I met Chris in Svalbard when I was doing my Ph.D. and we both worked on ice dynamics at Tunabreen glacier. We did two field trips together, one in 2015 where we spent a week together on a boat with a big field team, and another in 2016 where three of us (including myself and Chris) re-visited the glacier by helicopter. I also walked and looked after his dog, Jed, from time to time. Chris was always a familiar and positive face to see when I visited Svalbard. The two trips I did with Chris were incredible, probably some of the best fieldwork I have been part of, with fantastic company. Chris burst with enthusiasm, and always had a smile on his face. He never had anything negative to say. The first trip in particular was really physically challenging, having to carry four heavy time-lapse camera systems up a glacier AND THEN a huge scree slope. Whilst the rest of us complained it was hard and tiring, Chris never did. He was just happy and laughing, all the time. I am so saddened to hear of his passing, but I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet him and spend time with him in the field. Thank you Chris. I have found photos of Chris initially from our second field trip with the helicopter. I really wish I could share some photos from the first field trip also, but I have misplaced them for now. I will continue searching and post them here if I find them.
Chris and Richard Delf (Ph.D. student at University of Edinburgh) waiting for the helicopter to be checked before our flight to Tunabreen (2016)
Chris and Richard with a laser scanner on top of the scree slope looking down over Tunabreen glacier. Chris is probably saying here how awesome it was that he could play with his newly purchased toys for the Arctic Geophysics department! (2016)
Thank you for sharing these memories 🤍