Our series of good skiing days continues. Despite a brisk headwind, and regardless of the fact that our active skiing time today was half an hour shorter than normal, we skied almost 30 km closer to the Pole. We will need to ski seven more days without break, and cover almost 30 km every day. Having completed this simple task, we shall then be standing on the Geographic North Pole. There will be nobody above us in the World.

We could have hoped for smoother ice today. We did make fast and level going across smooth ice sheets on several occasions but, all too frequently, we were slowed by pack ice or wind-driven drifts of soft snow. If we were still to be pulling sledges as heavy as they were even two weeks ago, we would be hard pressed to cover even twenty kilometers a day in this terrain.

It goes without saying that the biggest drama of the day revolved around the durability of our skis and other equipment. That repaired ski of Tero's, which kept us so busy last night, has stood up well to the strain of today's field test. A small sigh of relief is thus appropriate.

Distance remaining to the Pole: 205 km
Skiing days remaining: 7

All is well with the Expedition.