SAMAYA x SVEN BURGI

 

 

Sven Burgi, a Swiss mountaineer and young filmmaker, embarked with five of his companions on their first major expedition in Norway. Paul Dutoit, Paul Jaquet, Julien Bédat, Quentin Moreillon, Matthieu Pujol, and Sven faced two weeks of nomadic bivouacking in total self-sufficiency, hauling 300 kilograms of gear pulled in pulks. For Samaya, the team recounts this icy epic.

 

Sven Burgi: I grew up watching films of big ski expeditions, and when you're a mountaineer, that’s something that makes you dream and always stays in the back of your mind. I see it as a life goal for a mountaineer, or at least for me. Staying in the Alps would be like only training on our home turf. Of course, there are extreme projects to be done in the Alps, but carrying out expeditions in unknown territory remains an accomplishment with a special flavor. I asked Paul D. if he was tempted by the adventure, and once the team was complete, we embarked on 6 months of preparation.

 

Paul Dutoit: I immediately accepted Sven’s invitation and bought into his project. I added one condition: to get to Norway using soft mobility.

 

Sven Burgi: The train journey turned out to be an incredible experience, both for the film and on a personal level. It added so much substance to our trip, rather than boarding a plane, flying for a few hours, and being “teleported” to the other side of the world without really realizing it.

 

Paul Dutoit: Traveling by train over a long duration is an experience everyone should have. You realize the distances, and you share the moment with your friends. With our 52 hours of transport, 7 trains, 3 buses, 5 pulks, and 300 kilograms of equipment, we were truly immersed in the sensation of traveling, sunk into our seats and absorbed by the landscape tirelessly passing by outside the windows. After experiencing that, you appreciate the place you arrive at all the more.

 

Sven Burgi: The parallel we felt is like comparing the appreciation of a ski descent after climbing the mountain with skins versus taking the ski lifts.

 

Matthieu Pujol: Our adventure truly began at the Lausanne train station. It was the first day, and we were already off to a flying start.

 

Sven Burgi: Camp 1 wasn’t necessarily very interesting, as the skiing was mediocre due to our low altitude and terrain that had become like concrete following heavy rains.

 

Paul Dutoit: When we arrived at that starting point, marking our first steps in the valley, I felt a form of disillusionment. As if it didn't match everything we had dreamed of for 6 months.

 

Sven Burgi: As we pushed toward the glacier over the following days, we saw conditions improve and that hidden treasure gradually reveal itself to us.

 

Matthieu Pujol: Reaching camp 2 was tedious. The transitions between camps require dismantling the previous one in the cold and wind, loading the pulks, and then pulling them for kilometers to the next drop-off point. We tried to take the flattest routes possible, but certain slopes were unavoidable and slowed our progress while increasing our fatigue. Once we arrived at our destination, it took at least 4 hours to set up camp, between pitching the tents and building our “ramparts,” large snow walls that protected us from the wind and noise. Once the camp was set up, our troubles were far from over. Just after settling into the tent, my sleeping pad punctured, and the freeze-dried meal that Paul D. was keeping under his fleece to warm up burst open.

 

Paul Dutoit: As a side note, when I cleaned my fleece at home after we returned, having worn it throughout the expedition and on the train, I still found pieces of chicken in it.

 

Julien Bédat: In addition to the wind, the cold was an integral part of our expedition. Before leaving, we did a 5-day test phase, which proved to be essential. It might have seemed obvious, but it was so vital to realize the severity of the cold. The temperature dropped to -15°C during those first few nights of testing, and it was much worse in Norway. It helped me realize the extent of the cold and to readjust the equipment I had chosen. I would never have thought to take down pants otherwise. Today, I realize it was one of the most important pieces of gear of this expedition. Almost as much as my skis!

 

Sven Burgi: On this kind of expedition, managing the cold for such a long period is not comparable to doing it for 3 or 4 days. The excessively low temperatures without a hint of warmth wore us down slowly, especially as they dropped day by day. Gradually, all our belongings started to become damp. For me, socks really started to become a problem, and I struggled to warm up my feet. We spent our time shaking our hands and feet, searching for a bit of warmth. It wasn’t enough to avoid the frostbite we all suffered by the end of the trip.

 

Paul Dutoit: We were almost constantly below -20°C, not counting the relentless wind which made it feel even colder.

 

Julien Bédat: It was one of my first experiences where the cold was a factor that really scared me. All our days were organized around managing this cold. When do we prepare food, when do we melt snow for water, how do we dress, do we put on multiple layers, knowing that the ski climb will warm us up, then sweat will cool us down and we’ll be cold again? These incessant questions gnawed at us from the inside and contributed to our fatigue.

 

Matthieu Pujol: Our days were the easiest times, despite the commitment we put into each outing, because we could enjoy the sun and the effort that warmed us during the skinning climbs. In the evening, however, we dreamed only of getting into a cozy bed by the fire. When the sun went behind the mountain, it was tough. We had no moments of respite during which to recharge our batteries. We still had to fight to get everything done. Just melting water for the evening for everyone took us an hour and a half. Sometimes, we just wanted to give up, to lie down in our sleeping bags without eating or drinking.

 

Paul Dutoit: That’s where the strength of the team comes into play. We each had our moments of weakness, but they didn’t all happen at the same time. Some evenings, those who needed to rest did a little less than the rest of the group, and vice versa.

 

Sven Burgi: Camp 3 was the one where we experienced the mildest days of the entire expedition. Sometimes we would return to our camp bathed in sunlight, and even at -10°C, we would warm up. Being able to enjoy moments in the tents without wearing down jackets was precious. But before that, it was at camp 2 that we were able to start getting great footage with good skiing on big lines. At that moment, we really had that feeling of having found what we came looking for. It had snowed, we skied a series of big lines, and we were fully recharged. The fatigue of having dragged the pulks was behind us: we reached the base of the faces in just 40 minutes.

 

Paul Dutoit: The sensations we got from the ski descents are hard to describe. You wake up, you’re stiff, you start climbing, not all your neurons are fully connected yet, and suddenly you realize you are climbing an incredible face. Under our feet, the immense glacier; all around us, the Norwegian light flooding us with its low sun casting warm hues on the snow. The clouds and snowflakes filled with crystals glisten. We are with our best friends. It’s more than magical.

 

Sven Burgi: To reach those timeless places where we set up camp 3, we crossed that immense glacier with our pulks, navigating between seracs. Little by little, all the mountains opened up. We felt like tiny little dots in the middle of a gigantic landscape, with lines as far as the eye could see. We were able to ski many magnificent faces that plunged into the fjords. We also experienced many moments of renunciation. We didn’t put ourselves in danger. We are serious on that level, and the advice from the locals warning us about avalanches during our outbound journey pushed us to be all the more cautious.

 

Paul Dutoit: We had 3 days of good weather left, during which we wanted to ski as many big lines as possible. Paul J., Julien, and Sven wanted to do a big line in the morning and follow it with another at sunset. It was already late for the second line, and a certain amount of fatigue had accumulated. We had to move quite far from the first glacier to benefit from the beautiful evening light. For my part, I had gone with Quentin on a first line a bit further away. Galvanized by the first descent, filled with self-confidence, we opted to go and do a second one. For the same reasons of light orientation, we had to move to a valley further away. Once our last descent was completed, we quietly rejoined camp 3.

 

Sven Burgi: For our part, we spent quite a bit of time waiting at the second summit for the sun to rotate and reach the face.

 

Matthieu Pujol: The walkie-talkies we used to communicate from one team to the other stopped working because of a pass that separated us. We weren't too worried since we knew the other half of the group would return late. Slowly, bad weather moved in from the distance, in the area where they were. We still had no news and started to worry.

 

Julien Bédat: In terms of emotion, it was quite tough. We were on the Store Jægervasstinden, with its very particular and extreme face, very exposed, opening onto a narrow 50° couloir that led down to a cliff. To descend, we made a whole traverse in a strip of snow to then exit through a snowdrift that led to a final, much broader phase. We were all aware that the first part was a “no fall” zone. Arrived at that magnificent summit whose ridge stood out against the glow of the sun, the fatigue accumulated from the last few days was catching up with us. We had to redouble our vigilance and not make any mistakes. We waited at the top for the right moment while staying very focused. It was the last descent of the expedition, and we were going to make the most of it.

 

Matthieu Pujol: Back at camp, we had 3 days left before returning. The weather had deteriorated, and by mutual agreement, we decided to cut the stay short. After rationing ourselves quite a bit during the expedition to be sure not to run out, we feasted on what we had left, devouring snacks without a second thought. After that last night, we packed up camp and returned to civilization. We weren’t at the end of our efforts since we had to pull the pulks again on the return path. With the sloping terrain, we struggled until the very last moment.

 

Paul Dutoit: As on the way out, we found ourselves on the train home. As on the way out, we were that band of close friends, with perhaps a little less gear, and with many more emotions and mixed feelings.