British ultramarathon runner Robbie Britton who crossed the Central Higlands in late September early October questions the attitude of the young British adventurers who had to abandon their attempt to cross Iceland on skis after needing the assistance of rescue units on four seperate occasions. Robbie Britton points out the British adventurers blamed the end of their trip on a “freak storm” which hit in late December:
Whilst there was adverse weather, they were in Iceland in late December? Were they expecting a bit of snow and rainbows?
Reckless misadventure
The adventure of three young Brits who abandoned an attempt to cross Iceland unassisted after they received assistance from Icelandic Search and Rescue teams on four different occasions, including three rescue missions, has generated significant attention both online and in mass media in Iceland and England, including The Times of London. The Times published a story about the adventure, which went by the name “The Coldest Crossing”, as well as an editorial, titled “Icelandic Misadventure”.
The Times argued the tale of The Coldest Crossing proved grand ambition was “no substitute for common sense”, but concluded that “failure is character-building”. Icelandic online commenters were less positive in their assessment, heaping scorn on the young Britons, some even going so far as to threaten them with death were they ever to return. The anger seemed to be caused mostly by misunderstanding and the assumption the young Brits did not appreciate the help they had received from Search and Rescue units. An announcement from the team explained the Brits had been carrying mountaineering insurance, and that they intended to make a donation to ICE-SAR.
But the young Brits were also criticized for lack of preparation and excessive ambition. One of the critics was a fellow Englishman, ultramarathon runner Robbie Britton.
Robbie is no stranger to foolhardy adventures. This past fall he ran across the Central Highlands with his friend James Elson. Robbie and James had not counted on how unpredictable Icelandic weather can be and were forced changed their plans, abandoning the last leg of their run from Landmannalaugar highland oasis to Þórsmörk valley, north of Eyjafjallajökull glacier for a different, easier route.
On Twitter Robbie blasted the Coldest Crossing as reckless.
They thought we were foolhardy, these chaps were reckless. I hope they make a good donation for their THREE rescues. https://t.co/CgP4AmtKop
— Robbie Britton (@ultrabritton) December 29, 2015
Read more: Interview with English ultramarathon runners on a foolhardy trek over the Central Highlands
We talked to Robbie to ask him what lessons he thought could be learned from the Coldest Crossing, which was initially billed as an attempt to “become the first people to cross Iceland unsupported in Winter” on the front page of the webpage of the expedition (the claim has since been removed from the page).
Don't make too boisterous claims before setting off
Robbie, like Sveinn Fr. Sveinsson an experienced Icelandic mountaineer, emphasizes that it is unwise to make claims about being the first to do something in an age when it is difficult to substantiate such claims, since most adventures follow in someone’s footsteps:
Too many people want to add the words First Solo Unsupported and anything else to make themselves seem tougher and get the media excited about their adventure. We live in an age when exploration and adventure has nearly all been done before so all we really should be aiming to do is quickest longest or some other adjectives if you are really keen. Otherwise just go and do something for the love of adventure and challenging yourself.
The excessively grandiose claims the young adventurers made before the start of the adventure obviously came back to haunt them after they had to be airlifted to safety. Robbie, who describes himself as having failed many times on my adventures, argues the key is to admit your mistakes and learn from them.
People want to save face and avoid admitting their own inadequacies but there is nothing wrong in being inadequate for the task as long as you learn from it and come back stronger.
I have failed many times on my adventures, but learnt from it every time rather than look to external factors to blame. Only by finding our own faults can we grow stronger.
Misadventure and failure are not necessarily all bad
Adventures don't need to go 100% according to plan to be successful, and even failed adventures can be successful in their own way. Misadventure and failure is not a bad thing, we all need to learn somewhere, but putting your hands up and admitting when you got it wrong is the best action when it does.
Of course external factors beyond our control are frequently the final straw which seperates failure from success. Which makes preparing for every eventuality all the more crucial. Robbie claims it makes little sense for his countrymen to place the blame on a “freak storm” which in late December. Were they expecting a bit or snow and rainbows?
Robbie knows from first-hand experience that the unforgiving Icelandic weather and harsh conditions in the Central Highlands can take their toll on adventurers. Heavy rains and swelling rivers forced him and his friend James to abandon their earlier goal and find a safer alternative to the last leg of their adventure across the highlands.
Our own trip had its failings and we should have been more in touch with ICE-SAR to discuss our plans before hand and we could have avoided certain parts of our trip that were more difficult. The unknown part of our trip was part of the fun for me but we could have moved it a week earlier to help with bridge crossings etc if we had known.
Read more: Swelling rivers and strong winds force our brave ultramarathon runners to change course
Have a sensible Plan B
Of course when Robbie and James were faced with the elements they simply changed course and abandoned the pictoresque last leg of their trip as their their support team which followed them on a 4×4 could not follow them, and they might get into a situation where they might need outside assistance.
Obviously organizations like ICE-SAR are there for when you really need them but it seems the Coldest Crossing guys used them as Plan B as soon as anything wasn't going to plan.
The Coldest Crossing team has emphasized they never put rescue units in any danger, and that the decision to airlift them to safety was made as a precaution, to avoid the possibility of rescue units coming to their aid after the worst of the storm had hit. ICE-SAR has confirmed this.
In some way the Coldest Crossing did not do things all that differently than Robbie and James. The difference of course is that when Robbie and James saw their initial plan might not work they sought advice from locals, which turned out to be the staff of Iceland Insider which worked with mountaineers and mountain cabin staff in the area to figure out whether it was safe to proceed with Plan A. When that was determined unworkable, Robbie and James went to their Plan B, which was to change route.
The final point is that when The Coldest Crossing abandoned their Plan A they had to abandon their entire mission in a way which appeared more humiliatiing than necessary, due to the high profile they had created for their journey and the claims they had made at the outset: The Coldest Crossing therefore came across in Icelandic media in the wrong way and came to be seen by many Icelanders as a reckless and arrogant string of failures by entitled teenagers – rather than a reasonable misadventure by well prepared hikers.
Hopes failed treks do not lead to heavy levies on future adventures
Robbie hopes the misadventure of his countrymen will encourage future adventurers to prepare better, and that it will not lead to expensive entry fees being placed on trips to the Central Highlands.
I really hope that there isn't an expensive levy placed on adventurous trips to Iceland in the future but I would not blame Icelanders if there was and I would still visit, it would just be more difficult. We want to encourage others to safely visit wilderness areas, respect them and the people that live there, so anything that may discourage a young man or woman from an adventure isn't great but taking advantage of a free rescue service is not on.
British ultramarathon runner Robbie Britton who crossed the Central Higlands in late September early October questions the attitude of the young British adventurers who had to abandon their attempt to cross Iceland on skis after needing the assistance of rescue units on four seperate occasions. Robbie Britton points out the British adventurers blamed the end of their trip on a “freak storm” which hit in late December:
Whilst there was adverse weather, they were in Iceland in late December? Were they expecting a bit of snow and rainbows?
Reckless misadventure
The adventure of three young Brits who abandoned an attempt to cross Iceland unassisted after they received assistance from Icelandic Search and Rescue teams on four different occasions, including three rescue missions, has generated significant attention both online and in mass media in Iceland and England, including The Times of London. The Times published a story about the adventure, which went by the name “The Coldest Crossing”, as well as an editorial, titled “Icelandic Misadventure”.
The Times argued the tale of The Coldest Crossing proved grand ambition was “no substitute for common sense”, but concluded that “failure is character-building”. Icelandic online commenters were less positive in their assessment, heaping scorn on the young Britons, some even going so far as to threaten them with death were they ever to return. The anger seemed to be caused mostly by misunderstanding and the assumption the young Brits did not appreciate the help they had received from Search and Rescue units. An announcement from the team explained the Brits had been carrying mountaineering insurance, and that they intended to make a donation to ICE-SAR.
But the young Brits were also criticized for lack of preparation and excessive ambition. One of the critics was a fellow Englishman, ultramarathon runner Robbie Britton.
Robbie is no stranger to foolhardy adventures. This past fall he ran across the Central Highlands with his friend James Elson. Robbie and James had not counted on how unpredictable Icelandic weather can be and were forced changed their plans, abandoning the last leg of their run from Landmannalaugar highland oasis to Þórsmörk valley, north of Eyjafjallajökull glacier for a different, easier route.
On Twitter Robbie blasted the Coldest Crossing as reckless.
They thought we were foolhardy, these chaps were reckless. I hope they make a good donation for their THREE rescues. https://t.co/CgP4AmtKop
— Robbie Britton (@ultrabritton) December 29, 2015
Read more: Interview with English ultramarathon runners on a foolhardy trek over the Central Highlands
We talked to Robbie to ask him what lessons he thought could be learned from the Coldest Crossing, which was initially billed as an attempt to “become the first people to cross Iceland unsupported in Winter” on the front page of the webpage of the expedition (the claim has since been removed from the page).
Don't make too boisterous claims before setting off
Robbie, like Sveinn Fr. Sveinsson an experienced Icelandic mountaineer, emphasizes that it is unwise to make claims about being the first to do something in an age when it is difficult to substantiate such claims, since most adventures follow in someone’s footsteps:
Too many people want to add the words First Solo Unsupported and anything else to make themselves seem tougher and get the media excited about their adventure. We live in an age when exploration and adventure has nearly all been done before so all we really should be aiming to do is quickest longest or some other adjectives if you are really keen. Otherwise just go and do something for the love of adventure and challenging yourself.
The excessively grandiose claims the young adventurers made before the start of the adventure obviously came back to haunt them after they had to be airlifted to safety. Robbie, who describes himself as having failed many times on my adventures, argues the key is to admit your mistakes and learn from them.
People want to save face and avoid admitting their own inadequacies but there is nothing wrong in being inadequate for the task as long as you learn from it and come back stronger.
I have failed many times on my adventures, but learnt from it every time rather than look to external factors to blame. Only by finding our own faults can we grow stronger.
Misadventure and failure are not necessarily all bad
Adventures don't need to go 100% according to plan to be successful, and even failed adventures can be successful in their own way. Misadventure and failure is not a bad thing, we all need to learn somewhere, but putting your hands up and admitting when you got it wrong is the best action when it does.
Of course external factors beyond our control are frequently the final straw which seperates failure from success. Which makes preparing for every eventuality all the more crucial. Robbie claims it makes little sense for his countrymen to place the blame on a “freak storm” which in late December. Were they expecting a bit or snow and rainbows?
Robbie knows from first-hand experience that the unforgiving Icelandic weather and harsh conditions in the Central Highlands can take their toll on adventurers. Heavy rains and swelling rivers forced him and his friend James to abandon their earlier goal and find a safer alternative to the last leg of their adventure across the highlands.
Our own trip had its failings and we should have been more in touch with ICE-SAR to discuss our plans before hand and we could have avoided certain parts of our trip that were more difficult. The unknown part of our trip was part of the fun for me but we could have moved it a week earlier to help with bridge crossings etc if we had known.
Read more: Swelling rivers and strong winds force our brave ultramarathon runners to change course
Have a sensible Plan B
Of course when Robbie and James were faced with the elements they simply changed course and abandoned the pictoresque last leg of their trip as their their support team which followed them on a 4×4 could not follow them, and they might get into a situation where they might need outside assistance.
Obviously organizations like ICE-SAR are there for when you really need them but it seems the Coldest Crossing guys used them as Plan B as soon as anything wasn't going to plan.
The Coldest Crossing team has emphasized they never put rescue units in any danger, and that the decision to airlift them to safety was made as a precaution, to avoid the possibility of rescue units coming to their aid after the worst of the storm had hit. ICE-SAR has confirmed this.
In some way the Coldest Crossing did not do things all that differently than Robbie and James. The difference of course is that when Robbie and James saw their initial plan might not work they sought advice from locals, which turned out to be the staff of Iceland Insider which worked with mountaineers and mountain cabin staff in the area to figure out whether it was safe to proceed with Plan A. When that was determined unworkable, Robbie and James went to their Plan B, which was to change route.
The final point is that when The Coldest Crossing abandoned their Plan A they had to abandon their entire mission in a way which appeared more humiliatiing than necessary, due to the high profile they had created for their journey and the claims they had made at the outset: The Coldest Crossing therefore came across in Icelandic media in the wrong way and came to be seen by many Icelanders as a reckless and arrogant string of failures by entitled teenagers – rather than a reasonable misadventure by well prepared hikers.
Hopes failed treks do not lead to heavy levies on future adventures
Robbie hopes the misadventure of his countrymen will encourage future adventurers to prepare better, and that it will not lead to expensive entry fees being placed on trips to the Central Highlands.
I really hope that there isn't an expensive levy placed on adventurous trips to Iceland in the future but I would not blame Icelanders if there was and I would still visit, it would just be more difficult. We want to encourage others to safely visit wilderness areas, respect them and the people that live there, so anything that may discourage a young man or woman from an adventure isn't great but taking advantage of a free rescue service is not on.
