Cross Country Ski Traverse Over Greenland (Central North Island)

In May / June of 2007, we are embarking on a ski traverse across the icy interior of Greenland. The aim will be to cross the island from Ammassalik / Kulusuk on the East Coast to Sondre Stromfjord on the West Coast, a distance of 335 miles (540km). The entire expedition will take place over a 34 day period. The expedition will be flown by helicopter from Ammassalik onto the icecap at the beginning of the traverse and from here we will travel an average of around 18-20km each day. Team members will haul sleds weighing (initially) 95kg with all the provisions for the entire journey. At the end of our journey we will be collected by vehicle and transported the short distance to Sondre Stromfjord for our flights home. You will need previous backcountry winter experience on skis and the ability to work well within a team environment. The nature of this expedition demands strong team cohesion and commitment. An essential ingredient is physical fortitude for working hard in a cold weather environment. We have programmed our traverse to take place over the early summer season when conditions are the most favorable and we can anticipate temperatures of –25 degrees on the coldest days. Your guide Leifur Örn Svavarsson (Einar Finnsson) will be leading the expedition on the traverse. In addition to having Greenland ski traverses in the past, Leifur has considerable polar travel experience. (Einar has done two crossings of the Greenland Icecap and several other expeditions in the Artic including; north- south crossings of the Icelandic highlands, crossings of the Vatnajökull glacier, two circle tours in Ammassalik Island in east Greenland and an expedition to the uninhabited Hornstrandir region of north-west Iceland). If you would like to join the expedition please request an Expedition Application Form and forward along with a list of your skiing and outdoor experience and the deposit for the trip.