3541 meters above sea level
Early Antarctic explorers may have had problems with their sled dogs, but we are now experiencing the problems of modern times — a broken-down traverse vehicle. Just as the day was coming to an end, with just one or two more hours of driving left, one of our four vehicles, Lasse, showed signs of a problem by means of a flashing red light on an instrument panel.
After a through inspection by our super mechanic Kjetil, it turns out that the differential gear (a gear that controls the speed of the wheels when making turns) needs replacing. The front part of Lasse is now covered with a tarp and heated so that maintenance work can be done in the cold of -45 degrees Celsius (air temperature at midnight).
The work is expected to continue through the night but Kjetil and his assistant for the night, Einer, are confident that Lasse will be in full swing again by the morning. Fingers crossed!
This contribution is from the log of the Norwegian-US Scientific Traverse Team, who are en route from Troll Station to the South Pole Station. Much more information can be found here.