SEILmagasinetvideo
Kvitøya with Thorleif Thorleifsson and Børge Ousland
22 September 2023 · 19 min · 773 views
What this video covers
A six-man expedition team successfully completed the first ski crossing of Kvitøya, a remote island located at 80 degrees north in the Svalbard archipelago.4:39 The crew utilized a 44-foot sailboat to reach the island, navigating north of Svalbard to avoid heavy ice.3:36 Upon arrival at Kræmerpynten, the vessel encountered severe katabatic winds reaching 25–30 meters per second, forcing the crew to abandon anchoring attempts twice due to drifting ice blocks and dangerous sea states.15:13 After waiting 24 hours for a weather window, the team used a small RIB to land the skiers at Andréeneset.15:29 The group traversed the island’s glacier over two days, navigating crevasses using ropes and GPS waypoints.10:19 Following the crossing, the boat sailed to Tromsø, Norway, encountering 6–7 meter seas and high winds during the transit.17:35 The expedition highlights the increasing accessibility of high-latitude Arctic regions due to melting ice, while underscoring the persistent danger of unpredictable fall winds near glacial islands.
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