shooting range and survival suits

Yesterday we learned how to "survive" in the Arctic. First, we headed to UNIS for a safety lesson. Apparently walruses may be "clumsy on land but like torpedo in the water," and we need to avoid them so we do not puncture our boat. Aftewards, we headed to the shooting range, which is located in a cirque above Longyearbyen. On the way to the shooting range, we saw the Seed Vault:

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Needless to say, the seed vault was not exactly what I was expecting: where is the security to protect our future?

At the gun range, a guy from UNIS instructed us in the proper use of rifles and flare guns, and we learned how to respond if we are approached by a polar bear.

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We first learned to half-load the rifle (0.30-06 caliber) and then shot a total of 20 rounds: 8 lying down, 8 in a kneeling position, and 4 standing up. I didn't hit any bullseyes, but at least I got 14 out of the 20 into the big circle.

On my first 8 shots while lying down (the guns we use hold 4 bullets per cartridge), I got 5/8. If you zoom into the above image, you might be able to see all 5 holes in the target.

Hector half-loads his rifle.

Hannah shoots standing up.

Svalbard REU (minus Julie) prepared to survive in the Arctic (photo courtesy of Julie Brigham-Grette)

Once we were "skilled" in the use of a rifle, we drove back down to UNIS for survival suit training. We all had to jump off a dock into the water in our survival suits, and crawl back up onto the dock. I used the "beached whale" technique of getting out, by pulling up with my arms, throwing one leg on the dock, and rolling over to get the rest of my body up. We also had another test, which required us to rope together and swim to the shore. Let's just say swimming in a survival suit is kind of like swimming in honey...

After safety training, we had a bit of time before dinner to relax and explore the town. We dined at the KROA, which is one of the few restaurants in Longyearbyen. I tried my first bite of cured minke whale, which I have to admit was not bad. Granted, it was also heavily spiced. After dinner, we went to the Svalbar for drinks.