[leadin]What were you doing at 19-years-old? This week, four young British men set out in what they tout as the first mid-winter, unsupported crossing of the frozen island of Iceland. They are all 20 and under.[/leadin]
The 250 mile journey will be documented and shared with the world online as well as made into a feature film in 2016. The expedition is dubbed “The Coldest Crossing.”
The team — Charlie Smith, Angus Dowie, Stefan Rijnbeek, and Archie Wilson — departed their homes on Tuesday and are now at the starting point of the adventure.
They are joined by renowned climber Renan Ozturk of Camp4 Collective and Taylor Rees, a photojournalist and filmmaker, who will document the trip for the upcoming film.
“Heading off towards Rifstangi to start @thecoldestcrossing, we are a little delayed but are still sticking to our plan of starting today,” reported the group on its Facebook page.
According to the group, there are four specific phases to the expedition: A starting climb from sea-level to reach the interior plateau at 500 meters; a long interior slog across the plateau; a mountain crossing; and, finally, a hike to the finish.
As noted, the four men are all age 20 and under, making for a young team. These kind of cold-weather endurance feats are often attempted by people twice this age with lots of experience.
They will use home-made pulks that weigh more than 40Kg each to haul supplies. See a full breakdown of the gear for the expedition here.
You can follow the group’s progress through its SPOT device tracking. Looks like a rugged undertaking, and we look forward to watching them move across the island. Check out the pilot below for a taste of what they’ll face out there in the Icelandic wilds.
