 Over the following winter , preparations were made for the summer sledging . Because the conditions — constant , strong winds and an excessive slope by the hut — prevented Mertz from conducting skiing lessons as regularly as intended , he focussed instead on helping Ninnis to care for the dogs . On days when the weather was good they drove the dogs around outside the hut , teaching them to run in teams ; when the winds returned the pair fitted and sewed harnesses for each dog , and prepared their sledging food . By this time Mertz and Ninnis developed a close friendship , as the expedition 's taxidermist Charles <unk> later wrote : 
