Location: Mavericks, Ulvetanna Base Camp, S 71 49.146′, E 008 21.867′

Temperature: -5 C, cloudy with some sun, 10 knots.

Date: – 28/12/12

It’s our seventh day on the white desert that is the icesheet below the mighty Ulvetanna  and the team are beginning to look a feel a little tired and drawn. Spirits remain high despite the cold, hard physical work and diminishing supplies of clean underwear. All part of our Antarctic acclimatisation.

The crew’s superheroes; Leo, Stanley, Jason and Chris have now run two full loads to the base of the route, some 4km across the endless ice and an exposed hop along what must be one of the world’s most spectacular ridge scrambles that leads to the east side of Ulvetanna’s north face.

Quite an awesome sight which has kept the morale and expectations high. The conditions also seem to be effecting the team’s dentures as half way along the ridge Stanley coughed up a crown from one of his molars thankfully he still has the other side of his mouth to chew on.

All the climbing kit now sits under the initial crack system that will take us to the north-east ridge of Ulvetanna.
An excellent site for advanced base camp has been reccied under a huge mushroomed boulder, just five minutes from the route.

All that remains is for the food, portaledges, camping gear and personal kit to make the journey from basecamp and we’re ready to start climbing!
Today the lads are seeing to more pressing matters of suring up the camp, literally battening down the hatches as a storm is forecast for the weekend, peaking on Sunday.

Fortunately not as strong as was initially forecast (100mph winds!) it’s now been downgraded to around 60mph, still, in this environment it’s a serious prospect; walls are being reinforced, tents dropped and the Weather Haven roped down.

After much debate about how best to deal with the Antarctic’s most savage onslaught; the wind. We’re about as ready as we can be but do we really know what we are about to face?… tell you on Monday.

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