More glacier-holes

Having visited the small glacier cave in Larsbreen in March, we were curious about the two other, larger caves near Longyearbyen. These caves have been opened by glacier scientists from UNIS, but the tourist industry also use them and keep them open throughout the tourist season. That is, the colder part of the tourist season. Later in May, when it gets milder, the caves will fill up with running water - which created the caves in the first place.

So, on 26th of April we went skiing to the end of Bolterdalen, to check out the hole in the Scott Turnerglacier.

Two ladders brought us down into the cave.



Here are some details from inside the cave.



Here´s me seen from down the cave by William.


I must admit that I didn´t spend much time inside the cave - I realized quickly that my hint of claustrophobia becomes a lot more than a hint after approx. 15-20 meters into the cave.


The hole on the photo underneath is the Longyearbreen-cave, which I went and had a look at last week. The cave goes on for several hundred meters, but I (and my friend Hanne) went in only about 15 of them. Still, you get a good impression of what it´s like.





On the walls, there´s lots of fragile crystals, and small rocks frozen in a thick layer of ice. The cave has a nice "humansized" shape, but in some places you have to crawl.


Hanne leaving the cave. In this cave, you use a rope to climb out.


Daylight!


Emma, William and Thomas are the toughest members of the family - they´ve been far in (in the Longyear glacier) several times, and they claim that it´s quite amazing and not in the least scary. I´ll take their word for it!