One Typical day on ice

The schedule of any one of the fourteen days it takes to reach the North Pole is no different - organization works supreme.

The morning begins at 7:00 am, when team members emerge from their tents after eight hours of sleep under the 24-hour polar sun. It takes about one hour to cook and eat at the comfort temperature produced by a stove. Each person assists in breaking down camp. Once camp is broken, around 09:30, the fun begins.

Each skier chooses the place in a team chain according to their fitness. Our leading guide goes first choosing the route. A strong man follows him to help in case of not standard situation. All other team members stretch at the distance of several hundred meters. The team is concluded by a second guide who provides safety and helps the weak team members to deal with the Arctic travel. Normally we make 5-10 minutes comfort breaks every hour and have lunch break around 2 p.m. But sometimes we hit the area where a reconnaissance is needed then we break and the guides search for the way to continue the trip.

After lunch, the process begins again, until the team finally breaks around 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Everyone helps set up camp and prepare the evening meal, and then turns in between 9:00 and 10:00 pm, exhausted after a journey of between 10-15 miles.

And that's what happens on a typical day. Of course, when your typical day includes freezing temperatures, 5-10 m high pressure ridges and open leads of freezing cold water, the experience becomes anything but, well, typical.