" ICELAND
CROSSING - 30 MARCH -10 APRIL 2002 "
At
the border of the Arctic Circle, Iceland (the 2nd European
island by its surface) is actually 102.846 Km2. Being a
desert area essentially covered by volcanoes, concrete lava,
sand and glaciers, Iceland only has 1% of arable land, and
seems therefore the perfect country for adventure for 10
strong men, like us, and a little woman.
Our
objective is to cross Iceland from North to South, which
means travelling 300 Km in 11 days.
Because
of the proximity of Greenland and the region low pressures,
we were expecting a very bad weather, and we were not disappointed!
We
have crossed the country in a full autonomy with Nordic
ski and with pulkas. A pulka is a thin plastic sleigh 1.5
meters long and 80 cm wide with a 2Kg weight. Each pulka
is loaded with about 40Kg of equipment and food (the whole
being in a wide nylon cloth hooked by sandows).
Indeed
above all 12Kg of vital food (i.e. 1Kg/ day/ person), we
had to add camping and cooking equipment and all our clothes.
Besides we were having each a rucksack of about 30 litters,
which used to contain all our daily clothes (polar jackets,
gloves, hood, ski mask, etc.), food and water so as not
to access the pulka at every stop needed.
We
have crossed the country in a full autonomy with Nordic
ski and with pulkas. A pulka is a thin plastic sleigh 1.5
meters long and 80 cm wide with a 2Kg weight. Each pulka
is loaded with about 40Kg of equipment and food (the whole
being in a wide nylon cloth hooked by sandows).
Indeed
above all 12Kg of vital food (i.e. 1Kg/ day/ person), we
had to add camping and cooking equipment and all our clothes.
Besides we were having each a rucksack of about 30 litters,
which used to contain all our daily clothes (polar jackets,
gloves, hood, ski mask, etc.), food and water so as not
to access the pulka at every stop needed.
Unstable
weather conditions:
-
Temperature: -12°C to -2°C
-
Wind, storms, 100Km/h gusts of wind, fog, ice, snow, etc.
True
Icelander weather conditions!
The
outfit for 11 days of Nordic skiing:
-
Coldwinner!" Socks
-
Coldwinner!" long-sleeved T-shirt
-
Gore Tex Bermudes trousers
-
Gore Tex North Face mountain jacket
We
were all sceptical at the beginning before trying the Coldwinner!"
on. In fact, if such revolutionary material would exist
on the market, we would know it!
We
are all used to go for mountain bike rides and other adventures,
and used to mountain, therefore we are all always very well
equipped with professional material.
The
main advantages of the Coldwinner!" compared to other
technical materials are:
1)
No thermal shock when wet in the back during the whole trip
2)
Easy to get dry (great for nights in a tent!)
3)
No bad smells problem (incomparable to other materials!)
To
know more about it : http://www.fautpasglander.com
2001
© Gérard DAILLY - All rights reserved
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