Environment correspondent Catherine Jacob in the Arctic Circle
After blizzards here in Svalbard yesterday, we stepped outside at 8 o'clock this morning into a beautifully clear, crisp Arctic day. (Just as well, as we'd planned an eight-hour filming trip on skidoos, out to a famous glacier where polar bears are sometimes spotted.)
Myself and Environment Producer Julie Weight were a tad nervous about looking inept on the old snow mobiles. Not so our hardy cameraman Paul Mackeson, though, who was raring to go. (Though I will point out that he was the only one to fall off later that day, while trying a "spin". Ha!)
After heeding the safety briefing, signing our declaration forms and donning balaclavas, moon boots, hand warmers and goggles, we headed out to our mean machines, all feeling very much the part.
With our many boxes of camera gear strapped safely to a sleigh and Hans, our guide, fully equipped with two guns (in case of any passing polar bears), we were ready for action.
Off we zoomed on our skidoos, on through the tiny town of Longyearbyen (Svalbard's capital) and out into the Arctic wilderness.
Once the initial freezing face and hand shock had passed, we looked around to find we were quite literally in the middle of nowhere, with only blue-white ice and snow as far as the eye could see.
It doesn't get very light in Svalbard at this time of year (they get about five hours of daylight) but today's pinkish sunlight was stunning and tinged the mountain tops with a rosy glow. Reindeer grazed, unperterbed, as we sped by. Swirls of smoky snow snaked along the whitened ground below us. The whole scene was best described as otherworldly.
One slight hitch after a few hours when we stopped to do a "piece to camera" (the bit of the report where I stand in front of something interesting and speak to the camera about it).
Suddenly, once we stepped off our skidoos, I felt faint. I never feel faint. But here we were in the middle of the Arctic desert, during a once in a lifetime trip, when I'm supposed to be showing what a hardened, adventurous hack I am, and my legs were turning to jelly as the feeling in my hands disappeared and was replaced by searing pain.
My hardier producer, Julie, rummaged in her bag for hand warmers, while Hans busied himself with making ration pack chicken curry for our lunch. Not the best when you're feeling queasy.
Nonetheless, two paracetemols and some hot blackcurrent juice later I felt a tad more human and we did the piece to camera in front of a beautiful mountain with the orange sun peeking above it.
Feeling much better and a little bit sheepish, we finally reached the glacier, where Paul was in cameraman heaven.
A few hours and many glorious shots later, and we were skidding our satisfied, shattered way back towards the hotel. Ok, so we didn't manage to capture any polar bears on camera. But the experience was unforgettable and the pictures Paul did get are pretty astounding.
And anyway, tomorrow is another day.
Well for those wanting news, they didnt catch any polar bears, saw reindeer grazing, felt cold as someone fainted, made it back to the hotel, had a curry and listened to [The Blobby Song] as the cameraman looked like [Mr Blobby]. Oh and guess what, the ice did'nt melt even though the sun was out. SO, there goes global warming!
Posted by: Khalid 28 Feb 2008 14:58:45
Come on guys, this is a news channel not a Novel, its not that cold!
Life still goes on in this rather pristine environment.
Stop complaining and tell us something interesting.
g
Posted by: Grant Sonne-Clifford, Nuuk, Greenland 28 Feb 2008 11:01:36