Sarah McNair-Landry, Erik Boomer and Ben Stookesberry arrived at a “rare opportunity to travel through a chasm that would be unthinkable with temperatures above freezing”
Sarah McNair-Landry, Erik Boomer and Ben Stookesberry started their hiking and kite-ski journey on August 7 from Isortoq to the source of a meltwater river in the northwest of Greenland, a place Boomer calls, Twin Galaxies. Hauling a kayak and a red Paris sled each, the aim is to kayak down the meltwater river they had located on satellite images.
After crossing the Greenland Ice Cap on this diagonal route, at the beginning of September they started descending the Ice Cap at N70º 30′, only to be trapped in crevasse fields. Ben described it as “a maze of crevasses that is on one hand unavoidable and on another seemingly impenetrable.”
Firing them on, was the hope that the “spectacular river” would not be frozen.
On September 4, the team camped amongst meltwater lakes that feed the river. These lakes were frozen, but not solid. “Will the river be frozen too?” they wondered. Position: 71.3183N 050.7094W
On Day 30, September 7, after traveling 600 miles, Sarah, Boomer and Ben entered the top Canyon at Twin Galaxies Fjord. “Here in early September the water is almost frozen solid,” reported Ben, “and offers the rare opportunity to travel through a chasm that would be unthinkable with temperatures above freezing.”
Today the team reported from 71.3639N 051.0817W, “Tomorrow we hope to step out of our boats onto bare ground for the first time in a month. To do that we’ll pass through an ice canyon.”
Previous: Greenland kite-ski and river-kayak
Follow the team at this unnamed river here:
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At age 18, Sarah McNair-Landry became the youngest to ski to the South Pole and five years later, the youngest to ski to both Poles. She has guided teams to the South Pole and North Pole (full routes). Sarah has traversed the Greenland Ice Cap five times, venture into the Gobi Desert, and kite ski 3,300 km retracing the Northwest Passage. When she is not in the cold, she spends her time working in film. She has directed several documentaries and is a published photographer.
Erik Boomer is a pro kayaker, pro photographer, and a featured athlete in numerous adventure films. Boomer is not only an adventure photographer but also works as a commercial and editorial photographer. His confident approach to challenges on and off the river has earned him the title “the honey badger of kayaking”. With many first descents of rivers and waterfalls to his name, Boomer specializes in kayaking some of the world’s toughest rivers. In 2011, Boomer and John Turk became the first to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island on a 100-day ski and sea kayak expedition.
Ben Stookesberry is an accomplished kayaker, living in the USA.
Greenland Spring 2016
Greenland World Record: Effort and mental approach
Taking back their World Record: Explorersweb/Pythom Interview with Greenland speed ski team
“Age is just a number,” Explorersweb/Pythom interview with Ingrid Ortlieb
Previous/Related to Sarah and Erik on Explorersweb
4000km Baffin Island Circumnavigation interview with Sarah McNair-Landry and Erik Boomer
ExWeb Ellesmere Island interview with Erik Boomer: walrus attack scarier than polar bear attacks
Ski and kayak, ExWeb interview: 20-something team combines culture and adventure
Paddlers journey through Canada for Nachvak River descent
ExWeb Interview with Sarah McNair-Landry, “The North Pole is a race against the clock”
ExWeb interview with Sarah McNair-Landry, it was odd to have to worry about finding water
1000km of traditional routes and kayaks: ExWeb interview with team Pittarak
Other sources:
#polar
#sarahmcnairlandry
#erikboomer
#BenStookesberry
#Greenland
#supertrip5000
#supertrip5000
