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16-630: The Polar Circle Marathon is organized by Albatross Adventures . The race is far more demanding than usual marathons due to the cold weather and slippery surfaces on portions of the race that go over the actual ice cap. The temperatures generally hover around -10 to -15 degrees Celsius in October when the yearly race is held. The marathon course takes the runners over the permanent, 3 km thick ice cap and through tundras, moraine landscapes, glaciers, among other outstanding nature sceneries. Marathoners often encounter musk oxen, reindeer and other animals inhabiting

32-559: A rope team , and the use of friction knots . Rope team A rope team (sometimes also called moving together ) is a climbing technique where two or more climbers who are attached to a single climbing rope move simultaneously together along easy-angled terrain that does not require points of fixed climbing protection to be inserted along the route . Rope teams contrast with simul-climbing , which involves only two climbers and where they are ascending steep terrain that will require many points of protection to be inserted along

48-438: A snow bridge made of the previous years' accumulation and snow drifts. The result is that crevasses are rendered invisible, and thus potentially lethal to anyone attempting to navigate across a glacier. Occasionally a snow bridge over an old crevasse may begin to sag, providing some landscape relief, but this cannot be relied upon. The danger of falling into a crevasse can be minimized by roping together multiple climbers into

64-434: A crevasse can significantly increase its penetration. Water-filled crevasses may reach the bottom of glaciers or ice sheets and provide a direct hydrologic connection between the surface, where significant summer melting occurs, and the bed of the glacier, where additional water may moisten and lubricate the bed and accelerate ice flow. Direct drains of water from the top of a glacier, known as moulins , can also contribute

80-578: A falling member from dragging the entire team down the slope before they can self-arrest . Various records have been set for the longest climbing rope teams at various altitudes. In July 2017, the Italian Alpine Club set a Guinness World Record for the world's longest static rope team when 2,846 climbers were connected to a single rope in Bergamo in Italy. In 2022, eighty female mountaineers set

96-495: Is a problem on more varied terrain where the rope team might want to quickly change to a short-roping or even a simul-climbing format. Some rope teams will simply tie each member directly into the rope via a climbing knot (e.g. figure-eight on a bight attached to a screw-gate carabiner ), however, members can also be attached via prussik knots or progress capture devices for greater flexibility. When crossing glaciers, some rope teams will pre-apply prussik knots and loops to

112-476: Is hilly all the way with the steepest ascents being the climb coming off the ice sheet and the approximately 75m-high climb 5 km before the finish line. From the ice sheet to the finish line, however, the route has an overall descent of approximately 500m. The marathon finish line is located in front of Polar Lodge in the northern part of Kangerlussuaq. The half marathon finish line is located at Long Lake, just before Sanddrift Valley. The exact route description

128-408: Is subject to change according to the forces of nature. Key:     Course record Crevasse A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement. The resulting intensity of

144-509: The arctic desert. The first Polar Circle Marathon was held in 2001 and has been held every year since in the month of October. It has been dubbed one of the most difficult and beautiful races on earth by a variety of magazines and blogs, including being ranked #3 in "Top 10 Insanely Hard Marathons" by TopTenz; the 2nd "Coolest Marathons in the World" by Healthy Living; and one of the "Coolest Marathon's You've Ever Heard of" by Men's Fitness. A part of

160-585: The exact distance on the ice will only be found a couple of days before the race, but a 3 km loop is aimed for. Because of the danger of falling into a crevasse , runners are strictly forbidden to leave the marked route on the ice sheet. Coming back up from the ice and passing the starting point, there is 32 km left to the finish line, which is in Kangerlussuaq. Running these remaining kilometers takes runners past enormous glacier tongues and moraine plains and goes through tundra and arctic desert. The terrain

176-410: The first and last members. The weaker members of the team are placed in the middle, however, it is important that the team can move together in a way that the rope does not become excessively slack or taught. Rope teams can accommodate many climbers, which gives greater "holding power" if a member falls into a crevasse or slides down a snow slope. However, large teams are also less flexible, which

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192-465: The lubrication and acceleration of ice flow. Falling into glacial crevasses can be dangerous and life-threatening. Some glacial crevasses (such as on the Khumbu Icefall at Mount Everest ) can be 50 metres (160 ft) deep, which can cause fatal injuries upon falling. Hypothermia is often a cause of death when falling into a crevasse. A crevasse may be covered, but not necessarily filled, by

208-470: The rope to speed up the rescue of any member who falls into a crevasse, however, some don't as these knots and loops can make the rope more difficult to manage. When small rope teams of 2-3 climbers are crossing glaciers, additional knots can be added to the rope to act as a partial brake against a crevasse lip in the event of a fall. On exposed snow slopes, rope teams may use snow anchors as points of climbing protection — as in simul-climbing — to prevent

224-454: The route takes place on the ice sheet itself, but the main part of the course is run on the gravel road (often snow-covered) that connects the ice sheet with the small township of Kangerlussuaq, just north of the Polar Circle. The ice sheet can be very slippery and the danger of falls during this section is high. Due to the enormous powers of nature and the general retraction of the ice sheet,

240-468: The route. A specific variant of a rope team is the technique of short-roping  [ fr ] , which is used by mountain guides to help weaker clients, and which also does not employ fixed climbing protection points. Rope teams are commonly used in alpine climbing , particularly for moving across glaciers and traveling along snow slopes and ridges. Members are typically spaced 30 feet (9.1 metres) apart with any surplus rope coiled and carried by

256-471: The shear stress causes a breakage along the faces. Crevasses often have vertical or near-vertical walls, which can then melt and create seracs , arches , and other ice formations . These walls sometimes expose layers that represent the glacier's stratigraphy . Crevasse size often depends upon the amount of liquid water present in the glacier. A crevasse may be as deep as 45 metres (150 ft) and as wide as 20 metres (70 ft) The presence of water in

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