new Explore system is actually very good. And if you have tried it and then go back to an old system, you are in for a small shock.

In really cold environments like Antarctica, you end up with the Alfa Polar APS. Combined with the NNN BC binding, you can actually ski very well. And to ski properly, with a bit of gliding and longer steps, you also enhance circulation, which is not bad for the feet.

What else? Food for thought: Eat well and you perform well. Roland, being German, lives in the Alp foothills with all its great food. It was fun testing through European, American, and New Zealand freeze-dried. Lars being biased, it was Roland who convincingly landed on DryTech. We can’t wait for the dinners. Great dining in great environments.

The inner secret

Well, that Norwegians wear mesh closest to their skin is hardly a secret. ‘Oh, they have their Brynje,’ you hear all over, especially places where they were hard to find before the internet stores.

Many companies now provide mesh products in one form or another. And many use wool. But Roland and Lars swear to the synthetic mesh. From Brynje.

The reason is that their knitting standards are higher, which provides a softer and better wear. At the same time, the mesh provides a ‘thermosatic’ layer of air, and the synthetic wicks all moisture away from the skin. Wool is of course nice, but when pulling and skiing hard you always have to deal with sweat, and synthetic easily becomes the safest bet.

Shell choices are downright interesting these days. With all the gig brands fighting a confusing battle over production locations, fabric qualities, and sustainability, two obvious options have been basically ruled out. The Arctic lines from Norrøna and Mountain Equipment are running dry, and no one knows when or if they will resurface :-(

But Brynjes Shell dress is more than up to it. And, if we believe Bengt Rotmo, it is the best in the field.

So Lars and Roland are happily dressed in red. However, the detail- and designer-nerd German on the trip acquired two jackets to modify them into one, long Arctic/Heroic Age version. This is what jackets should look like to minimize the risk of  ‘polar thighs’ etc – not the most sexy for urban / high-street adventures where most jackets are used - but very efficient.