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For an expedition in remote area, and even more for an unsupported one, equpiment is
vital. The icecap is like a desert, and once you need something in the middle, you'd
better have it in your sledge...
On the other hand, weight is your enemy, so every piece of equipment must be
carefully choosen. Many expeditions in the arctic have failed because of unreliable
equipment...
Basically, our equipment was not different from Nansen's. Each of us had cross country
skis, pulling an individual sledge, sleeping at night in a tent and cooking on a stove. Of
course, lot of improvments have been achieved during one century, and our engagment cannot
be compared to the Norwegian's one.
Preparing the sledges in Tasilaq
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Some details
Moving
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Cross country skis, with scales (and sometime climbing skins in the first
part). Soft and warm telemark shoes (Alfa, Mørdre model), rather long cross country
poles. Each of us had a Kevlar/fiberglass sledge, pulled with ropes (adding an elastic
to absorbed the shocks - see below). Two sledges were Fjellpulken ones (very good,
specially the expedition model), and the third one was a french Ellesmere model (we threw
it in the first garbage we found after the crossing, to be never tempted to use this
*@?+!! again)
When the wind was blowing from the right direction, we used sails
to move.
Relying on satellites, we used GPS for positionning and Sarsat beacon in case of
emergency.
 Sarsat beacon
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Camping
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Two North Face tents (a VE25 and a westwind), so each of us was alone one
night out of three. We had synthetic Ajungilak (Denali) sleeping bags, with Thermarest. We
cooked with MSR stoves. We hadone XGK-II and one Dragon Fly. We won't take the Dragon Fly
for our next expedtion.
Our food was home-made (no expensive dry food), essentially semolina or muesli in the
morning with dry fruits, pasta or polenta in the evening, chocolate, almond pastry, and
(most important!!!) homemade fruit cakes during the day. A daily ration was approx.
5000kcal/pers. We had lower rations for the first days. |
Clothes
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We used the classic 3 layer concept. A thin one (Lycra...) on the skin, a
warm polar layer and gore-tex. As we faced extremely warm temperatures (up to 5°C), we
never put any warm underpants, and we only used light gloves. As we brought them, we
sometimes used down jackets at the camp |
Other
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A complete first aid kit and repair kit
3 photo cameras, a Sharp minidisc recorder.... |
Franck, sewing in the tent
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