Finse is by no means unknown among polar-adventurers. The remote station lies at 1,222 metres above sea level on the high plateau of Hardangervidda, reachable only by train, making it Scandinavia’s highest (and among its most isolated) railway stops.
Because of its altitude, harsh climate and proximity to the great glacier Hardangerjøkulen, Finse has for more than a century been used as a training ground by legendary polar explorers, including Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott.
That same combination of altitude, cold climate and glacial terrain makes Finse an ideal place for preparing a Greenland expedition like ours. We planned sled-training tours, camp-life in tents under stormy conditions, and winter-camp simulation
One important difference: in Greenland we should have enough light, in Finse, the deep winter darkness often made conditions even harsher.
