06 06 99

Position: 66° 18' 46" N 43° 02' 53° W

Diane's note: Reception was very poor. Parts of this conversation (indicated by...) were impossible to make out.

We only managed 9.34 km today. I say only, actually that was pretty substantial considering the conditions. We've had 48 hours steady snowfall and winds. It is the snowfall that gets us every time. It did it in the lower section and it's exactly the same up here. We are probably well over the 8000 ft. point but the problem now is it's snowed so heavily that it isn't even as if there are snow banks. It's just one solid stretch of deep powdered snow, so much snow that at times our skis just disappear underneath it and you have to kick forwards and upwards to get the tips out. Other places ... underneath and just jam and of course along with that the sled itself does exactly the same it goes into deep ... and it takes a lot of effort to keep it going. The difference between this and previous occasions is that now it is every single step because the whole surface is this deep, soft, powdery snow.

After the first hour and a half ... as the wind was behind us, Tore saved the day ... he started to do his ... we couldn't go ... we were once again in white-out conditions. ... never be able to see anything ahead of you and just be going totally by that little needle in your compass. Whatever, we couldn't all have afforded to try it ... get separated ... so he used his sail and steamed ahead ... close to 20 km to the high point according to the map. ... if we have the right conditions. We have no idea what will happen tomorrow...

End of transmission

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