Ascent from the East Coast
To us, a true crossing of Greenland starts on the shores of the east coast and finishes on those of the west; flying by helicopter high onto the Icecap takes much away from the adventure of the journey. The initial and final sections can be challenging but that's where our local knowledge comes in; we regularly search out the best route we can find through the crevasse fields, recording it all on GPS. It is possible to start out from the village of Isortoq, but we prefer the remoter Nagtivit fjord - a beautiful & peaceful place to start the expedition. In April 2007 the GES team, following a precise GPS course, ascended the glacier and reached the open plateau in 6 hours.
The Plateau
Once out of the coastal region, our route gradually ascends in the course of c. 240km to the highpoint of the expedition (2500m above sea level). The incline is almost imperceptible but the daily distances covered before and after the summit are telling. Within several days of starting, the mountains of the East Coast drop below the horizon. Once over the ummit, the next significant way-point is the abandoned Dye-2 Distant Early Warning station, an eerie reminder of the Cold War (built by the USA in the 50s to detect missile attacks).
Descent to the West Coast
As the team nears the west coast, we will enter an area of ice disturbance & potential melt-water and work our way through that to gain land at Point 660. Carrying only essential equipment, the team will then undertake the 40km hike out through the tundra to Kangerlussuaq fjord (musk oxen are often seen in the area).
NAGTIVIT TO KANGERLUSSUAQ
The pulks are at their heaviest and the slopes the steepest when the team sets out from the East Coast. We therefore always plan on gradually 'acclimatising' to the workload of pulk-hauling by gradually increasing the number of hours skiing; in the opening stages, this tends to be 6 hours and towards the end, up to 9 or even 10. The skiing day is broken down into 1 hour blocks separated by 10 minute breaks, during which time it's important to eat and keep hydrated.Each team member will have the opportunity to take the lead and navigate for the group (and this role changes every hour).
An expedition crossing Greenland's Icecap is an exciting but challenging proposition and as such we place great emphasis on prior preparation and training. The experience contained within our expedition teams can range from those undertaking their first major expedition to others who have already skied to the South Pole. The type of preparation involved therefore varies greatly.
Personal Training Plan
Upon joining the team, one of our guides will work together with you to establish what you need to work on in the months leading up to the trip - being well prepared not only makes for a more enjoyable expedition but also a safer one. We will look at technical skills and physical fitness and establish a programme to help you get ready. Whether it's running, sessions in the gym, walking with a pack or tyre hauling, we can look at the techniques that we ourselves use to prepare for a season on the Ice.
Pre-Expedition Meeting: Finse, Norway
Finse (SW Norway) lies at 1222m and in winter provides the perfect training location to prepare for Greenland. At the pre-expedition meeting (details in the itinerary), we will look at some of the essential skills involved in the Crossing, from skiing with pulks, to camping and rope work. It's also an excellent opportunity to meet other expedition members and talk to people who have completed the trip.
Switzerland Training
In the off-season, several of the GES guiding team are based in the Swiss Alps. Expedition team members are welcome to visit us in the Berner Oberland to look at equipment, talk over the expedition and perhaps even get some training in on the devilishly steep hills that surround Meiringen - anyone for tyre hauling before breakfast!
Passing on Expedition Skills
Equipment
Equipment plays a vital part in the success or otherwise of expeditions on the Inland Ice. We're become rather obsessive about finding the best equipment for our trips up on the Ice. With hard experience gained in Greenland, the North and South Poles, we use the following:
Mountain Hardwear Trango tents: easily pitched, comfortable& extremely strong in a storm.
Asnes skis
Please note that this is an example itinerary, and is dependent upon team ability, local conditions and infrastructure.
Day 1
Fly Copenhagen - Iceland. Arrive in Keflavik, Iceland. Transfer to Reykjavik. Overnight in guesthouse.
Day 2
Fly Reykjavik to Kulusuk, East Greenland. A short transfer from accommodation to the airport. Flight by bi-prop Fokker 50 or Dash over the Denmark Strait. Impressive views of the pack ice, 'bergs and mountains of East Greenland. Land on the snow/gravel strip at Kulusuk. Meet guide.
Spring Expedition Transfer by helicopter to Tasiilaq. Settle into hotel.
Day 3
One full day will be spent checking and preparing our equipment and going over safety with the team's guide.
Day 4
An early start and all the equipment is loaded into the helicopter, before making the spectacular short journey SW to the frozen fjord that lies directly in front of the point we'll ascend onto the Icecap. The Ice meets the frozen sea in a series of vertical cliffs, and crucially for us, a low angled smooth 'ramp'. Begin the ascent of the glacier.
or/
August Expedition With our baggage in a 4WD, we'll make the short walk into the Inuit village of Kulusuk and settle into our hostel.
Day 3
One full day will be spent checking and preparing our equipment and going over safety with the team's guide.
Day 4
Transferring our baggage to the edge of the fjord, we will be met by our boat. We will then make the spectacular journey to a remote fjord near Isortoq where the Icecap meets the sea in a gently angled slope. Upon arriving (time very much dependent upon ice conditions), we will prepare our equipment before beginning the actual Crossing.
NB. From here on, our itinerary is going to be very variable, depending on snow and ice conditions, fitness of the team, weather etc. The day breakdown given below is meant to give you some idea of how the Crossing could go.
Day 5
With the pulks at their heaviest, the ice surface rough and the ground sloping relatively steeply up the initial 20km, the first days will be taken slowly and steadily, as we become accustomed to the systems we will be using every day of the expedition. At the end of the day, camp will be established. As well as getting much needed rest, time in the tents is occupied with melting snow to rehydrate after the day's exertions, and in eating plenty. The views back to the coast are simply breath-taking; a 220 degree panorama of mountains, vast glacier & iceberg-studded fjords.
Day 6
Polar expeditions are all about breaking down seemingly huge distances into 'bite-size' pieces, establishing routines or rhythms that increase efficiency and 'eat into' the mileage. Each skiing day is broken down into short segments, between which we take 10 minute breaks. In these early days, particular care will be taken to avoid any potential crevasse danger. At the end of the day, camp is established. We will generally sleep 2-3 to a tent, each pair preparing their own meals and water.
Day 7
As we leave the coast behind, the potential for crevasses lessens and the going gets less steep. Our daily distance covered and final position, plotted each night, will increase as the expedition progresses.
Day 8-20
As the team becomes used to daily expedition life, we will gradually increase our hours of travel. Although we will be skiing over the middle of an Icecap that stretches hundreds and even thousands of kilometres in every direction, the continually changing light as sunsets roll into sun rises, and differing levels of cloud cover changes snow contrast, make for a hauntingly beautiful icescape.
Day 21
After days of pulling gradually uphill, at around 2500m we will reach the Icecap's summit. At this elevation, temperatures can drop to the expedition's lowest.
Day 22-29
Having passed the summit, the ice starts, at first imperceptably, to drop towards the west coast. With increasingly light pulks and easier pulling, our daily distances are likely to greatly increase.
Day 30-31
The first distant sighting of the hills of the West Coast act as a signal that we will be entering the bare, 'bumpy' and sometimes rough ice of the last section of the icecap. Methodically working through the humps and melt water channels of the area, we'll steadily approach land.
Day 32
Dry land! Stones, soil and plants after weeks of snow and ice... We leave the Ice behind and prepare our equipment for the walk out to the coast. Sleds, skis and other equipment no longer of use are collected by 4-wheel-drive and taken to Kangerlussuaq. We begin our walk through the tundra landscape of low vegetation, streams and small lakes. It's amazing how lush such a landscape looks after the Ice of the Interior. When Nansen and his team reached the West Coast after their epic first crossing of Greenland, they spent hours lying on the sort ground and eating the berries that grew everywhere. Travelling towards Kangerlussuaq, it's possible we may see herds of muskoxen; a member of the goat family, they live year-round in this stark landscape.
Day 33
After another day of trekking through the tundra and hills surrounding Kangerlussuaq, we complete our Crossing of Greenland by reaching the shores of the fjord. Next, the chance to take a shower, eat a hot meal and sleep in a bed for the first time in awhile. A night of celebration!
Day 34
Kangerlussuaq - Contingency Day
Day 35
In less than 2 hours, we fly back across the Icecap that we've spent the last weeks crossing. The plane continues towards Europe and a rather big culture shock after the peace of the Icecap. End of expedition.