Day

Program

25.6

Leave homecountry. Depending on connection it can be possible to travel from home to Akureyri on 26.6. You need to be in Akureyri by 18:00 on 26.6.

26

Reykjavik - Akureyri. You need to be in Akureyri by 18:00. Departure midnight.

27

Akureyri – Jan Mayen. Departure around midnight. We stow all our equipment and familiarize us with the boat on the way.The Polar Bear is a comfortable 72 ft yacht. During the crossing all participants will take turns helping out with cooking and sailing.

28

We head west towards Jan Mayen. The island is located 880 km from Norway, 600 from Iceland and 400 from Greenland. We have excellent opportunities to see Minke, Orcas other species of whales if we are lucky. We enjoy the crossing under the midnight sun socializing and enjoying good food.
Band-Aids against seasickness will be provided for those in need. The boat is very comfortable and emergency raft and beacon is included in the safety equipment. We will also have access to satellite phone.
If the weather is clear, we will see Beerenberg the last 24 hrs before arriving.

29

Arriving Jan Mayen around 08 (AM) and drop anchor. We ferry all our equipment to shore and establish camp. We prepare equipment in order to be ready if the weather is ok for a summit attempt.
When arriving Jan Mayen you will see a unique landscape. Black cliffs, green moss, and an incredible bird life. If we are lucky, we will have a view of the summit. There is often fog on the island in the summer but the summit is usually above the fog so a summit attempt is possible even if the weather is not clear at lower altitudes. Our main camp will be close to the beach where we will have tents for sleeping and a mess tent. There is a lot of driftwood so we will be enjoying bonfires every day.

30

Summitattempt on Beerenberg
We start in moss and volcanic gravel and pass several small craters up to Kronprins Olavs Glacier at around 600 m altitude. The gradient on the glacier is even and not steep but at around 1100 meter we rope up. We continue to the landmark ”Nunataken” which is a cliff marking where the slope gradually gets steeper around 1600 m altitude. We will pass a few crevasses but do not expect any difficulties getting past them. The steepest section, ”Bratthenget”, is about 35 degrees but do not pose any technical difficulties.
After10-12 hrs we will climb up on the crater edge. The central crater is about 1 km wide and 300 m deep and we may see steam coming from the crevasses of the highest icefall in Norway, the Weyprecht glacier. If we feel strong and weather permits, we will continue to Haakon Vll summit. We return the same route and will be back in camp after approximately 16 hrs. If the weather is unstable, a high camp may be established to be able to make a quick summit attempt if we have a break in the weather.

1

Summitattempt on Beerenberg

2

Exploring the island
We choose campsite and daytrips depending on the weather. There is a lot of driftwood on the beaches so we will enjoy bonfires every day.
South -Jan is a strange mountain landscape with small craters and lavaflows. The colors are grey, red, black and intense green. From the Rudolf summit (769 m) we will enjoy a great view of the island with Beerenberg as the centerpiece.
At Middle –Jan, the island is almost cut in half by a lagoon. We will be walking in loose sand and experience a fascinating landscape with several lava flows and caves (bring headlamps) in the Schmelk-valley.
The Egg island is no longer an island as an eruption in the 1800 made it a part of the main island. It is 200 m high and steam is till being emitted from cracks.
North – is isolated from the rest of the island by the glaciers. Nylandet is located here, a new part of the island created the 1970 eruption. The island grew by 4 square kilometers and the coastguard could go swimming in the ocean in 30 deg C warm seawater! The ground is still steaming and we have to look out for dangerous holes in the ground.
There used to be fox on the island but it has now become extinct. We will see millions of nesting birds close up.
In addition to the unique scenery, we will also see several installations from the whaling era in the 17th century.
If we are lucky, we will be able to visit the 18 man strong  ”Olonkin City”, operating Loran C and meteorology station.

3

Exploring the island.

4

Exploring the island. Departure 24:00 (midnight)

5

Jan Mayen – Dalvik.

6

Jan Mayen - Dalvik.

7

Arrive Dalvik 04 (AM). Depart for home.

8

Travel home.