Ret10Echo
12-01-2011, 07:56
Thought I would drop this in amongst the winter warriors who have an appreciation for ice and cold :D
Actually met a gentleman who was honored to be selected for this duty. Funny story about how he and his partner had a disagreement early on and went several months without speaking to one-another....living in a tent no-less.
Greenland by dog sledge: The Sirius Patrol in numbers
Denmark's elite soldiers spend months patrolling Greenland's icy expanses
Since the Cold War, Denmark has staked its claim to northern Greenland - and its untapped mineral wealth - with dog sledge patrols. This is the Sirius Patrol in numbers.
At 40-50kg, Sirius dogs are bred to be heavier and stronger The vast icy expanses at the top of our planet are rich in coal, ore and minerals. Although inhospitable in the extreme, these areas are in demand.
Denmark patrols and protects its sovereignty over Greenland with a small naval unit called the Sirius Patrol. The US Geological Survey estimates the oil reserves off its coast are as big as those in the North Sea.
Each autumn, six dog sledge teams - each manned by two soldiers from the Royal Danish Navy - spend up to six months patrolling an area of 160,000 sq km (60,000 sq miles). They are the only people in a vast wilderness about three times the size of Denmark.
Link to BBC here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15940985)
-R10_
Actually met a gentleman who was honored to be selected for this duty. Funny story about how he and his partner had a disagreement early on and went several months without speaking to one-another....living in a tent no-less.
Greenland by dog sledge: The Sirius Patrol in numbers
Denmark's elite soldiers spend months patrolling Greenland's icy expanses
Since the Cold War, Denmark has staked its claim to northern Greenland - and its untapped mineral wealth - with dog sledge patrols. This is the Sirius Patrol in numbers.
At 40-50kg, Sirius dogs are bred to be heavier and stronger The vast icy expanses at the top of our planet are rich in coal, ore and minerals. Although inhospitable in the extreme, these areas are in demand.
Denmark patrols and protects its sovereignty over Greenland with a small naval unit called the Sirius Patrol. The US Geological Survey estimates the oil reserves off its coast are as big as those in the North Sea.
Each autumn, six dog sledge teams - each manned by two soldiers from the Royal Danish Navy - spend up to six months patrolling an area of 160,000 sq km (60,000 sq miles). They are the only people in a vast wilderness about three times the size of Denmark.
Link to BBC here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15940985)
-R10_