Festering

So we've been at our camp for far too long since Matt, Mike & Beth left last Wednesday and Paul and Pete arrived. A day of fine weather enabled me to do some training with Pete & Debs, but there was a poor forecast, which has proved quite accurate.

Deb's score's a direct hit on the rifle training

It started off really warm with the temperatures just above freezing, making everything wet - ugh! The winds have then increased day by day and the temps are now just below freezing.

Constable Point in strong winds on Tuesday

The three people at the Staunings Alps need to be back for the flight this Wednesday and the weather forecast looked bad for the week and getting worse each day. Paul decided to get them out as soon as possible before this storm really hit and left Saturday morning.

Filling up the jerries for the long journey to the Staunings Alps

They made good progress, got to the camp in the evening and back to Gurreholm in strengthening winds. They set off again in high winds on Sunday, but had to stop at the Red House when conditions got too severe.

Group over-nighted at Gurreholm and then got stuck at the Red House in the storm

The Red House - more comfortable than Gurreholm

They are now there for a second day and the wind is gusting 75kph making total white out conditions. The wind is not going to die down for another few days, so the Wednesday flight looks unlikely.

We also have a team of snowboarders out in Kalkdal hoping for an extraction for their flight on Wednesday. Latest news is that they will run of of food tomorrow, so I have advised them to conserve food & fuel. We won't be able to get anywhere near them until our team get back from the Red House.

Pete and I are stuck at CNP, which is definitely the best place to be, but not with out it's challenges. We were supposed to be supporting a lady called Kate Leeming for a cycle trip on a specially modified bike with fat tyres, who has been affectionately become known as the "Fat Biker" The poor weather meant that she could not start her trip.

Fat bike frozen up

So we have become quite good at 'festering' - a state of existence where nothing much happens. We woke up this morning in our containers to a howling gale gusting 75kph. The snow was right up the door and we had to dig ourselves out, dig the Weather Haven out, fix all the holes where spin drift was squirting through, dig the Weather Haven out again and make an epic journey to the Hilton to reboot the internet. We did not get breakfast until midday.

We're now festering for an unknown time until this wind drops in a few days.

Digging out - Pete had to eat allot of snow!

Pete clearing the doorway in the blizzard

Snowmen dig to the Weather Haven