Photos : TV Norge
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Within 3 days, from May 5th to 7th, 32 candidates for participation will be tested physically and psychically at Hove near Arendal. 28 of them fulfilled the testing, and where transported to Lindesnes by bus, where they arrive in the evening, and are met by the host Tom Stiansen.
This year the grand prize is not a car, but money. At least 100.000 kroner, but can be up to 500.000 kroner, depending on their success in the assignments.
The decision on who that will be the participants will be taken the next day. Tom asks them to make camps, with one camp for the girls and one for the boys.
Day 1 (May 8th)
In the middle of the night, Tom is going to wake them up again, picking the real participants. They will not be told everything, among other things not that it this year will be only 10 participants, 5 girls and 5 boys.
Tom starts with the girls. When they are all lined up, he reads 5 names, and asks them to stand in a group. Then he tells them that they are a team, and shall make them selves ready for the journey.
After this group has left, Tom has to tell the others that their journey is over before it has started.
This year the producers have made a change of the concept. In the beginning, the participants will compete against each others in two teams, one girl team and one boy team. They don't know who is on the other team, and not even how many teams there are. No one will be sent home before they have had 4 "removals". The one with lowest votes in each of these is marked, and the 4 marked persons will compete against each other to avoid being removed.
After the girls have packed their new equipment, and are fully dressed for the journey, Tom gives them the assignment. It will be a race towards Odda, with different kinds of transportation. At first they shall use car and by GPS get to Sira railway station.
Before leaving, they pick food and other necessities. At 05.55 they are off, and it's time for Tom to wake up the boys, and in the same way, he picks out the group of 5 boys.
The boys start exactly 3 hours after the girls. At the same time, the girls arrive Sira, finding that the next way of transport is rollerblades, which they will be using along Sirdalsvatnet to Mjåsund. Elisabeth is not very experienced on rollerblades, and soon has a fall. But they all come well to Mjåsund.
Next stage is paddling in a large canoe to Tomstad. They leave Mjåsund 11.40, and find that the canoe is not easy to manoeuvre.
The boys have also used 3 hours by car to Sira, but use a little more time to change to rollerblades, so they are 12 minutes behind the girls. Among them is also one that has no experience, Espen. But when changing to the canoe, they are only a few minutes in time behind the girls.
From Tonstad they have to get transportation to Haukeliseter. They stop a woman in a car, but she can't help them directly. However, she phones a man that have a minibus, and the plan is that he shall drive them to Evje. But as there might be problems with further transport, he suddenly decides to drive the whole way to Haukeliseter.
When the boys arrive Tonstad, they have to camp till tomorrow 06.00. But they start to make arrangements for the transportation to Haukeliseter. They find a taxi driver that will help, but at first he wants so payment for it, at least to cover the fuel. To collect some money, the boys with Christian in front, make some entertaining to the public. But afterwards, the local council has found that they will cover that.
Arriving to Haukeliseter, also the girls have to camp for at least 11 hours. But first they get the instructions about the next stage, which will be by bike.
Day 2 (May 9th)
The boys get up 05.00 as planned, and get the transportation as promised. They arrive 4.5 hours later. The girls have started the biking stage.
Aslak has much biking experience, and that might help the boy team. At the start of the biking stage they are 39 minutes in time ahead of the girls. But after just short time, Christian gets trouble with the bike, and by fixing this, the boys looses almost all the time they are ahead.
Tom is waiting for them in Odda, and first welcomes the girls. They still don't know how many teams there are, but have a guess of 3 teams. They are showed to a camp site, but of course can't know if they win or loose.
Tomas has some problems because they have had few eating stops, and needs to eat chocolate to adjust the blood sugar level. But they arrive Odda, and are the fastest team. That means that they can rest the whole evening, whereas the girls will have an individual competition, and a voting to mark the first participant.
The competition is in gocart, with 5 rounds on the track. The winner gets 10 points into the voting, runner-up gets 5 points, and the third gets 2 points. Kjersti is the winner, before Madeleine and Kamilla.
Naturally, the girls are very relieved when Tom tells them that all of them will continue, and explains the marking system.
Kjersti is ranked highest, before Madeleine, Kamilla, Elisabeth and Guro, and by this Guro is the first one marked.
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Day 3 (May 10th)
The two teams are in Kinsarvik and Ullensvang, respectively. At 11.30, Tom gives the girl team the assignment in Kinsarvik.
They have to pack food for three days, and they will be using skis. Still they don't know how many participants there are in total, but now Tom tells that the 5 of them are the only girls, and that there are 10 participants. They have to cooperate with the other team, using a cell phone.
15 minutes later, Tom gives the same information to the boy team in Ullensvang. Tomas had problems yesterday, and as he has a high metabolism, he needs much energy, so they choose to carry as much as possible of the available food.
In beautiful weather, they are carried by boat. At 13.30 the girls arrive Osa, and the boys arrive Simadalen. Now the girls send a message to the boys, asking if they are ready to start. The boys open the assignment, that tells that they shall get to Geiteryggshytta by foot and by skis. The route is from Simadalen by way of Hardangerjøkulen to Finse, and to Geiteryggshytta.
When the girls get the reply message from the boys, they also open the assignment. Their route goes by way of Hallingskeid to Geiteryggshytta.
Both groups start at the same time. It is a hard walk upwards, with heavy load and carrying skis. Guro is the one having it toughest, and Kjersti is afraid that Guro will not give the most, as she is already marked and has nothing to loose.
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In the boy's team, both Tomas and Christian have it hard, as they are heavier than the others, and sink deeper in the snow.
Getting up in the mountain, it is time for skiing. Kjersti is the one with most experience, so she goes in advance to check the condition of the route. She finds that is better to hope that the temperature sinks during the night so that it will be better conditions.
Knowing that there is now only one other team, the boys discuss who is on the girl's team. They are sure on Kjersti, and also suggest Madeleine, Elisabeth and Camilla. They are more unsure about Guro.
Day 4 (May 11th)
The boys oversleep an hour according to their plan, but still both groups get up in the middle of the night.
Having not got enough water during the rising, and with their drinking water frozen during the night, Tomas gets trouble. He is dizzy, and wants to back of the assignment. The others want him to continue, and offer to carry most of his luggage.
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The girls however, enjoy the fantastic weather and the view in the high mountains. But when running downhill, Madelaine falls, breaks one of her ski poles, and with this hurts herself in the calf. She is carried to Finse by snow scooter, where a doctor will look at her leg, and hopefully can be able to sew the wound. While the others continue, the doctor sews 5 stitches in her leg. She is also told that she will not be able to go for the trip tomorrow. Tom accompanies her to Geiteryggshytta. |
Arriving Hallingskeid, the girls finds a note, telling that they need a code to get access to the cabin. They will get this code from the boys when they arrive Finse. And vice versa, the girls have to send a code to the boys, so that they will get accommodation for the night.
The boys arrive Finse about half an hour after the girls have arrived to Hallingskeid. They are met in the reception of Finse 1222 by Tom. He gives them the code to be sent to the girls, and they get the key to get into the cabin.
Day 5 (May 12th)
At 07.45 the girls start the final leg to Geiteryggshytta. The boys start 30 minutes after. Andreas thinks it might be too long to take in such a short distance as 16 km. But the girls' backpacks are heavy, and Kamilla slows the group down. And the boys again succeed, so the girls again have to make the marking. Kjersti is very frustrated, as she knows she would been able to make the trip much faster than they did.
They are all carried to Hemsedal, where they raise the camps and go to sleep.
Day 6 (May 13th)
During the night, it has started to snow.
The girls will this time be competing with mountain bikes, on a downhill course on snow. As Madeleine was removed from the trip by the doctor, she will not be allowed to compete. Kamilla and Elisabeth dislike the event, and are very nervous, whereas Guro and Kjersti look forward to the race. With some small accidents, they all get down without any wounds, with Kjersti as the winner, Kamilla as runner up, and Guro next. They get 8, 4 and 2 points respectively.
The voting ends with Madeleine to be the second marked person in the group.
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Day 6 (May 13th)
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All of them being in Hemsedal, finally the two groups are allowed to meet each other. For both groups their guesses fit well to the facts. Madeleine is of course a little disappointed finding that her boyfriend Eirik is not in the group. The boys had expected at least one girl to been removed already, but are first now told about the marking system. |
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Over a great cold meal, they share their experiences so far. Then Tom comes with the next assignment. They shall get to Filefjellstunet at Tyin within tomorrow. They will be working in pairs: Guro/Christian, Madeleine/Tomas, Kamilla/Espen, Elisabeth/Andreas, Aslak/Kjersti. The reason for being divided into pairs is that they will be using dog teams. If they succeed, the grand price will increase with 50 000 NoK.
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From Hemsedal they are carried by car to Eldrevatnet. Here they will get instructions in how to drive a dog team. As usual, the instructor is Snorre Næss. Each team will get 6 dogs. One shall drive the sledge, whereas the other will be skiing in rope behind. At 21.05 they are off. They have good speed, and all of them seem to enjoy both the event and the fantastic nature. |
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The last leg to Sulebu, where they shall camp, is steep, and that give them great fun. Just before midnight, they start planning the camp.
Day 7 (May 14th)
Tomas and Christian go to find water, while the others raise the camp. They don't find the stick that shall mark the water hole. They try to dig, but it is do deep. It is frustrating in the darkness. But with pure luck, they find the water hole, and return with water.
At 01.45 both people and dogs go to sleep.
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In the morning it starts with fine weather, but soon it gets worse, with wind, snow and fog. Then Tom arrives on a snow scooter. He gives them an extra assignment. Soon the reindeer will get there to calve. Their mission is the set out a salt stone for the reindeer at Vardhovdtinden. If they do this within 3 hours, they will get hot shower, a prepared meal, sleep in good beds, and a massage bath. If they use more than 3 hours, one of the goods will be removed every 15 minutes. Andreas and Elisabeth will be taking the lead. The time starts when the last team leaves the camp, and stops when last team is back again. |
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They start 11.35. Due to the weather, the ski conditions are not as good as the day before, and the bad sight makes it difficult to navigate. At 13.25 they reach the site to place the salt stone. Having spent more than half the time to reach there, they must do the return a little faster.
Getting back to Sulebu, they find a note telling that the time limit to succeed their main assignment is 15.30.
Tom waits for them at Filefjellstunet. Again, the last leg is downhill, and it is not optimal conditions for dog teams. But with a few minutes margin, they manage the time limit, and the grand price is increased with 50 000 NoK. Also, the extra assignment is approved, and they get all the goods. Kamilla however, looking forward to using the shower as the last one, and without having any to save the hot water for, finds that all the hot water is already used.
After the shower, Espen gets his head shaved by Andreas.
The meal is a "5 courses". Then they get to sleep in soft beds.
Day 8 (May 15th)
At 07.00, after having prepared the outdoor massage bath for them, Tom wakes them up. But after a nice stay in the bath tub, it is again time for a competition, giving them chances to win points for the voting. As Guro and Madeleine are already marked, they will not be able to participate.
They choose their own pairs: Tomas/Christian, Kamilla/Elisabeth, Andreas/Aslak, Kjersti/Espen. They shall carry ice from one place to a bucket for each pair. Between two lines they are not allowed to carry the ice by hand, they have to use each other's bodies.
Thomas and Christian make the best result, and both of them get 16 points for the voting.
This time Aslak is ranked lowest, and is the third participant to be marked.
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Day 8 (May 15th)
The participants are now at Tyin, where the battle to avoid to be the first one removed will take place. Today, there will not be a new assignment. In fact, they will not get a new assignment before one of them is removed.
Before another voting, the 7 participants that have not been marked will compete for extra points for the voting.
They will compete in skicross with common start. After the skiing, they shall change to SMX, a kind of sledge. Naturally, Tom as previous world champion in slalom, demonstrates the course for the viewers.
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Tomas takes the lead, before Christian and Andreas. But at the change, Andreas stops a little higher in the hill than the others, so that he takes over the lead, and holds is to the finish. Andreas gets 14 points, Tomas gets 7 points, and Kjersti takes the final 3 points, ahead of Christian who is completely exhausted after the event. He blames his smoking.
They raise the camp. The atmosphere is more tensed, as their first removal is getting closer.
In the evening, they have the voting for marking the forth participant. Kamilla and Elisabeth are ranked lowest, ending with Elisabeth as the last one to be marked.
At 21.30, the four marked participants, Guro, Madeleine, Aslak, and Elisabeth, meet for the first event in the big battle. This event can give them advantages in the next part. They will be using ATVs, four wheel motorbikes. None of them have any experience with ATV.
Madeleine starts, followed by Aslak, Guro and Elisabeth. Long this is also the ranking in the race, but at the final leg, Aslak just get ahead of Madeleine. After the event, the four of them get an own lavvo. But before they go to sleep, they get a nice meal together with the rest of the group.
Day 9 (May 16th)
07.00. They get up for the rest of the battle. As Espen guessed yesterday, the four of them shall choose one partner each from the others. The partner shall be of the opposite sex. The qualities they have to look for are of course loyalty, but also strength.
The pairs will be Aslak/Kjersti, Madeleine/Tomas, Guro/Andreas and Elisabeth/Christian. Each team get one pulk. By start, the pulk will weight half the team's total body weight. This might be an advantage for Aslak/Kjersti, as they are both rather light, but also strong.
They shall get up to Børrenøse, a climb of more than 300 meters of height. At three posts on the way, they shall answer questions. For each wrong answer, they have to add 5 more kg to the load. The two first pairs to reach the top are safe. The other two marked participants will compete in a final event.
Aslak/Kjersti soon takes the lead. The question on the first post is the distance from Lindesnes to Nordkapp, according to the sign at Lindesnes. The answer is 2518 km. Madeleine gets 10 kg extra, Guro and Elisabeth both get 5 kg, whereas Aslak can continue without more load.
Next question is which coat of arms belongs to the municipality Vang. Here both Aslak and Elisabeth miss completely, and get 20 kg extra. Madeleine gets 5 kg, whereas Guro avoids extra load.
Now Aslak/Kjersti are still in the lead. It is close between Madeleine/Tomas and Guro/Andreas, whereas Elisabeth/Christian, with a very heavy load, lag behind.
At the last post, they shall shoot at clay pigeon ("skeet"). Aslak hits 2 of 5, having to add 15 kg more to the load.
Knowing that both Andreas and Guro are hunters, Madeleine gets a little stressed. But after missing the first two, she get three hits. And also Andreas has one miss.
Aslak/Kjersti are first to the top. And even though heroic efforts of Andreas, Madeleine/Tomas are second up. That leaves Guro and Elisabeth to be those that shall have the final duel.
The dual is "body curling", a peculiar version of curling where the other participants act as "stones", sitting on sledding boards. As in ordinary curling, the aim is to get the "stone" closes to the centre of the course.
As Guro was third in the previous event, she gets the choice, and chooses to have the last stone. Elisabeth starts, but her stone ends besides the target. Guro first stone is just inside, the targetline. Elisabeth's second stone, is just a little better, and she is in the lead for a short time, again just beaten by Guro second stone. Elisabeth goes for a take out, and is in the lead. Then Guro sets a nearly perfect stone, but unfortunately Espen's anorak gets under the board, and it overturns. Tom has to declare it as "dead". Elisabeth's last stone is also inside, but still far from the centre. It is possible for Guro to set a better one. But she sets it too hard, and she looses the duel and is the first one to leave.
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Day 10 (May 17th)
The participants have been transported from Tyin to Beitostølen. It is the national day of Norway, and early in the morning, Tom nicely dressed in a national costume from the district of Valdres, has arranged wake-up for them with band music.
Of course, a day like this has to be celebrated. They all get Norwegian flags, and join the band in parade. And the breakfast is what "all" Norwegians eat on May 17th, sausages.
A new arrangement this year is that before the assignment, they shall all be competing for being leader of the group. If the assignment is successful, the leader will be rewarded with extra point for the removal. He/she must also give extra point to two other participants. However, if the assignment fails, in a similar way the leader will get minus points, and must also give minus points to two others. Today, the leader will get +/- 18 points, and must give +/- 9 points to two others.
Today's competition is games normally played on the national day: Potato race (with their shoe laces tied together), picking an apple from a bucket with the mouth, and picking chocolate ("Bamsemums") out of a bowl of flour. Tomas and Christian are first after the potato race, but after the final part, Christian is the first with chocolate in his mouth. So he is the group's first leader.
The assignment is to get to Vianvang within 12.00 tomorrow. The first leg is across mountain region Valdresflya to Randsverk, using bikes. From Beitostølen they are carried to Bygdin, where the bikes and food are waiting for them.
After a good start, they get trouble. One screw at Kjersti's bike is lost. After discussing different options, Kjersti finds it rational to take a look at the road, and there the screw is laying, just behind the place where they stopped !
Between banks of snow in beautiful weather and nature, they reach the top of the road (1380 meters over sea level). From here, is goes fast downhill to Randsverk, where Tom is waiting for them with their next means of transport.
To Christian's desperation, they will now go riding. He is really afraid of horses, and it doesn't help much that the others try to calm him, he doesn't look forward the trip. The others however, enjoy it.
At Tesse they camp for the night. Now Christian is more positive to the riding, and claims to be cured from the fear. They put foot chains on the horses, so that they shall still be there in the morning.
Day 11 (May 18th)
They plan to start 09.00, but are a little late, and don't leave Tesse before 09.25. However, there are good tracks the whole way, and the ride goes fast. So when meeting Tom, there is still 15 minutes left, and the assignment is successful. The grand price increases with 50 000 NoK, and Christian as leader, gets 18 extra points. He chooses to give 9 points each to Tomas and Andreas.
Now it's time for this season's first free pass event. It consists of two parts. The winners of the first part go to a final event. First part takes place in the dining room. Tom introduces one of Norway's most famous cooks, Arne Brimi. He has prepared a three course meal, where they shall find out which ingredients he has used, including the wines.
They are obviously not a group of gourmets, but with a good final spurt by the cheese table, Kjersti, Espen and Elisabeth are the winners of the first part. The second part takes place in the evening. It is a climbing event, with three legs, where good balance is essential. Espen and Kjersti use about same time on the line walk, with Elisabeth a little behind. Throwing themselves into a net, and climbing this to the top, Espen gets a lead, but the others are not far behind. But he holds the lead to the finish, and wins the free pass. Kjersti gets 9 points, and Elisabeth gets 4 points.
Day 12 (May 19th)
The new day starts with the first ordinary removal. Andreas is ranked highest. Between the lowest three ranked, Aslak, Kamilla and Elisabeth, there is only 2 point distinction. Elisabeth is the second one to leave.
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Day 13 (May 20th)
From Vianvang, the participants have been transported across the counties of Trøndelag, and all the way to Alstahaug in Nordland. This is the place where Petter Dass lived and worked. With the vicar Katrin Wiegmann as conductor, the "participant's choir" sings one of Petter Dass' psalms. Unfortunately the choir is not a joy for the ears...
It is time for competition for being the next leader. Tom gives the "name" of different babies in the animal world, and the participants shall give the names of their parents. The first to get three correct answers will be the leader. But...only the one that screams the highest, will be allowed to answer. To measure the screams, Tom has decibel meters.
Madeleine's scream wins her chance to get the first point, and knowing that the father of the chicken is a cock, she has one. Kamilla gets the next, before Madeleine gets the final two, and is their next leader. Tom's comment is that he feels a little sorry for her boyfriend…
The assignment is to climb mountains "the 7 sisters" (Breitinden, Kvasstinden, Tvillingan (2 mountains), Skjerdingen, Grytfoten and Kilfjellet, all around 1000 meters high). They shall at least climb four mountains. If they succeed with these, the grand price raise 100 000 NoK, and two of them are allowed to phone home. For more mountains, more of them will be allowed to make a phone call. As it is windy, they will be allowed to take easiest way to the camp site if the wind speed in the mountains is more than 24 m/s. This time the point rewards will be +/- 16 point for Madeleine as leader, and +/- 8 points for two others.
This evening they shall go over Breitinden, and camp by Helknavatnet. They leave Alstahaug at 19.00, and shall be at Osen within 15.00 tomorrow to get the assignment approved.
The weather is not the best. It has started to rain. Madeleine has put Aslak as responsible for the navigation. They also ask some people in a car, and are told where to go. The rocks are slippery, and the wind combined with their heavy backpacks makes some balance problems.
Day 14 (May 21st)
At 01.05 they reach the top of Breitinden, and sign in the book. The fog makes it difficult to navigate, and the snow makes it tough to walk, also downhill. It is very steep in all directions. Madeleine, as experienced hiker, teaches the other fall technique.
After a steep walk, they get down, and at the same time the fog clears. They reach the camp site 02.45, but it is too risky to raise the lavvo, so they make a simple camp.
When they wake up 3 hours later, the weather is even worse, and after a discussion they are sure that the wind is more than the limit, and they decide to go the easier way. If the wind calms, they still can reach some of the tops. Andreas is a little disappointed, and thinks that they should have tried for one top, and then eventually found that it was too much wind. But Madeleine goes for the easy way, as they would not reach the time limit if they should try more tops. Naturally, they are a little unsure what will happen when they reach Osen.
But almost at the finish line, they have problems finding the correct spot where Tom waits for them. But luckily, they reach Osen with 5 minutes left. And they get very relieved when Tom reveals that their decisions are accepted, and that the assignment is approved. He adds 100 000 NoK to the grand price, Madeleine gets 16 extra points, and she gives 8 points each to Kjersti and Tomas. And the two allowed to phone home are two with children at home, Aslak and Kjersti.
The cars take them to Mosjøen, for the free pass event. They will compete in pairs, and each pair again needs help from 5 local people.
The competition is to carry one of the participants from one place to another. That person is not allowed to touch the ground, and the helpers can not move as long as they touch the participant.
The groups choose different tactics. The group with Tomas and Espen chooses to let Tomas walk on the other's feet, and he is the one crossing the finish line first.
The pair of them gets one free pass and 16 points. They have to decide themselves who will get the free pass, and who will get the points. They draw, and Espen gets the free pass for the second time.
Day 15 (May 22nd)
The next day starts with the nice weather they should have had the last day in the mountains. But now, being at a place around halfway of the journey, they have a new removal. Again, Andreas is ranked at top, whereas Christian is at the bottom, being the next to leave.
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Day 15 (May 22nd)
The seven participants are now in Steikvassli. Now Oksskolten, the highest mountain in North Norway, rising 1916 meters above sea level, will be the challenge.
They shall compete for being the next leader. They each get 6 pieces with symbols. After looking at the symbols, they have to turn them over, so that the symbols are hidden. Then Tom will ask them questions, and they shall answer by showing the correct symbols. All of them get the first one correct. Next one also, except for Kjersti. Then it gets worse, and none are correct. After the next, Espen, Andreas and Madeleine all have 3 correct, and goes to a final round. Next question excludes Madeleine, and next also Andreas, giving Espen as leader.
By use of randonnee ski, they shall go over Oksskolten. They will also cross over a glacier, and have to carry safety equipment for this. The target is Leirskardalen, where they must be within midnight tomorrow. As leader, Espen will also seek support from the others that have much ski experience, especially Andreas and Kjersti.
At 18.25 they leave Steikvassli. Again the weather is not on their side for hikes in the mountains. Soon they reach the snow, and go skiing.
Getting higher, the rain has changed to sleet, and the risk for avalanches is increasing. Just before midnight the get to a site where they can camp.
Day 16 (May 23rd)
The last hours there has felt around 15 cm heavy snow, the because of risk for avalanche, Tom phones Espen at 01.00, and tells that it will now be unjustifiable to continue up to the glacier. The target is still Leirskardalen, but they shall instead go south and west of the glacier. As this route is a little longer, they also get the time limit expanded with one hour. Before going to sleep, they discuss the new route.
At 09.45 they are off again. The new snow makes it very tough to ski. Downhill, Kamilla slows them down, and it is difficult to get up again when she falls with the heavy backpack.
They have to cross a river that is covered with snow. Tomas uses a long stick to check if it will be safe to cross. But while he is doing this, Kamilla suddenly comes in high speed, not knowing that they are verifying the crossing. Her conclusion, looking back to the others on the other side of the river, is that it is safe !
Even though the weather now is better, the speed is not very high, and many of them don't expect that they have chances to reach the goal in time. They have used 9 hours, and have only 6 hours left, and haven't reached half the distance yet. So Espen takes the decision to abort the assignment and go down the road again.
For the first time they have failed an assignment. They don't get the reward, and Espen gets 14 points minus. He also gives 7 minus points each to Madeleine and Tomas.
Before being carried to Umbukta, each of them is weighted, with and without the equipment they have carried in the mountains. This is a preparation for the free pass event the next day.
Day 17 (May 24th)
The reach Umbukta 00.45, and go to sleep.
In the morning, it is time for the free pass event. They will no start with point like the percentage that their equipment was compared to their body weight. Madeleine and Kjersti, both light girls, get the most starting points, both 55.
The event is to throw bags to a target field, with the back against the field. They have three throws each, and on each throw they can get between 5 and 20 points.
Madeleine gets the free pass, whereas Kjersti gets 7 points and Espen gets 3 points.
The ranking shows Kjersti at top, and Espen and Tomas at the bottom, with only 5 points between. Tomas is the one to leave.
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Day 17 (May 24th)
In the afternoon they are in Rognan. They shall compete for being leader at the next stage. First they will compete in pairs: Madeleine/Espen, Kamilla/Aslak and Kjersti/Andreas.
Each pair gets a puzzle, and they shall make the map of Norway. Each piece is one of Norway's counties. Kjersti and Andreas are first, and go to round two. They shall plot 10 Norwegian cities on the map. Andreas is correct on 7, whereas Kjersti only gets 4 correct. Andreas will be the leader on the next assignment.
The assignment will have several legs, and the first is to Sandkollen. They shall get there by two small row boats. The guess that the distance is about 30 km, and they plan to row the whole night, and when one row, the others can sleep. They start 21.45. Andreas takes the oars in the boat together with Kjersti and Aslak, and Espen start rowing in the boat with Kamilla and Madeleine. But as Andreas seems to be the strongest, he decides that Aslak shall replace Kamilla in Espen's boat, so that two boys can share the rowing. But this doesn't help much. Andreas is confused what to do.
Day 18 (May 25th)
At 05.10 they reach the beach at Sandkollen. They look for the description for the next leg, and find it together with mountainbikes. After 2 km on road, they are going up against the mountain Sandfjellet, 821 meters high.
Kamilla and Madeleine are a little slower than the others, and when they catch up the others each time these rest, the others starts up again. The two girls find it frustrating.
Aslak really enjoys it. As a mountain biker, this is his element. And when the uphill is over, also the others enjoy the event. Andreas makes the decision to take the longer way all up to the top, even though this involves crossing over some snow. Madeleine is at the end, but Andreas tries to motivate her. And downhill again, Kamilla slows them down a little.
Tom meets them at Børelva. From here they shall get to Saltstraumen Hotel by use of speedboats, within 17.00. And with 10 minutes margin, the assignment is successful. This gives another 50 000 NoK to the grand price. Andreas gets 12 points, and Espen and Aslak get 6 points each.
The free pass event is fishing in the strong maelstrom Saltstraumen. They will compete in pairs, and both of the winning pair will win free passes. Each pair get a boat, and whenever they catch fish, they must leave this in a bag under the great bridge before continue fishing.
The pairs are Madeleine/Espen, Kamilla/Aslak and Kjersti/Andreas. It takes nearly an hour before Andreas finally gets the first fish. Next is Madeleine, and then Kjersti, and Andreas again. Kamilla and Aslak only get a sea cucumber, besides that Kamilla gets the boat motor...
This makes Kjersti and Andreas as winners of the free passes. Afterwards they get food and a bath in a hot tub.
Day 19 (May 26th)
The day starts with removal. In advance it seems to be between Kamilla and Madeleine. And the results are as expected, with Madeleine some points more than Kamilla. Kamilla is the one removed.
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Day 19 (May 26th)
In Bodø they enter the Coastal Express "Trollfjord", and on board they have the competition for being their final leader. If they succeed the assignment, the leader this time will have a total of 20 point for free disposal.
The assignment will involve coordination and balance, and the leader competition therefore will be balancing. They shall stand on the deck, with special shoes with round soles. They shall simply stand as long as possible, without lifting their feet. After a while, Tom has to ask the skipper to make some more turns with the ship. And this soon moves both Espen and Aslak away. Andreas holds a little longer, but have to move. The two girls still stand after 15 minutes. Then also Kjersti moves, and Madeleine will be the leader.
They shall climb the 601 meters high Helvetestind in Lofoten. They will have to spend a night in portaledge (a hanging tent) in the wall.
The Coastal Express takes them to Stamsund, from where they are carried by boat to Bunesstranden.
For this assignment there is no time limit. If all of them get up the mountain wall, and over to the other side of the mountain, ending with a paddle to Reine, they will be rewarded with 150 000 NoK to the grand price.
Before raising the camp, they get some information about the climb by Robert Caspersen.
Day 20 (May 27th)
In the morning, Robert gives them instructions about how to climb. Then they start climbing. It is important to find the technique, and to use the legs correctly, otherwise they will be very tired in their arms.
It goes slowly, and they are getting tired. Especially an overhang makes a challenge for some of them. But from time to time they take small breaks, hanging in the ropes and just enjoying the view.
At 367 meters over the sea they find the tents where they shall spend the night. It is a special feeling to know that there is several hundred meters free space under them.
Day 21 (May 28th)
After the night they are heading for the final part. This is not so steep, so it goes faster, and at 11.45 they are on the top. There is a beautiful view, and they all sit down in quietness and enjoy the moment.
Three hours later, they are down by the sea again. They shall paddle kayaks to Reine, but first they have to carry out a friend rescue, in the cold water.
Arriving Reine in nice weather, they are met on the quay by Tom, who rewards them with 150 000 NoK to the grand price, making the total price now to be 500 000 NoK. Madeleine divides the 20 point as 5 point each to Kjersti and Andreas, whereas she keeps 10 points for herself.
The free pass event is to make words of letters. The letters have different point, like in Scrabble. It sounds easy, but there is one catch: Tom first throws the letters in the water. And the water temperature is only 5 °C.
If they have unused letters, or make words that Tom doesn't accept, they will get minus points for these.
Espen gets the most points, receiving the free pass. Andreas is second, and gets 5 points for the removal, and Kjersti gets 2 points.
Day 22 (May 29th)
For the second time they celebrate a birthday, this time Kjersti's 36th anniversary. Her best birthday present will be to continue on the journey.
The removal this time seems to be a fight between Aslak and Kjersti. Aslak has had an alliance with Espen and Andreas. But in spite of this, he is the one removed.
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Day 23 (May 30th)
From Lofoten, the four remaining participants have been transported to Gargia at Finnmarksvidda. As usual, the rules now are changed. They will compete in two pairs, Madeleine/Andreas and Kjersti/Espen. For each pair that fulfils the assignment, the grand price will be increased with 25 000 NoK. But only the winning pair will get the opportunity to fight for the free pass.
First they will all be weighted, as they at the first part shall carry weight equal to their own body weight. Kjersti/Espen have to carry 145 kg, whereas Madeleine/Andreas need 138 kg.
They can choose a carrier. If they choose pulk or backpack, it is free of charge. But if they choose an ATV (4WD motorbike), they will not get the 25 000 each for the grand price. Both groups choose the ATV.
They shall first follow the old Kautakeino road to Davit, where they shall camp. From the camp they will have to carry all weight by use of pulks and backpacks over one top each to canyon of Gabo by the river Altaelva. They have to rappel down, and go rafting down the river. Along the river they shall navigate to three points along the riverside, before they finish near Alta.
After a while, Madeleine/Andreas reach a point at the road with snow. Kjersti/Espen come just behind. They are only allowed to drive at the road. They find that the only way get through is to cooperate. One drives, whereas the other three push.
After passed the obstacle, Madeleine/Andreas take the lead again. But after passing some smaller parts with snow, they again come to a place where they need help. And after this the two pairs drive together to the camp site, where they must have at least 4 hours rest before the next leg.
Day 24 (May 31st)
As Madeleine/Andreas spent a little less time raising the lavvo yesterday, they start first, but as Kjersti/Espen have the advantage of going in the other's tracks, Madeleine/Andreas find it better to wait for the others again till they split, going for two different tops. Madeleine/Andreas go to Mørkfjellet, and Kjersti/Espen to Steinfjellet. After this, both pairs head for Gabo.
The navigation is difficult. Both pairs are unsure. They find the canyon almost simultaneously, but Madeleine/Andreas find the equipment they will be using for the rappel first. And now the can remove the rocks they have been carrying. But still their backpacks are heavy, so Madeleine, who has lots of experience with rappelling, gets some difficulties with her back.
The last distance down to the river they have to walk. They have to pump the raft they will be using. Both Madeleine and Andreas have experience in river paddling and rafting. They are a little ahead of the other pair, and expect to increase the lead.
They shall find three flags by the riverside. They have to make good and fast navigation, as the river runs fast. Madeleine/Andreas find the first flag first, 15 minutes ahead of the others. But on the second flag, Kjersti/Espen miss the flag, and as Madeleine/Andreas also find the last flag, they win the competition. And as Kjersti/Espen have failed the assignment, they both get 8 points minus into the removal. Kjersti is sorry that she didn't insist in some cases where she actually was right, whereas Espen was wrong.
Day 25 (June 1st)
Madeleine and Andreas will now fight for the last free pass. The competition will be on knowledge. But they first have to win the right to answer by duels. They start with duelling in casting. Andreas wins all the three duels, and gets two correct answers. 2-0 to Andreas.
Next duels are in horse shoe throwing. This time Madeleine wins all duels, but has only one correct answer. 2-1.
Third set of duels is archery. This time both will answer. If they give wrong answer, they will get minus points. And the one shooting best can decide whether he or she compete for 1 or 2 points. The other will always compete for 1 point.
Andreas has experience in archery, and is closest on all the shots. Both have correct answers on first question for 1 point, but on second, again for 1 point, Madeleine is right and Andreas is wrong. Now Madeleine is in the lead, 3-2. On the third question, Andreas gamble on 2 points, and as both answer correctly, it is 4-4, and they have to shoot one more time. Andreas again gambles on 2 points, and as both have correct answer, Andreas wins 5-4, and gets the free pass.
As Madeleine votes for Kjersti, whereas Andreas votes for Espen, the first voting gives Kjersti and Espen on the same points. A second voting, only on Kjersti and Espen, gives the same result. To make the division, they have to count all votes after they were collected to one group together. As Kjersti has a total score of 345 points, and Espen 341 points, Espen has to leave the group before the final.
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Day 25 (June 1st)
In the afternoon the three finalists are going to raise the camp in Kåfjord. Tom offers to cook a meal for them. They have a nice evening around the camp fire, discussing what they expect of the next day.
Day 26 (June 2nd)
08.00, and Madeleine, Kjersti and Andreas are ready for the semi final. The two first to reach to at the finish line, will go further into the final.
They will be paddling. But first they have to make a puzzle of a map, and glue it together. This will guide them from Kåfjord to the island Store Altsula, where they will find another map puzzle, guiding them towards Honningsvåg. The final map will again show the way to Honningsvåg quay, where Tom will be waiting.
Andreas is first off, with Madeleine short behind. Kjersti is a little stressed of the puzzle. She is also not looking forward to the paddling, and is not very optimistic.
Andreas has some problems with the navigation, and goes too much to the east. Before he finds that he is on the wrong direction, he is behind the other two.
Madeleine reaches the island 12.05, and starts to walk uphill for the next puzzle. Kjersti is next, and Andreas last. But they are almost together when they find the puzzles. Madeleine does the puzzle at the top of the mountain, whereas the others take them to the beach and start puzzling. Madeleine is still first, but not far ahead of Andreas. Again, Kjersti spends much time on the puzzle.
On their way to Juldagsneset, Andreas goes in the lead. At 13.45 he is onshore, and starts puzzling again. But Madeleine is not far behind, and also Kjersti arrives when they are still puzzling.
They have about 2 km to the finish point at the quay, and the can themselves choose the means of transport. Andreas starts walking. He asks a man in a car where to go. But instead of asking for a ride, he keeps on walking. Madeleine however asks some others for a lift, and Kjersti also finds that it is best to find someone with car. She isn't lucky with the first try, but on the next she convinces a man to drive her to the quay. And with only a few meters left, they pass Andreas, and he looses the semi final.
The two girls go to Rundvatnet to raise the camp again.
Day 27 (June 3rd)
At 09.00 it is time for the final events. They are fighting for 500 000 NoK. The event contains 5 parts. The first involves diving. They shall dive along a rope. For every second meter they can pick a map. The further they go, the more detailed will the map be. The map shows the point they shall be searching for at the North Cape plateau. After picking the map, they shall go up to a top and fire a distress flare. This is a signal for a helicopter to pick them up.
Kjersti has not diving experience, and in general doesn't like water events. Despite this she picks the map at 8 meters at her first try, whereas Madeleine goes all the way down to the most detailed map. But Kjersti does one more try, and also gets down to 10 meters.
Madeleine is picked up by the helicopter first, but Kjersti is not long behind. Due to poor sign, the helicopters can't go all the way to the plateau, so they must be transported the last distance by car.
When they arrive, they get a metal detector for searching the area for a key to a box. Madeleine finds her key first. A note says that she shall go to the globe. She opens the box, and finds a rebus. She has trouble solving it, and has to ask other people. Still it is difficult, but finally she finds that she shall go to Kings View, a terrace outside the bar. From here she shall climb up a rope, picking the next key on her way up.
Meanwhile, Kjersti is still searching the area for her first key.
Madeleine's second box contains a note saying only "9764". This is the postal code of North Cape. At the post office she finds a question about when the sun is at it's lowest at North Cape. Her first two tries are wrong, and each time she has to go the distance between the globe and the post office. But finally she opens the last box, and the message tells that she shall rappel down the canyon, where she will find the key to suitcase with the money.
After Kjersti found the first key, she has been much more effective than Madeleine has been, so she reaches to get out on the rope when Madeleine is still there. But Madeleine is fast on the rope, picks the key hanging at the middle of the rope, and get up to the plateau again, where she opens the suitcase. She is the winner !
Last update : 08.05.2010