X’GREENLAND NANSEN
FOLLOW Villads, Elad, Mikael, Anders AND Kathinka
day 33 - full stop
So, it seems like mother nature has decided that this is the end of the road for us on foot for this time
We are currently camping on the river bank waiting for a helicopter to pick us up tomorrow.
The melting had stopped high up in the icefall (thanks for that), but down here the river was flooded. The masses of whater was so strong we have no chance to get over safely. Last year we brough a packraft. Then we did not need it. This year we dropped the packraft - and needed - it desperatly. Big mistake. Will not happen again!
Spirits are not so high right now, but the sun is shining and we are all just trying to make peace with this and think back on all the things we have accomplished already on this expedition. We HAVE successfully managed to cross the inland icecap! And we have gone as far as we possibly could towards the west coast. GOOD JOB TEAM
Kathinka & the team
day 32 Friday (13th) - A day to remember
Our final day on the Greenland icecap! We started out at a good pace this morning, with the goal of reaching dry land before dark. Although quite bumpy and a lot of ice, we were able to make a lot of distance in the beginning. And best of all we had sun, despite the prognosis of rain.
After about 15 kilometers we were starting to get much lower, and the hills got steeper. Not wanting to risk anything, we took our skis off and did the last 8 kilometers on foot. Obviously our pace went down a lot, and there was many old melting rivers in the way of smooth sailing. But after about five hours on foot we finally made it to dry land.
After a few hugs and cheers, we carried all our gear a few hundred meters to what is our camp site. This is also where the helicopter will pick up our stuff next week.
Such a great effort by the whole team. Both today and in crossing the icecap.
Now comes a well deserved rest, before continuing the rest of the journey by foot down Austmannadalen.
Anders and the rest of the team
day 31 - What a day!
Today started with a bit of a whiteout, and some anticipation for an upcoming crevasse area. We knew that last year’s team struggled a lot in that particular area, and we didn’t know what was expecting us. So we started out from camp roped up, and ready for all scenarios. Luckily once we got there, the crevasses was snow filled and pretty safe, and we could push on. What last year’s team spent 3-4 hours struggling with, we only used around 30-40 minutes to get through.
Once we were well past the crevasses, we took off the rope and pushed our pace. With increasing speed, the sun popped up and brought a really warm afternoon. A true sweat fest going through today’s hauls. We only met a few more crevasse areas to navigate, and were able to make a lot of distance and downhill. We are now a lot lower, with less snow and more ice, and are anxious to see what meets us tomorrow. Maybe our last day on the ice.
The whole team made a really great effort today, so kudos to all of us. *patting ourselves on the back *
Anders and the rest of the team
day 30 - Land o’hoi!
Another beautiful day comes to an end here on the Greenland icecap. Knowing it’s not many evenings like this left in the tent, we sit here and reminisce about the great experience we’ve had so far. And really enjoying the moment.
And today was a great day. After a period with really cold weather, it is now a lot warmer and getting up in the morning feels quite pleasant. We started out today in snow and whiteout, but around midday the snow stopped and we got great visibility. The sky seemed endless and huge today, one of the most beautiful days on the trip.
And on the last couple of pulls we were in for a treat. Suddenly mountain tops popped up over the horizon, the first sight of land in about 25 days.
Tomorrow we push on through the ice falls and crevasses, and are excited to see what meets us this year.
Anders and the rest of the team
day 29 - An end and a beginning
Today we had another cold and crisp start of the morning. But the sun was out, the wind was in our back and it made a beautiful start. We quickly got to the waypoint that marks the start of the western ice falls. This marks the end of crossing the plateau, and is the beginning of a new phase of our journey.
Entering the ice falls the terrain changed quickly. We suddenly had a long and (relatively) steep downhill. There was suddenly rolling hills and no longer just flat areas. This is the first big change in a long time, and feels pretty exciting and energizing.
We now have a few days of navigating crevasses, it will definitely be interesting to see what the area looks like this year.
Picture is from where the first waypoint of the ice falls was.
Anders and the rest of the team
Day 28 monday
Four weeks coming to an end
Today marks the end of our fourth week on the icecap. We woke up to the coldest day we have had so far, probably in the -25 to -30 degree range. Really hard to get out of the sleeping bags and get ready, but once we got going it was a beautiful day. We had sun all day, the wind in our back and the snow was easy and fast. And finally quite a bit of downhill. A good ending to the fourth week.
And knowing it has been four weeks already is strange. Although you can feel homesick in certain moments, and it can feel like a long time until you are finished, time flies fast. Thinking back on the day we started carrying all our stuff up to the ice, it feels like yesterday. So I know that my personal diary will come in handy when I am back home, and think back on it all. Soon this will all be memories, so we cherish each moment now.
And are getting ready for the next phase, which is the western ice falls.
dag 27
The day started out with sunshine, after a cold night. It has been a cold day as well.
We had the first 5 pulls in sunshine, then the next 2 in whiteout, but that was when we finally got to something that resembled downhill and we got very excited!
The sun returned and stayed with us until camp.
We are so busy skiing and taking in the scenery that we forget to take pictures, so once again you will have to use your imagination. And wait to see pictures when we get home.
Kathinka & the team
Day 26 - back in action
After being in the tent for 24 hours we all wanted to get out!
According to the forecast the wind and snow was going to slow down around 11:00, so we decided to be ready to go then. Turns out our weather man was right, after about 2 pulls the wind slowed down and the sun came out!
It turned out to be a great day on the Greenland icecap!
With the sun shining from a clear blue sky the icecap looked bedazzled with millions of perfect diamonds!!!!
Kathinka & the team
day 25 - out of office
Tentbound all day. With -10-14°C, 16 to 23ms wind straight in their faces with heavy snowfall, they stayd in thr tents. On one side they are eager to get to the icefall, on the other side, it made sence to rest up a bit before our last big battle with the ice. This is what they said:
Weatherday, it had to come at some point!
We have been hanging out in our tents and sleeping bags all day long waiting for the wind to blow away. And we are still waiting!
We have been eating, drinking, reading and sleeping. Not much more to do in a small tent all day.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring us weather we can ski in - we are ready and eager to get back out there!!!
So fingers crossed people!
Spirits are high and we are enjoying life on the icecap!
Kathinka & the team
day 24: Into the great white open!
It’s been a white day, and as far as we can feel it’s been going uphill……
But we are hoping that it was downhill!
According to the gps it was 30meters down. We are currently at the same hight as the highest mountain in Norway.
Its been slow moving today, and now we are in camp waiting for some big winds tonight. So tomorrow we will have a later start, the wind is supposed to slow down slowly after 11:00 tomorrow morning. Nice to sleep in a little bit longer than usual.
Kathinka & the team
day 23 - perfect wednesday
After yesterday, today was PERFECT
PERFECT snow PERFECT glide PERFECT temperature PERFECT team PERFECT wind
It’s just simply been an awesome day!
And on top of that we have seen 4 birds!
Does that mean we are getting closer to land? Or are the birds simply lost in the white out?
Now we are in our PERFECT camp melting snow for dinner and tomorrow’s new day of pulling our sleds!
Kathinka & the team
day 22 tuesday - -
Rain, rain go to Spain and never come back again!
We started out in white out and rain, lots of rain. Till we were soaked to the bone. Then it stopped for a while and the wind blew us dry. Just in time for the rain to come back again.
But then all of a sudden it stopped raining again and the sun came out, so after jet another blow dry - we ended up with a better day than we expected!
We have all been thinking we have been going downhill all day, but after checking the gps we have not
Now we are in camp trying to dry our boots before the cold weather tomorrow, frozen boots are not nice.
Kathinka & the team
day 21 monday . the earth is flat
The horizon is never ending!
The day started with white out the first pull, but then the sun broke through the clouds and the world opened up - we could see again!
The rest of the day was spent skiing in the sun looking at the horizon, that was never ending.
I think we all agree that the world is flat!
All in all a beautiful day on the Greenland ice cap
Kathinka & the team
It was so beautiful that we all forgot to take a picture today, so you will all have to imagine it.
day 20: Summit and milestones
Yesterday was a rather demanding day in terms of how the weather was. When we woke up this morning we feared that today was going to be the same, but decided to put on our skis and give it a go. The first couple of hours were hard, but then the wind decided to go down, the snow stopped and the sun peaked down on us through the snow drift. A really pleasant surprise.
Today we really had our hope for reaching the highest point of our journey, called «summit». And so we did. Hooray! We reached a little over 2600 meters above sea level before going downwards ever so slowly.
Summit is one of the real milestones of this crossing. Now we are done with climbing, and will be going down again towards the sea. Although it is far from a downhill slope, it is a mental boost to know that it should feel a little bit easier from here.
Setting some milestones is important on a trip like this. If your only goal is to reach the west coast and having crossed Greenland, I am pretty sure this will feel like a very long trip. So most of us create a lot of smaller milestones for ourselves along the way. Everything from saving that special piece of chocolate for a certain brake during the day to changing underwear every 10th day (or only once if you like). Braking down the crossing into smaller bite size pieces that can be celebrated makes you able to enjoy every day so much more.
Anders and the rest of the team
day 19 saturday: Reaching and not reaching goals
The forecast for today was cold, wind and total whiteout. And that is absolutely what we got. Unless the weather is super bad, we always try to get out to see what it feels like. So we started out as usual, with the goal of reaching summit. However, after four pulls in severe weather, we decided to set camp again. With winds and cold like today, there was a real risk of frostbite, which we absolutely want to avoid.
So, we didn’t reach our goal today, which is completely fine. Having goals on a trip like this is important, but you always have to be flexible. As previously mentioned, things change so fast up here. Being able to adapt to the changes are more important than being totally goal oriented. As someone smart said (Eisenhower, maybe?), “plans are nothing, planning is everything”. That is a very good way of approaching this, and we always try to think of many different scenarios before deciding anything.
Tomorrow is a new day, maybe that will be the day we reach summit. Or maybe not. We will see.
And when nothing else to do, have chocolate and coffee in the sleeping bag. Also, the weather didn’t really allow any outdoor action photos today.
Anders and the rest of the team
day 18 friday
An ever changing landscape
As we left DYE3 today, we said goodbye to the last man made object we will see until we reach the west coast. Strange, but it feels good to continue our journey west.
Today was a nice and fast day, with a bit colder weather than we have seen so far. After a few warm days, the cold over night made the snow hard packed and fast to ski on. We made good distances in the beginning, and continued our climb towards “summit” (the highest point on the journey). Later in the day we got some more snow and whiteout, but as we put up the camp, the sun came out again. A good ending to the day.
And being here on the Greenland ice cap, is being part of an ever changing landscape. A lot of people think all you see is white for a month. Which is true from a distance. But when being here, you will see a continuous changes all the time. One day you are battling sastrugi, but when you wake up the next morning they are snow filled and completely gone. Throughout a day you can see snow formations always being changed by wind and weather. And when you one moment are skiing in a whiteout, you can five minutes later have full sunshine.
Appreciating all the small changes is part of what makes this a grand experience. This is such a dynamic place, in fact more than at home. If you keep your eyes and mind open for it.
Anders and the rest of the team
day 17, thursday: A day to die fo(u)r!
Well, that pun doesn’t really work, since we are now at DYE3, and not DYE4 (DYE is pronounced die).
After a heavy day yesterday, and forecasted warm temperatures today as well, we were a bit anxious about how today would feel. But luckily the snow was quite nice, and we made good progress. Even on the first pull of the day we could see DYE3 on the horizon. Almost 11 kilometers ahead of us, it took us about five hours to get here. Approaching a man made object in such a remote location is kind of surreal, but it is also one of the few “natural” milestones we have (more on milestones in a later post).
DYE3 is a relic from the Cold War. It was a part of a series of radar stations (5, 2 on ice 3 on land) around the northern hemisphere, built to warn America about nuclear attacks. Some time after the Cold War ended, these radar stations were abandoned over night (August 1988), and are now left behind and slowly being swallowed by the ice. These stations are much bigger than it seems on pictures, and it is strange to think that people were stationed here permanently at some point.
Villads and I were able to rappel into the crater around DYE3 today, and made our way inside. We made it five stories underground, seeing old bedrooms, common rooms, operation rooms and even a sauna. A strange place to be after 17 days in nothingness, but also a really special experience.
Somehow it feels a bit energizing to reach this place. A good start for the next part of our adventure.
day 15 wednesday: Wet! Wet! Wet!
No, not the band from the 80s, but today’s conditions here in Greenland. We started our day in crisp and nice weather, but the clouds and snow quickly came in. Hence, we got to practice our compass skills again today.
After half a day or so, the snow turned wet and it felt like it was raining. Luckily, a rain poncho is on our packing list, perfect to cover up our beddings with the sleeping bags and such.
The snow turned in to towers under our skis, and us guys got to feel what it’s like walking in stilettos. Or on stilts.
Although today was a bit on the tougher side, these conditions are expected on a fall crossing of Greenland. And we had fun along the way as well, thinking of Christmas and Christmas songs.
Now that we are dry and warm in the tents, with a hot chocolate in our cups, life feels really good!
And tomorrow DYE3 hopefully awaits us.
Anders and the rest of the team
day 15 tuesday - Perspectives from the white out
Waking up today we were expecting sun, and a little bit of a fight with the sastrugi. Just as we had yesterday. But life had other plans for us today.
All the sastrugi from yesterday were completely covered in hard packed snow, which calls for fast and smooth skiing. However, the snowy weather was still present, and we got almost a full day in the whiteout.
Skiing in whiteout can be both frustrating and fun. It feels like you are inside a ping pong ball, and when you are in front pulling, you loose all sense of perspectives. When you think you are going straight, you are in fact going hard to one of the sides. And when you think you are turning, you are going straight. Very much a mental game, where the only thing you can do is focus on the compass strapped in front of you. And as soon as the mind wanders, you are bound to be going out of course.
But when you are in the back of the line, with nothing to put your eyes on, it gives you a good chance to think and contemplate about everything and nothing.
And today was a day like that. When the sun finally shine through the clouds at the end of the day, it feels like the whole world opens up. And you suddenly feel very small in a very large landscape.
Truly a good day, with many good experiences. And maybe the kind of experiences that are hard to understand unless you are here seeing it for yourself.
PS! The picture is only an illustration, we were on course most of the day :)
day 14 monday
Another beautiful day, with some wind - so back in the hood.
I had first pull today, and the surface was hard and fast, and I was going downhill! Great for me, but not so great for Villads who had the next pull. Because that was when we started up the “Stairway to heaven” as the hill is now named.
The day continued on up today, but we are getting closer and closer to DYE 3. Our plan is to arrive there on Thursday mid day.
Now I will give you a little peak inside the hood/head of a polar guide:
As the day goes by there are a lot of thoughts that come and go. Some needs to be thought about and some can just go. But every now and again there is something that sniks into the brain and doesn’t want to leave! Normally that is a song. Today on pull number 7 that happened to me! It almost drove me crazy!!!
Google it if you can: Ken Lee
It is performed by a cute little girl in a talent show, I’m sure it’s on YouTube😂
Kathinka & the team
🙄 Help from the Hometeam: Ken Lee - Just to show you the emense mental burden of crossing Greenland 🫣
day 13 sunday - give it to us
It’s been a day of all seasons today. We started off in a little wind and cold - then the wind disappeared and the sun turned on full heat- so we were skiing in our netting (netting = mesh :-) again. But then all of a sudden the wind came back and we had to hurry up and get dressed right away.
The snow conditions have also changed throughout the day. From frozen on the top, to wind blown sastrugi, to wet and sticky - so we had to wax both skins, skis and sleds, and back to harder surface again.
Tomorrow we are hoping for hard and fast surface!
Kathinka and the team
one dozen days in, it’s saturday: THE HOOD
The hood is a sanctuary, the hood is a polar adventurers best friend, the hood provides shelter, the hood offers silence, the hood gives room for silent reflection, the hood is a good place to be in peace!
Kathinka and the hood’s
day 11, free-day
After a windy night we packed up our tents and went for a little ski trip again today. The forecast was that it would be a hot day, and after 4 pulls the snow was so soft and sticky that we decided to take the rest of the day off. It is supposed to be cooler tomorrow so we are hoping that the snow will freeze again by then.
The half rest day is used to reorganise sleds, relaxing, eating, reading and fixing things that need fixing.
Life is good on the Greenland icecap!
Kathinka & the team
DAY 10: The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
If this has any truth to it - we just got a whole lot of answers!!!!
Kathinka & the team
Homebase’s comment: the weather for Thursday was:
Sun, -5°, 16/21ms NNW
The team did a tad more than 20km and navigated dead on their bearing. Very impressive stuff.
day 9 - content
A more demanding day at work than before!
The day started off with a big uphill, it seemed never ending. But we concord it in 2,5 pulls! After that we got “gjennombruddsskare” as we say in Norwegian the rest of the day. It is when you think you can go on top of the snow, but at the last second you go through.
But the team stayed strong and spirits were high - so we still managed to enjoy the day.
The sun has been out all day and the wind still blowing!
Kathinka & the team
day 8
We got clouds! And a little wind to get us going this morning. But the wind died down and the clouds thickened so we have now had our first day of whiteout. That always makes room for some interesting navigation.
The team has learned a lot from today. But the King of Whiteout today is Anders!
He navigated straight as an arrow!
The weather has changed a lot today, cold and windy morning, a little bit of rain midday and really warm this afternoon.
It’s been a good day on the icecap!
Kathinka & the team
day 7
Another beautiful day on the Greenland icecap!
During the night the wind picked up and this morning it was blowing a good “stiv kuling” in at around 90 degrees on our course. But the sun was still shining and the snow was hard. So no problem to get on with the day and go for a ski.
Today we increased our pulls to 55 minutes and 10 minutes break. That gives us an extra 40 minutes of skiing time a day without us really feeling to much difference. That resulted in 25 kilometres today.
The whole team is in great spirits!
Kathinka & the team
day 6 - Greenland - the land of contrast!
We started the day with full goretex expedition outfit in a cold breeze.
But the wind died and the sun was baking - so the day ended in just our netting! The snow was great and hard almost the whole day, so we got 22 kilometres in today.
Everyone has been doing their share of navigating and it has been straight as an arrow today.
Kathinka & the tea
day 5
A beautiful day on the Greenland icecap!
We are on skis, the snow is hard and the sun is shining! The team is on time every morning, and in great spirits!
We skied 8 pulls of 50 minutes today and did 19,6 kilometres. Everyone took their turn in front and navigated on the compass course.
Now we are in camp and enjoying dinner and some rest.
We also saw polar bear tracks today!
Kathinka & the team
Day 4 - on skies!
We were off to a late start today in a little bit of rain. Morten and our team doing the Classic route, started early and came by to say hi.
The sun came out and we were baking the rest of the day!
There is a lot more snow this year compared to last year so as soon as we had crossed the swamp we put on skies and skied for the last 3 pulls and are super excited and happy with our progress today.
Kathinka & the team
day 3
Last night we had rain during some of the bear watch. But luckily it stopped just before we started walking, and we had a great day again. First a little bumpy and then straight into the BIG HILL! The team worked as superheroes and we made it all the way to the top!
This is the camp with the best view of all!
Ready to sleep flat for the first night, and another great day tomorrow.
Kathinka & the team
Day 2 - the climb has begun
A beautiful morning!
The team was up eager and ready to go on schedule this morning. So we all set out on our first full day on the ice with big smiles.
Up, up, up we went. We found a good route and good routine. And kept going for 7 pulls of 50 minutes until camp. Camp today is a bit on the bumpy side, but as a treat we almost have running water, as the tents sits on bumps surrounded by little streams. So we don’t need to melt ice for water.
Tired bodies went to sleep early as yet another night of bearwach awaits.
Kathinka & the team
DAY 1 - tuesday - we are GO!
It’s been a long day but we have reached the ice!
We left Tasiilaq around 9:45 and was transported by boat through fjords full of icebergs! And a sleeping whale.To Isortok fjords, where we started our journey up to the ice. Carrying all we need for the next 35 days. The whole team did a fantastic job so when we reached the ice we had dinner on land next to the ice while watching the sun set over the icecap.
Before we continued a short time up on the ice till we reached a flat camp.
Everyone is sleeping and I have first bearwatch.
A great day on Greenland 🇬🇱
Kathinka & the team
Day -1 MONDAY: Last day in town
Our last day in town for a long time.
We are eager to get going now and hopefully the weather will be on our side tomorrow morning for our scheduled departure at 09:00.
Sleds are packed, tents rolled, stoves tested and plans made. But expeditions are expeditions so plans can change and we will follow nature and prevail.
Wish us the best, and enjoy our diary 😊
Kathinka & the team
Day -1 (+/-1?) - sunday
Today was supposed to be our final prep day here in Tasiilaq. It was a rainy and windy day, so we finished our outdoor prep yesterday, and have done the final indoor prep today.
We also got a chance to see the Olympic mens finals in handball where Denmark won , and made Villads happy🇩🇰.
We then got the message that the winds today has created big waves out in the fjord so we have to postpone our departure to Tuesday.
So that gives us a day off tomorrow. But this is how expeditions are, hurry up and wait😀 But all good spirits and we are ready!
Kathinka & the team
Day -2, Saturday
Today’s episode of our journey towards the Greenland icecap has been yet another beautiful day!
We have continued with our endless packing and organising of food and equipment. But we can now see the light in the end of the tunnel. Tents have been piched and rolled and we have also shipped our civilian clothes to the west coast. That is a milestone, and means that we are getting closer to heading out.
All very excited!
Kathinka & the team
day -3, Fiday, Tasiilaq
A beautiful day in paradise aka Tasiilaq!
Today we have packed, shopped and done gear checks. Things are starting to come together, but we are still waiting for our last team member to arrive tonight. So tomorrow we are everyone and ready for the final preparations to be done.
Everyone is excited about the upcoming expedition and in great spirits 😊🇬🇱
COUNTDOWN, DAY -7
Everybody is packing and preparing. Soon you can follow this team coast to coast over the epic greenland Icecap