Sponsors

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Welcome to the expedition website for Cold Shores; the 2010, British led attempt to traverse the Arctic Island of Svalbard. Having had some experience in the Arctic myself, I can say with certainty that the journey will be very demanding, and the challenges faced will push the entire team to the limits of their physical and mental endurance. However their cause is a worthy one; many British servicemen and those of our allies, have become casualties as a result of landmines, and The Halo Trust is an organisation which actively works to remove these diabolic weapons. I hope that you will join me in supporting their venture, and following their progress here; through the on-line map & diary they will be keeping.

Ran Fiennes

In April 2010 we are going to embark on an amazing journey: to ski across the Arctic island of Spitsbergen.

Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, which lies deep in the Arctic Ocean, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

The 500 Km journey will involve towing many weeks worth of food and fuel on sleds across mountain ranges, over glaciers and fjords, through blizzards and ice storms.

We will be doing this to raise support for The Halo Trust.

The Halo Trust is a non-political, non-religious NGO, registered in Britain and in the United States. The Halo Trust specialises in the removal of the hazardous debris of war.

The Halo Trust de – miner in Afghanistan

By 2009, twenty-one years after founding, The Halo Trust has reached some important milestones that include:

• over one million landmines destroyed;
• over ten million items of larger calibre ordnance destroyed;
• over fifty million bullets destroyed;
• over 2,800 heavy weapon systems immobilised;
• over 85,000 assault rifles destroyed;
• over 6,000 minefields cleared;
• 21,532 hectares (53,206 acres) made safe from landmines;
• 110,576 hectares (273,239 acres) made safe from unexploded and abandoned ordnance;
• 11,328 kilometres (7,038 miles) of roads cleared.

Visit The Halo Trust »

Since polar bears are common on Svalbard and hunt humans on occasion, we will need to take precautions. The law protects polar bears, forbidding anyone to harm or disturb them unless it is necessary to avert personal injury, and we intend to avoid close contact wherever possible.

The climate of Svalbard is harsh. Polar night lasts from October 26 to February 15, and frozen sea ice prevents access, except by aircraft, for most of the year. On the island itself temperatures may drop as low as -40°C during cold snaps.

Several earthquakes have been recorded in recent years. The largest, measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale, struck off the coast of Svalbard on 6 March 2009. In mountainous areas this magnifies the ever present threat of avalanche.

Another Arctic phenomenon common to Svalbard are the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, which are often visible in the night sky, contributing to the mysterious nature of this isolated wilderness.

Much of the Svalbard landmass is covered by glaciers, which adds the inherent risk of avoiding or negotiating the crevasses strewn through these vast, ancient bodies of slow moving ice.

Timing of the expedition is crucial: too early and we will stand little chance in the powerful winter storms; too late and the snows may melt, preventing us from dragging the sledges which will be our lifeline. In effect the expedition will be a race against time to reach the northern tip of the island, and return before the onset of
spring.