Army ski team bid in midnight sun

Lt Elder has hopes of seeing a polar bear in the wild

A team of regular and territorial Army soldiers is to ski across Greenland's ice cap at night in the midnight sun to make the most of freezing conditions.

Lt Richard Elder, 34, said temperatures could drop to -50 degrees, but the snow covering would be better suited to skiing then than during the day.

Exercise Nansen's Endeavour will see them attempt to retrace Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen's route.

The team of nine will set out for Greenland in August.

They aim to complete the task in 35 days and raise money for armed forces charity Help for Heroes.

The team will also collect samples of flora for a UK university and monitor how well they cope with physical and mental demands of the trek.

Lt Elder, who is from Dundee, said: "We will use Telemark skis and pull pulks, or sledges, carrying our provisions and weighing 80 kilos behind us.

"At night snow conditions will be better. It will be cold, but there will still be daylight because it is summer time.

"During the day, it is a lot warmer and the snow more difficult to cross. There is also the problem with sunlight being reflected off the snow in daytime."

Fishing boat

The team will attempt to rest as much as possible during the day and will wear goggles with tinted glass to help them sleep.

In a straight line, the route is 450 miles long, but could be longer if the expedition members have to make detours to avoid crevices and streams of melt water.

They will be dropped off at the start point by a fishing boat, following a two-day trip by sea.

Lt Elder, who is in the Territorial Army but working full-time with the Black Watch at Fort George, near Inverness, said one of his hopes was to see a polar bear in the wild.

He said: "Everyone is looking forward to getting on the ice."