We both arrived in Norway on Saturday but did not have a chance to update the blog yet. I promise I will provide an update real soon now, to let you in on the details of our exit from Greenland. We just need to unpack and settle in with our loved ones first.

Again – thanks for your support!

Note that we will still update the web page on a daily basis by calling in our updates via satellite phone. So if you have not done so already, subscribe to our blog via email, RSS or Twitter to keep up to date on our progress and challenges.

If you would like to send us a greeting during our trip you can leave a comment with the latest post and they will be conveyed to us on the ice cap the next time we check in.

Petters decision did not come as a shock to me as he had expressed concerns for a while. None the less I was shaken with the prospect of forfeiting the whole project when he broke the news. Petter was always aware of the consequences of his decision and he has kindly offered his support in any way that he could. He graciously agreed to abandon any resources already sunk in the project to the benefit of the expedition, should it go on, being equipment, expenses or airfares. This was of vital importance to me as I needed to recruit a new partner for the project. And as you can imagine – partners for expeditions in polar regions don’t grow on trees.

After receiving the sad news I immediately considered my options. Crossing the ice cap with a group was viable but my primary objective was to complete the project with a single partner and no guide.

As luck would have it, a few months back I had the pleasure to befriend an ambitious gentleman named Christian Iversen Styve, a 25 year old student, freeskier, outdoorsman and all around nice guy. We met at one of the of the group workouts conducted by Latitude Expeditions last year and have been training together occasionaly since then. Christian had already told me about his plans for future adventures and our conversations left no doubt that he possessed the required mindset for this kind of outing.

All it took was a few phone calls and Christian was on board. They say that “you can’t talk someone into a polar expedition”, but Christian did not take any convincing. His main concerns was if he could get time off from his side job at Sportsnett and if he could afford it all on his student budget.

The famous polar explorer Roald Amundsen said that there is no such thing as luck, only good planning. But I have to admit – Christian being the positive and adventurous individual that he is, the chance of meeting a man of his ilk at a time like this is slim to none. I simply lucked out . I am looking forward to hooking up with him for training in the mountains of Norway and completing this epic journey together in May.

Stay tuned for our next post presenting Christian in more detail.

The adventure is most definitely on.

(Christian hauling tires in Oslo)

Nansen was the leader of the first expedition to ever cross the Greenland ice cap in 1888. Nansen lived at Polhøgda from its completion in 1901 until his death in 1930. His grave is in the garden in front of the manor. The picture below is from his study in the tower of the mansion. It’s been kept pretty much as he left it before he passed away. See the photo album for more pictures.

Christian has generously offered his expertise and we have learned a lot from talking to him. Friday night he took time out of his busy schedule to meet up with me for a few beers and some expedition talk. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, asking questions and taking notes. For those of you thinking of crossing the ice sheet with a guide, you should have a chat with Christian – he is probably your safest bet for a enjoyable Greenland expedition.

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