Tasjansen

This morning, Anne and I decided to hike to an ice cave in nearby Larsbreen and try going inside, but found the entrance to be drifted over. We dug for a half hour through the hard wind-packed snow, but didn't have any luck. Afterward, Anne, Jakob, Max, and I walked to "Tasjansen," a home-made sledge race that takes place on Hiorthamnin (a slope across the fjord from Longyearbyen). Tasjansen is one of many events that takes place during Solfestuka, a week-long series of partying, music, and celebrations that welcome back the Sun. The event is a huge tradition here, and most of the town's people gather. During our walk, we luckily caught a ride aboard a bus on sledges that was towed by an enormous track -type vehicle. It was warm inside and someone was playing an accordion. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see a huge number of scooters and people on the mountain...



Students from our brakke made a sledge that looked like the Seed Vault, and I must say, performed quite well on its trip down the slope!