Each day we receive a message from the group via inReach technology and we also provide them with the latest weather forecast and maybe short news from home. On May 9 they noted that the uphill battle is over and it’s downhill from now on. They covered 22.7 km in seven active hours and skied in four 1-hour 45 min rounds. Skiing conditions were good in the morning, but the wind started to blow right at them later in the day and the conditions worsened. They camped at 2,480 meters which is the expedition’s highest camp. While putting up the tents the wind started to blow really hard and they decided to make a shelter for the tents. At 20:00 hours the weather had become “crazy”. The wind went down a bit late in the night but with heavy snowdrift in the morning, they decided to wait until the weather conditions would get better. This didn’t happen until late in the day so they decided to stay another night and wake up early today (May 11) and aim for a long day with much better weather.
It was still another big birthday yesterday because Jón Viðar turned 50 years old. He got small presents and they pulled some treats from their sleds for the occasion. The photo that accompanies this post is taken in March when the members of the expedition were training in the Icelandic highlands, Jón Viðar at the front, and two other members are there too, Ólafur Andri and Lilja.
