As I write this, Matt will be winging his way across the Denmark Straits en route for Kulusuk.  He's heading up there to meet some of the teams that we have going into the area over the next few days. 

There is a 4 man team from Cambridge University travelling into a seldom-visited part of the Schweizerland Alps to attempt new routes on some of the fantastic peaks in the area.  There is also a couple of people embarking on a sea kayaking and climbing expedition in amongst the wonderful fjords and islands of the east coast.

We wish them all the best with their trips and hope they enjoy the area as much as we do.

There seem to be daily artciles these days about global warming.  Here's an interesting one about a community in Barrow, Alaska and how they are having to adapt to changing winters and ice conditions.  We'll have to wait and see how all this pans out.  In Greenland things are also changing fast, although this year were classic conditions with lots of snow and good sea ice for miles and miles.  Just like the old days.

Elsewhere the One World Expedition has had ...

An early Saturday morning last weekend saw my brother Nick and I heading down the M4 to Oxwich Bay on Gower for a paddle whilst the tide was right.  We're enjoying/enduring a heat wave here in the UK and light winds - great for kayaking if a little warm.

The beach was quiet when we arrived, just a few divers gearing up to explore the wreck that lies on the sea bed off the point.  Great to be gliding out over slightly ruffled water and a tiny swell.  The water's so clear at the moment due to the calm weather and it was easy to see the bottom in several metres of water.  Approaching Oxwich Point it became clear that conditions were a little different up there - bug overfalls develop here and it was just getting going. Going out and turning west the tide was with us and we shot through the short seas into the longer swell the far side.  ...

Last week I touched base with Andy Woodward of Antarctica Tents to have some gear made up for this summer.  Andy has been in the busniess for some time now, and is renowned for his ingenuity when it comes to designing and making equipment that can stand up to the rigours of an Arctic (or Antarctic) expeditions. 

Andy lives in a rambling old house in Newbridge-on-Wye in Mid Wales, and much of the house (plus most of the yard) is dedicated to designing, making, repairing and servicing tents, clothes and stoves from all over the place.  It was fascinating to see so much stuff floating about from expeditions and people that I'd met, heard about or read about, including quite a few old friends.

Tents are an interesting issue for us in Greenland.  We need something that's light enough for summer treks and lightweight expeditions in the mountains, and yet will hold back a winter's gale and a dump of snow.  We think we've found the answer in the Spire 2 from Mountain Hardwear, so armed with a generously supplied sample tent, my partner Katherine and I headed deep into Mid Wales the other weekend for a test.

It was an area that I'd never been to, and only 70 miles from home near Cardiff.  An area of rolling yet rugged green hills, deep valleys blanketed by bluebells and pristine (probably ancient) woodland and tumbling trout streams.  ...