I’m lying face down on the ground under 3 feet of snow, it’s -30 degrees Celsius and I’m unable to move. Moments before I had been descending from the Tjäktja Pass on cross country ski’s pulling a pulk behind me. I was fully in control and everything was going well .. until it wasn’t. Until I built up to a speed I wasn’t able to control, lost control and fell face forward into the deep snow.

The late cancellation of the Arctic Spine race in which I was due to participate provided an opportunity to put myself on the start line of the UK edition once again. Training had gone well and I was looking forward to toe-ing the line without the chest infection and broken ribs which had accompanied me during last year’s race. My brother Alan very kindly drove me down to Edale for the statuary pre-race registration which consisted of preparing the runners for race conditions by making them queue outside the registration venue for over an hour in freezing conditions.

So what it all this Spine malarky all about then? I’ve known about the Spine Race for a very long time now and have spent countless years watching the steady progress of dots moving northwards over the course of a week in January. It’s always been a race that has terrified me. The route follows the 268 miles of the Pennine Way over generally high exposed ground from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish borders with few opportunities for shelter.

Pre-race I’d considered entering the inaugural running of this event last year but it sold out before I’d made the decision. For those unfamiliar with the event the following description is taken from the website : “The Montane Cheviot Goat Winter Ultra will test even the most experienced ultra runner. 55 miles of the harshest winter trails, 9500 ft of lung-bursting ascent including the highest summit, The Cheviot, standing at 2,674 ft.

For a while now I’ve been drawn to adventures in the polar climes, having followed races such as the Yukon Arctic Ultra and Iditarod and read a number of books and accounts. When I heard the Spine team were going to be launching a race based in Arctic Sweden I was immediately interested but also very apprehensive. I have spent many a day and night in some pretty horrendous conditions in the UK but nothing like surviving in temperatures as low as -40 degrees C, strong winds and limited daylight hours.