Day 6 - almost there, I hope

Another cold day, starting around -29C. When we got to the end, I discovered that one person had frostbite over much of his face. Apparently, certain types of medication can make you more prone to frostbite, or make frostbite worse. This was something I had not previously thought of, but drugs that affect the circulation would have an impact. I also discovered that a Finn had a frostbitten toe and would not be skiing the next day.

This goes to show that the RR is a serious challenge. It is only practical outside of an expedition basis because of the organisation and the volunteers. To find teenagers cheerfully standing outside for five hours serving hot drinks is inspiring. Whole families man some rest stops. It is this, and the ability to meet up with the buses to replace equipment at least once per day that allows us to travel light.

 The range of clothing worn is as wide as the range of people. At one extreme, you have people with just a couple of layers of Lycra - these tend to be the more energetic (and faster) skiers who generate more internal heat. This year, there was a Swede who wore traditional clothing and skied on traditional wooden skis. I fit somewhere in the middle. I wear high tech underpants of the sort rugby players and others wear under their shorts. These have two advantages - they have flat seams, carefully placed not to chafe and wick away any sweat. A pair of technical long underpants on top of these, Swix cross country ski trousers rated for about -5C. On the top half, I start with a technical thermal T shirt - long or short sleeved, followed by another breathable intermediate layer. For the third layer, I have a Rohan fairly open knit sweater, but this is lined only at the front with a windproof material. On top of this is a Swix cross country ski jacket rated -5C (Swix have started rating/colour coding their clothing like they do for waxes). This has breathable panels down the sides, and by unzipping a little at the front, I can control temperature reasonably well.  I then have a windproof hat, and all of this trip worn a thin cotton balaclava. Socks are proper cross country ski socks. They may seem expensive at €20-30 a pair, but they are the right shape (different for left and right feet), support the calf muscles, and never seem to wear out. They remain warm when damp. Finally, gloves are the most difficult choice - they need to be flexible and warm, but not too warm. My best pair cost around €70; the only drawback is that they get cool when I take them off at rest stops and it may take ten minutes once I get going again. I carry a thin pair of silk inner gloves that I can always put on to counter this, or alleviate any chafing, and a spare pair of thicker, warmer, gloves.

 With carefully chosen layers like this, you can remain warm over a wide range of temperatures, even when you stop. The key thing is also to ensure that sweat can get out and not build up, and that clothing is always warm if damp or wet. After all, if there was any form of accident or mishap, it could be a while before someone gets to you. Clothing that draws away any moisture also reduces rubbing and chafing.

 I found food harder on this trip. As previously mentioned, chocolate can get so hard it breaks teeth. Many cereal bars suffer in a similar way. The very dry air seems to suck the moisture out of most things, and so they taste like cardboard. No-one seems to have come up with anything for energy that tastes good, is not too unhealthy, and is easily and quickly eaten at -20C.

 Today's skiing is mostly flat boglands and forests. This can be more challenging to ski than you think, as whole sections go up and down over every tree root - a bit like cross country skiing on a level mogul field. If you don't keep momentum going, then the kick wax sticks as you slow on the tops of the hillocks, sapping energy, and in my case upsetting what little balance I have.

 Sometimes, when the sun has been at the right angle for a while, the tracks will suddenly glide, and you feel a surge in speed for a few hundred metres. Then you plunge into the forest and feel a 10C drop in temperature. This is down to the low angle of the sun at this time of year not penetrating far. As the light fades, you sometimes get an optical illusion and instead of running in (grooved) tracks, you get the impression that instead you are running on rails. When it happens, and it is rare and only lasts for a couple of hundred metres, it is completely surreal. Once it was so compelling I stopped and tried to step "off" the rails!

 Tonight's stay is another on the mattresses on the floor. The only toilet is attached to the sauna across the yard, and you have to be desperate to trek across in the middle of the night. I just slip a fleece on over pyjamas and sprint for it. Having gone to be early, I am also awake quite early - we need to be up at 6am, so I take the opportunity to grab a quick wash before there is a queue.

 In the evening, the village running the centre runs a lottery. I discovered that they use the profits to take the village kids swimming. There are about 40 people in the village. One lady tells us that there are 4 generations in her family here. I am told that it is a fairly hard living in this area. Some of the communes - about the size of an English county - have only a few thousand inhabitants.