yann in the arctic

Yep it's still pitch black outside, even though it's mid day.

What a week it has been. As soon as I got off the plane, I went straight to UNIS to participate in the safety course. During the course of a few days, we learned about:

- handling GPS, emergency beacons, planning route etc

- avalanche beacons, and how to find bodies with probes and shovels

- went to the rifle range, which was absolutely freezing

- learned about crevasse rescue

- first aid

- travelling on sea ice

- emergency camps etc ...

We had to get down to UNIS at 8AM every morning which was horrible, and half the work was carried out outside in temperatures around -25 to -30C.

And then on Saturday they put us all to the challenge. We all went onto the Longyearbreen glacier, where there were several scenarios where we had to rescue people using the techniques we had just been taught. I had to play an unconcious dummy at one point, lying in the freezing snow, and waiting for someone to rescue me. I got cold hands and feet but it was still great fun.

Later on in the afternoon the rescue helicopter came over to rescue a student - all very exciting stuff.

Helicopter demonstation in the moonlight

View from my Barrack round  mid day

Quick video