Day 15 of the expedition
Distance traveled: 58 km / 36 mi
Position: N 66,50 W 047,17
Elevation: 1774 m / 5,820 ft

Having spent a few days at Dye 2 it was great to travel again today. The winds were straight at our backs and it was nice cruising for 58km (36 mi). We now only have some 80km (49 mi) to the west coast, a distance we can easily do in a day. During the last part of our trip we will focus on testing equipment and training further on both skisails and kites. The snow is becoming increasingly rotten. Without skis we sink down over our knees and it can be difficult to move from tent to tent.

The skis that we use while kiting and skisailing are alpine or backcountry skis. These types of skis are all derived from the traditional Norwegian Telemark skis. Telemark is a rugged and hilly county in Norway and the conditons there meant that the local skiers developed a ski that was shorter, lightly carved and was easy to turn. These skis became popular in Norway in the late 19th century although they had been used in Telemark for centuries.

The skiers from Telemark were superior in competitions for many decades in the early years of the skiing sport. Legends like Sondre Norheim became famous internationally for his skills, and in particular, his ski jumping skills.

The skis that we use when we haul are longer and straighter than the Telemark skis. This is to get a better glide towards the flat horizon on the ice cap. While hauling there is no need to make sharp turns and a longer and uncarved ski is therefore an asset.

All good on the ice cap.

Toby