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On The Glacier

Rob Howard / 20.08.2006

The two leading teams arrived at the Austerdal glacier in brilliant evening sunlight and within minutes of each other. Nike were first to arrive, racing across the smooth glacier scoured rocks above the lake which is fed by the glacier, and Team Finland were in hot pursuit. Only a couple of minutes behind they too were moving fast. Petri Forsman was last, but he was carrying his and Seppo Makinen’s rucksack, and still going at some speed.

As they approached the glacier came into sight, and a very impressive and intimidating sight it is. Curving downwards at a steep angle it is fractured and shattered into a complex maze of tunnels, plateaus and overhangs, and it was this \'ice maze\' teams had to find a way through.

Their way was marked with flags and started with a steep climb onto the glacier, then wound its way across to the far side (and CP29), and back again.

Nike were first to be ready to go and set off, kicking their crampons into the ice and roped together in pairs. Richard Ussher led Monique Merrill and Ian Adamson led Dave Wiens. It was Merrill who was most ill-at-ease on the ice, and had it been possible Team Finland would have overtaken Nike as she hesitated and struggled, but they had to wait behind.

While they were on the ice the sun set and the temperature dropped noticeably, but they were soon down on the rocks again and quickly set off downhilll past some thunderous waterfalls to the next transition. Nike left at a run, and in the next 5kms took a 30 minute lead over Team Finland, extending this with a fast transition.

During the night more teams will arrive to make the glacier traverse, and it could be Golite who arrive next as Lundhags slept on the trek. However, most teams will have the opportunity to try one of the highlights of the course in daylight tomorrow.

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