Valentines day, 15 people get a wash for the first time in a week. We made it through. On the last day I took a final ski, caught up with sleep before slipping into my bikini for the Hot tub (using lake water) and Sauna. Hans bought over a fantastic meal of Moose burgers in gravy. The celebratory beer didn't numb our bare feet against the snow one bit - Just when we thought the challenge was over as well! Trust me being partially naked in sub zero temperature feeling your hair freeze, and sweating like a bit of cheese on [View Full Entry]

---

---

"Congratulations, well done, you've made it. You are all winners. Get up, get back to the cabin. It's better to be a winner in life. Well done." Rich, 14th February We woke up at 6am to Rich's voice. I can still hear it now. We'd made it. We made it through alive. We were the first team for a number of years at Intrepid that had all made it through the challenge. No drop outs and extreme temperatures. We were told previous teams had given up at -6c (20F). Today is our day to do whatever we want. We need to [View Full Entry]

---

---

"Snow holes are snow joke" Friday 13th February. We've been preparing the snow hole for a number of days now. Piling snow onto it in the evenings ready for it to be finalised today, the last day of our survival challenge. Last night was the coldest night I've ever spent. At one stage I woke up with the feeling of claustrophobia. It was dark. I've never liked the darkness, I always like to be able to see something. At another point I woke up and wondered if I died in my sleep. The temperatue got noticeably colder as the night went [View Full Entry]

---

---

We're all feeling pretty tired after last night. Temperatures fluctuated throughout the night as we took it in turns to add more wood to the stove, which glowed bright red when hot. On my firewatch I managed to melt part of the sleeve of my McMurdo Parka. Fortunately I'd bought some Goretex repair patches along with me. I spent the most of my firewatch hour making impromptu repairs. The fire took some time to get going again in the morning, meaning the group weren't able to get breakfast on the go. I got my heximine fuel burner going, and before long [View Full Entry]

---

---

"The Swedish have abandoned their army, they decided they never needed it anymore" Nigel, 11th Feb We spent the evening shoveling out 1 metre thick snow for a fire a to erect a 20 man Swedish Army tent. Fire doesn't light or burn so well in these temperatures. It's our first night in the cold, we were all apprehensive this evening. Now we are all concentrating on food and warmth. Jobs were divided amongst the group. This is a real team effort. Fire creation, shelter erection, food preparation. The focus of our efforts have changed we must now focus on the [View Full Entry]

---

---

The group is quieter than usual as we contemplate the next few days ahead of us. We survived the last acclimatisation day without any serious personal injury. Sweden is as beautiful as I remember it from childhood. There is something exceptionally inspiring about this landscape, despite the cold. The snow clings to the trees like cotton wool and there is a permanent silence that hangs in the air. It's -25c tonight. We head out in just over an hours time. The group leaders have had to rethink our plans as it's just too dangerous for us to 'camp' in the usual [View Full Entry]

---

---

-29c today. The start of the survival phase. Life threatening. We'll head out on snow mobiles today and the temperatures from the wind can reach -50c. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today it was -15c. We spent th dy acclimatising again down by the lake using our new cross contry skiing skills. It was 5km each way. When we got there we took it in turns to lead a pack of 4 dogs around a track and also practice ice fishing.v. Yesterday we were taught to use our skis. Its a lot harder than it looks. Everyone fell down and once you've got wet there is no opportunity to get dry again until you get back to the cabin. The cabin is a welcome refuge from the cold, but this is our [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well I'm sat here at Heathrow now waiting to depart. See you in the Arctic. It's going to be a cold one :) [View Full Entry]

---

---

It's personally cost me an arm and a leg, but better to spend than to get frost bite that's my motto. I've also been fortunate to have lots of kits left over from my trek to Everest Base Camp ( Everest Base Camp Blog) Over the months I've been diligently researching and going through hundreds of reviews on the internet to find the best kit. Ordering in equipment from Canda and the USA when the pound was strong, staying up till the early hours to win that golden auction on eBay. Without any equipment sponsorship, I've slowly purchased everything myself, and [View Full Entry]

---

---