Women's ski expedition across Franz Josef Land (1978)

Polar landscapes.

A group of skiers in the distance.

The women's ski team "Metelitsa" moves during the Franz Josef Land expedition in 1978, against a cloudy sky.

Snow hummocks and burrows.

The face of one of the expedition members.

The kitchen attendant fans the stove during a rest stop.

One of the expedition members applies frost cream to her face.

Faces of expedition members.

An expedition member at a rest stop.

Drying and airing boots.

Measuring the blood pressure of an expedition member.

The expedition meteorologist measures the wind force using a special device.

The expedition members continue on their way, towing sleds with equipment and gear, through the Arctic landscape.

A stop en route, the expedition members wait for stragglers.

The expedition moves on.

A ship appears on the horizon near the shore.

The expedition members clarify their directions based on the terrain and the map.

They drink hot tea from a thermos during a short rest stop.

The ski expedition continues on, stopping for a short meeting.

They pitch a tent for rest, using skis as stakes.

They line the tent with snow bricks.

A member of the expedition opens a package of dry rations for cooking.

Tubes of food and drink, bags and boxes of semi-cooked food and stew for the expedition members.

Cooking by pouring boiling water over the semi-cooked food.

One of the expedition members eats porridge from a bowl.

They remove a medical blanket from the package.

They test the durability of the medical blanket by carrying a person in it.

They pack the remaining supplies into the medical blanket.

They prepare the skis and gear for the journey ahead.

The expedition members set out, towing a sled loaded with supplies and climbing over snowdrifts.

They take down the tent and prepare to continue.

A smoke signal is sent.

A view of the snowy wilderness.

The expedition members emerge from the tent during another rest stop.

A polar aviation plane lands near the expedition camp.

The pilots and cameramen exit the plane.

The pilot embraces one of the expedition members.

The plane near the tent.

The expedition leader reports the route taken and the route ahead to the curator using the map.

The curator's face.

The cameraman, camera in hand, talks with the expedition members.

The tent is folded and gear and equipment are packed.

The expedition members check the route ahead using the map.

The expedition continues on.

A view of the polynya.

Expedition members navigate through the lumpy snow, holding on to a rope.

The women's ski expedition moves across Franz Josef Land.