From A levels to the Arctic

Yann Rashid got his A level results last year and deferred entry to university so that he could go on a truly amazing gap year to the Arctic.

This September he's off to study Biology at Edinburgh, but he recalls his adventures here... What will you do with your gap year?

Yann Rashid writes...

>Before venturing out into the wilderness, the leaders wanted us to familiarise ourselves with various pieces of equipment - including stoves, ‘pulks’ (sleds), and skis. Obviously, that day was the coldest one ever (-30°C excluding wind chill) and everything would freeze. We attempted to make lunch with water that had previously been boiled in a hut - however as soon as we poured the water into the pan it would freeze. I tried breaking the ice with my glove on - unfortunately my hand went right through the ice and in to the remaining water making my glove very wet. This froze instantaneously too. It was so cold that even my glasses froze to my face, burning my skin.

We continued our long journey to Base Camp One. Unfortunately the weather rapidly deteriorated and we were caught in a blizzard. I could barely see anything in front of me. The vicious wind was howling. Even though we had been ‘pulking’ for hours, we only covered two kilometres and decided to set up camp - where we would unfortunately remain stranded for another 36 hours.

One of the aims of the expedition was to carry out scientific research - and after a long day taking readings on the Foxbreen Glacier we decided to head back to our campsite. On the way back down we spotted something in the distance - it was a Norwegian man and his dogs (out on a one week excursion). We said hello and made our way back to our tents.

At midnight, the Norwegian man unexpectedly came running to our tents yelling 'There is a bear up the valley! I chased it away with my dogs! Here: have some dynamite!' We all started screaming with excitement.

As we slowly ascended the mountain, the wind became increasingly strong and we had to stop at every gust. At the summit we were completely exposed to the blustery weather and I could see the clouds running over my head. The wind became so intense that I could feel the rope linking us all together lift off the ground. My clothes were flapping violently against me and I thought I was about to take off. One final gust of wind hit us. We all fell to the ground and performed an ice-axe arrest. We were at the mercy of nature and clung onto our buried axes with dear life.

We each took turns to go out on a solo i.e. 24 hours in complete solitude. I was given a rifle and a tent; and decided to camp a few kilometres away from my fire. Not only was I surrounded by the Arctic wilderness, but also I really was completely alone. At times I felt scared and depressed; whereas during others I was happy to have a moment alone. I went for a walk and upon my return there was a reindeer sleeping right next to my tent. It didn’t want to move so I had to scare it away by franticly jumping and screaming.

The ‘melt’ came along earlier than expected meaning we had to shift Base Camp to another location. Unfortunately along the coast the snowline ended meaning we had to carry all our equipment, as well as Base Camp’s, as opposed to pulling the load on snow sleds. I had never carried such a heavy load in my life and had to concentrate on every step I made. As I walked over some ice I slipped and fell over. I wasn’t hurt - however my entire body was twisted and my huge bag was crushing me. 'Are you ok?', someone shouted. 'I can’t move', I gasped. I physically could not move a muscle or release my bag buckle. Luckily the Doctor came to my rescue.

Because of the midnight sun, I was only half asleep. It was about 3am and I could hear footsteps outside. They were moving slowly towards us - then stop - and continue again. My heart was pounding while my tent mate was dreaming away. I got up to see what was outside, but did not dare open my eyes - a bit like a nightmare - as I was afraid of what I would see. After five minutes of paranoia, I decided to snuggle back into my sleeping bag and pretend nothing happened. The following morning no traces could be found...

Due to the ‘melt’, the ice normally found below the snow was exposed; and to spread our weight over the ice we wore skis. However, for one unlucky YE (Young Explorer) the ice decided to give in and he fell right through, sinking further with every step he made. 'Run off the ice!' shouted the leaders. We all desperately skied off and were about to set up an emergency tent for our buddy. Fortunately he came out with a smile on his face.

Waking up in the Arctic had become routine: we would get out of our sleeping bags to collect fresh snow for the morning boil and quickly eat breakfast. Hang on - let me rephrase that:

Waking up in the Arctic is horrendous: this would mean displacing myself from the comfort of my cosy sleeping bag to reach out for my down jacket in the surrounding cold. Whilst leaning up I would be careful not to scrape frost over my head from the tent ceiling. I would contort myself in order to put my salopettes on and attempt to tie my frozen shoelace for me to get out the tent.

Once out and facing the elements, I would look over my shoulder for polar bears. My next obstacle would be walking over a security wire without tripping over it and activating the bear flares. I would then collect fresh snow for the morning boil. Back in the tent I would try to get the stove on without my liner gloves catching fire and then eat breakfast - (hopefully) without spilling it all over the tent floor or burning my tongue.

Overall cooking breakfast would take well over an hour ... looking back though I wish I could do it all over again.

Yann's top tips for an Arctic expedition

• Do not eat the yellow snow
• When going to the toilet, always look around you for polar bears
• Keep warm: eat and run around to avoid frostbite
• Always properly close your pee bottle...
• Do not trip over the bear-flare tripwire
• Keep snacks close to your body to prevent them from freezing
• Air your sleeping bag to prevent the rotten salami smell
• Bring sunglasses to avoid snow blindness
• Do not eat the bean and vegetable curry

Click here >> for all expeditions offered by BSES Expeditions
Click here >> for more on gap year expeditions
Click here >> for all placements still available