Old Mother Frost had been hard at work. The roads were sometimes so full of snow that you couldn’t make out the roadside. Conifers whizzed by to the left and right, their branches caving under the weight of the snow. The drizzle drummed on the windscreen and blurred the back lights of the car on the horizon. The windscreen wipers constantly had to ensure visibility. The van relentlessly battled on through ice and snow with its studded tyres.

However, in the vehicle sat not two frozen snowmen, as you might think, but two adventurers who weren’t even wearing coats or scarves. No wonder, as Pieter and Jasper had Webasto technology on board. The Thermo Top Evo and Air Top 2000 STC parking heaters guaranteed pleasant warmth at all times. It did get cold out on the road on day 4 of the challenge, nevertheless, but only because the vehicle got stuck in the snow and the two of them had to get out.

Where even sled dogs get cold feet. 

The North Cape Challenge really wasn’t a walk in the park. The guys crossed regions where even sled dogs get cold feet. The route took them from Amsterdam to Utrecht, across Denmark, Sweden and Finland to Norway. We reported on the North Cape Challenge before the duo left. The event has been held since 2011 with several teams taking part. In 2019, the two marine application engineers from Webasto entered as Team 115.

“As we grew accustomed to Scandinavian driving (going at 100 km/h – over 62 mph – on ice), we started to complete the challenges set by our supporters to raise money for charity,” the team explained. “We drove past the Russian border, did 50 press-ups, taught a Dutch sentence to a local and even got the chance to take a photo of us with the aurora borealis.” But the Northern Lights weren’t the only highlight of the 7,200 km (roughly 4,500 mile) trip. There were also moments of adventure with rides on a sled pulled by huskies and on a snow scooter.

Extremely chuffed.  

Ice diving on day 11 is surely an experience they’ll never forget. A huge hole had been carved into the ice, a ladder plunged into the water. We have a video of Pieter and Jasper taking their turn to submerge in the water. Respect! The pair took on every single challenge to raise money for VaarKracht, a foundation that offers sailing trips for people living with cancer, enabling them to momentarily forget about their worries and draw strength from the experience. The Webasto diesel cooker turned out to be an unexpected hero: it was always there, ready and waiting to prepare hot coffee and soups to lift spirits.

Day 7 was the moment they’d both been waiting for: Pieter and Jasper reached the North Cape. They were extremely chuffed and posed with the Webasto flag in front of the large metal globe on the viewing platform. Mission accomplished. Congratulations to them both! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors and, above all, the people who donated to the cause. On day 13, Pieter and Jasper arrived safely back in the Netherlands, having raised a whopping €5,200 for VaarKracht. 

In the end they throw down the gauntlet: “We want to challenge our colleagues: Who will be the next Webasto team to go on a fund-raising journey?” We can’t wait to see who takes up the mantle!