Ice caves and company

Ice caves and company

Since the arrival of the polar night head torches have become a permanent feature in our activity. With the recently cold weather we decided to make the most of it and head where we knew it would be warm. The Ice caves of Larsbreen. Using the last of the twilight hours we found the entrance to the the cave and set up a  a belay rope to rappel down.

(the view from the bottom looking at the entrance)

(walking along in the cave watching the torches catching light on and through the ice)

Once in the caves we where all in ore  of the structure and pattern created in the ice highlighted by our head torches. In particular the matter suspended with in the ices, stopped mid movement was amazing.

(Felix looking back through an opening between two tunnells) 

(Sam taking in the cave)

There were so many different parts to the cave. The photo above of Sam was taken in a part filled with hoarfrost, making beautiful, almost cobweb-like structure on the ceiling and wall. Of course it was the perfect setting in one of the larger caves to have our tea by candle light.

(our tea party in an ice cave)

Also there are a two SAMS Phd students who have joined us out here for the rest of our term, as I am sure many of you know this is Neil Fraser and Lewis Drysdale. So we headed for a walk and climbed up Sarkofagen despite the white out evident in the photo below.

Lewis, Neil, me (Lucy), Isabella (fellow UNIS student) and Felix