The Expedition Team Returns from the Coast
On Sunday, December 5th, a shining sun greeted the team on their well-deserved day of rest along with a bright blue sky, no wind, and mild temperatures (-9°C). Each of the team members decided to his own thing: some opted to take ski-doo trip, the others preferred skiing down a nearby hill.
The same evening at around 8:30 pm, Alain and René returned from the coast after an exhausting eight and a half hour trip by ski-doo. The team warmly welcomed them back with some salmon pasta, as Alain and René recounted the traverse and helping the glaciologists get set up. The rest of the team were in awe of the beautiful pictures René took of the ice shelf, the icebergs, and the penguins he came across at the coast.
From Monday, the team was back to work. Everything started moving forward more quickly. The team is extraordinary. Every time a technical problem occurs, they quickly find a solution after putting their heads together - sometimes with a little help from those who stayed behind in Belgium.
However with the return of the work week, the wind also returned, growing stronger as the days went by (+/- 50km/h). Snow started accumulating around the solar panels again, so Grégory and Michel, who had been struggling against the snow, decided to wait for better weather to go back to working outside.
On Wednesday, a new convoy started out for the coast to resupply the scientists who, despite being in a good mood, have to face the elements. The next day, Alain, François, Karel and Michel climbed up Utsteinen Ridge to install a new antenna to allow for better communication with the Russian Novolazarevskaya Station.
Picture: The team on their way back from the coast - © International Polar Foundation - René Robert