The Great Greenland Icecap Ski Traverse

Dan and Elaine's tent (they camped overnight behind Kulusuk airport before
catching the helicopter to Tasiilaq). Multiple dog sled teams passed
by during their time there - it's just how folks get around.
Photo by Dan Vardamis - Kulusuk, Greenland, April 18, 2018

Those of you who were following Head in the Clouds Amherst last summer may recall my periodic postings about Dan and Elaine, my brother and sister-in-law, who live in the mountains of Colorado. Last summer, from around April through September, they did a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail from the border of Mexico to Canada. Their current mission is to ski across the Greenland ice cap. Yesterday marked the start of their ascent to the ice sheet, about 7,000 feet above sea level, pulling two sleds with a combined starting weight of over 300 lbs. It sounds torturous to me, but this is what they live for.

My brother's daily check-in last night after a very strenuous first day:

It’s not every day you get to do a polar bear watch on the edge of the Greenland icecap under the northern lights with a shotgun in hand.

Just to be clear, they are not hunters (plus, of course, polar bears are protected). Shotguns are on Greenland's strongly advised list of equipment that people should bring for self-defense when venturing out in this region. Dan and Elaine did not actually bring shotguns. They just fortuitously joined forces with two Polish women adventurers who happened to be armed.

It apparently takes a village to mount this kind of an expedition. In addition to teaming up with strangers from time to time (like the two Polish women), Dan and Elaine also have the voluntary support of a Dutch weatherman, who is sending them daily updates so they can make an informed decision about whether and when to proceed each day. One of the major concerns is running into a Greenland weather phenomenon known as “piteraq” winds - extremely strong hurricane-force winds that sweep across the icecap. They have to prepare and hunker down when piteraq are forecast or they could be in real trouble. So this individual is a critical part of their journey. So far (now day two), the weather has been improving, so fingers crossed.

If you’d like to follow their approximately 3-4 week traverse across Greenland, check out the link below. They will be trying to update it each day with a brief description of happenings on the ice. And if you want to message them, they’d love it! And, of course, I'll be adding periodic updates to Head in the Clouds as well.

Dan and Elaine’s Ski Across Greenland Map and Progress

To quote Captain Kirk, referring to his own crew, "May fortune favor the foolish" (albeit extremely well prepared in every way). But don't tell Dan and Elaine I said that!