Not your average vacation
Despite the fact that we were struggling a bit during our last training trip we managed to shoot some video. I’ve edited it to the best of my ability and you can see the result below. As usual we recommend viewing it in full screen HD quality with sound. English captions are available from the menu in the lower right hand corner of the player. Enjoy!
The holiday season is over and we have entered 2010, the year when we will fulfill our dreams. It is 17 weeks left until departure for Greenland on Monday May 3. During these final weeks we need to apply for SAR insurance, weapons permit, book final flights and accomodation on the East Cost. We need to practice first aid, glacier safety and camping procedures, purchase the final equipment and more. We have less than four months now for training and preparations. During Christmas I increased the training load from two to three times per week, and estimate that I have about 40 more sessions to go before Greenland.
Luckily, the winter has arrived at Nøtterøy and the car tires have been replaced by pulk sleds loaded with wood. Tha latest two weeks have been quite cold, with temperatures between -10 and -20 degrees celcius. We even got half a meter of snow for Christmas. So, in addition to gaining weight from all the sweets and fat food I’ve managed to go skiing four times this week, and the guilt from not exercising in November has gone.
In four weeks from now we will spend 5-7 days skiing across Hardangervidda, the largest mountain plateau in Europe. This final trip will test the status of our physical and mental conditions and pinpoint any necessities for change before leaving for Greenland.
This is the final installment in our “Tire Trilogy”. After showing you how we steal and prepare tires, the time has come to provide some insight into the curious habit of hauling tires as a means of physical preparation. The video was shot close to where Petter lives on a beautiful day in late November. Subtitles in English are as per usual available by clicking the “up arrow” in the players lower right corner and selecting “Turn on captions”. We recommend viewing the video in HD quality with sound.
In the last post I shared a short video describing how to get tires for hauling. Now it’s time for the sequel: “Preparing tires in 90 seconds” – a brief look into how we prepare the tires before we can haul them around in the forest. No surprises here – just me toying with my camera and video editing software.
As part of our training we are hauling tires around to simulate the act of pulling a sled. Last time I needed tires I raided the local car tire dealership. They have a container full of worn out tires and just shook their heads in pity when I asked if I could take a few. I had just bought a new camera and took it along to get some practice shooting. You can see the result in the short cilp below.
I have just finished editing and subtitling the video footage from our trip to Rondane. Petter managed to capture some beautiful scenery and for the first time we actually have dialogue. Unfortunately I did not manage to cut the movie any shorter than 6:15, so it’s the longest one to date.
Anyway – we hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it. As per usual it is subtitled for the Norwegian impaired. Click the button in the lower right corner of the player to access the subtitles.
I’ve been pretty used to hauling tires by now, and during the past week I have walked close to 25 kilometers in about 5 hours. I even think I need to get myself a new tire, since the one I’m hauling currently is disresolving due to the friction against asphalt and gravel. Well, it feels good to finally be on track with my training targets.
As you might get a short glimpse of in this short video recorded on my Nokia E71, I have attached reflex buttons and bands on the rope and tire for better visibility when walking in the dark countryside of Nøtterøy.
I finally got around to edit the video from our glacier training. As you can see, Jotunheimen provided a spectacular backdrop in the beautiful weather. We really learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves doing it. It really doesn’t get much better than this.
As per usual, the video is recorded in HD and can be viewed as such. Just press the “HD” button in the player and view it in full screen with sound for the best result. Also, by popular demand, I have added English subtitles for the Norwegian impaired.
From now on all our videos will be posted to YouTube in High Definition. During playback, if you press the HD button in the player, you will stream high quality video suitable for full screen viewing.
I finally managed to finish editing the video from our latest training trip. It’s about 2:30 long. Enjoy!
Yesterday I was interviewed by the local newspaper Tønsbergs Blad. The interview is published in the newspaper, but also on their web site, including a video interview.
VF24, the local TV station in Vestfold, showed the video repeatedly last night as part of their local news.
The article:
- http://tb.no/article/20090122/NYHETER/871577755/1011/NYHETER
The video:
- http://tb.no/section/TBTV/1536&id=6179&vcat=-1
- http://tb.no/vf24_player.php?show=vfsiste&id=5747
Tønsbergs Blad wanted me to write a diary from the expedition next year, and also from our expedition on Finnmarksvidda in April this year.
A bit delayed we would like to share with you our first practice session. The trip consisted of two nights in the district of Nore og Uvdal municipality in brilliant weather. The climax consisted of red wine and reindeer stew on the peak of Bårgsjåbrotet (1485 meters above sea level) while watching the sun set over the Hardangerjøkulen glacier. You can find images from the trip in the photo album.
As part of the preparations we are experimenting with filming. You can see the result below.
