Consortium members, traveling from Wales, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Italy, and Kenya, met at the Karlshruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Campus Alpin in Germany for a kick-off meeting in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The main aims of the meeting were to discuss the scientific work planned for the coming three years of the project and to become acquainted with each other, given that we represent different countries, institutes, and universities with diverse backgrounds. Achieving a common understanding of the project was a fundamental part of the meeting. To facilitate this, a trip to the top of Zugspitze, which at 2,962m is the highest peak in Germany, was arranged. With blue skies and a view of the Alps extending into Austria and Switzerland, the weather could not have been more perfect for the trip. We visited the research station at Zugspitze, which focuses on climate changes related to permafrost, and had lunch at the restaurant at the summit. A spontaneous project meeting took place up there, in a location that would be hard to surpass for any future meetings.