Greenland Ice Cap Expeditions

Dates: April
Cost: depends on number in your group

Note: These are Contract Expeditions

Kite Ski: 20 days

Ski with dog sled support: 25 days

Ski without dogs: 30 days

Crossing the Greenland ice cap is considered one of the classic Polar expeditions. We follow in the footsteps of Fridjof Nansen, the great Norwegian polar explorer who first crossed the Greenland Ice Cap in 1888. The “inland ice” as the local Greenlanders call it, is the second largest ice cap in the world (second to Antarctica).

We begin our expeditions on the east coast in the town of Ammassalik . (You can fly to Ammassalik from Iceland ). From here we charter a helicopter that take us up on the ice cap. Our route roughly follows the Arctic Circle, 550 kilometers across the undulating vastness of the Greenland Ice cap to finish in Kangerlussuaq. Our expeditions are offered in April when the sun shines nearly 24 hours per day and the temperature are a comfortable -10 to -25 C.

Kite Ski Expeditions: Ski kiting has opened a whole new exhiserating way to travel, and the Greenland Ice Cap offers greatest kite-sking conditions in the world. At the start we will need to ski, hauling our pulks with all our supplies, through crevasse fields until we have gained enough altitude to catch the catabatic winds that descend down the ice cap. If there are one to two team members the expedition will be guided by Sarah or Eric McNair-Landry. If the group is larger than two there will be two kite guides: Eric, Sarah or Matty.

Prerequisites: Must be in good physical condition. Cross country ski skills, basic kiting and winter camping experience are highly recommended.

Ski and Dog Sled Expeditions: A ski trip supported by dog team is a fantastic was to cross the Greenland Ice Cap. The dog team carries: dog food, group gear, food and fuel. At the start you may be asked to carry some of your personal gear untill the sled weights are reduced.
Travel with dogs adds another demention. Most of the time you will be skiing ahead of the dog team or beside the sled.

Ski Expedition: The all time classic is to ski, un-resupplied, across the Ice Cap, like Nanson first did in 1888. For this expedition you need to be in excellent physical condition as you will be skiing 6 to 8 hours a day, hauling pulks wighing up to 70 kg (160 lbs.) up hill at the start. Over the first weeks we climb up to nearly 10,000 ft.