They're on the ice!

The team departed Longyearbyen today on schedule and landed at the Borneo basecamp under clear skies and calm winds. The dinner they had in the mess tent was delicious, but a bit of a mystery. About half the group thought it was chicken, and the other half thought it was fish! They had a little time to spare at the basecamp and they filled it by dressing Maria in an immersion suit and having her get in a hole in the ice. Immersion suits are sometimes used on long expeditions to get across short "leads" of open water. After a couple hours at the basecamp the team loaded the MI-8 helicopter and headed south to 89 degrees even. From there they skied 1 nautical mile in 45 minutes (no bad for the first day!).

The Borneo basecamp from the air.

The group sleeps in 2-3 person tents, where they also cook and eat.

When the team called it was late, and they were all settled in their camp and ready to hit the sac. The team is in good spirits and everyone is looking forward to the coming days on the ice. Make sure to listen to the audio report below and check back again soon for another update from the team!