Guillaume Moreau, Nicolas Roulx and Jacob Racine have made an excellent start on their long north to south crossing of Canada.

They eased in over the first two days, covering 18.6 miles in -35°C (-31°F) conditions. They reported feeling the strain on their bodies early on, particularly because their sleds were still jam-packed with food, weighing in at 300 pounds!

After a few more days the sleds were already feeling lighter, and they raised their daily distance totals from around 9.3 miles per day to 12.4 miles per day. The weather was proving more humid than they had expected and they had to fight to keep their body temperatures as consistent as possible while still protecting against frostbite.

By their third week on the ice, they had settled into a rhythm and were managing the 14.3 miles per day that is required for them to reach their first resupply at Resolute, an Inuit settlement, within 40 days.

However, this week they have hit some considerable difficulties. First, due to a raging blizzard, they had to take shelter for a full day in their tents. Then, they hit a huge wall of ice that they could not climb with their sleds and so required a significant detour.

Things only got worse, with some technical issues involving their ski bindings and then a nagging knee injury for Moreau. They were forced to stop and get some advice from the expedition doctor but are now back on their way, hopefully his knee will hold up…