Sarah McNair-Landry, Erik Boomer and Ben Stookesberry crossed a new route unassisted (no resupplies), with 10 kites, skis, ice gear, kayaks, and a small mountain of other supplies; and ‘King of Kong’ left a mark on Boomer’s nose
Sarah Boomer and Ben reported today, on day 46 they have finished what they set out to do: “Cross a new route [unassisted] with 10 kites, skis, ice gear, kayaks, and a small mountain of other supplies from the East coast to West coast in Greenland. It’s been a mind boggling and grueling experience, and one that will take time to comprehend.”
Yesterday, September 21, Ben reported: “Success! After 8 hours of the coldest paddling of my life with all gear flash freezing, Sarah, Boomer and I entered the Arctic Ocean.”
Position: 71.2741N, 051.5030W.
Diary entries of their meltwater rivier waterfall hucking
September 18, Ben: “Yesterday we went big until going big wasn’t good enough. On the #Greenlandkitekayaksupertrip5000 we celebrate when we portage. So far this river we call Twin Galaxies B has blown our expectations out of the water!”
September 19, Ben: “We are just 5 miles from the Arctic Ocean as the crow flies, but that number seems to mean a whole lot more on this terrain. With 4 inches of snow overnight we shuttled skis, kites and other gear towards the ocean and then tried to scout the last canyon of Twin Galaxies B and the road home.”
Boomer: “Day 43. Today I decided to fire it up and paddle a huge falls, fresh snow and ice made it difficult to get Ben in the pool below for safety, and I was prepared to take a few huge hits. I couldn’t stop believing in my line and decided to go for it. My line through this rapid had to be one of the best of my life! Look closely in the bottom right frame to see Ben for a sense of scale. Thanks to an awesome team to set safety and allow me to take a chance like this. #returnofthehoneybadger #voked #hungrytiredhappy #nextlevel”
Ben: “River Twin Galaxies B is still nearly 1000 feet above sea level and chewing hungrily into this newly ice free landscape. There are sure to be portages ahead but Boomer made sure that we would mark one less on the map at a massive falls he calls King of Kong. It left an indelible mark on the #supertrip5000 and Boomer’s nose. PS his line was pure magic.”
Previous: Greenland Trio Hucking Waterfalls in Meltwater River
Previous: Greenland Trio finds put-in of meltwater river
Previous: Greenland Trio at Source of Meltwater River
On August 7, Sarah McNair-Landry, Erik Boomer and Ben Stookesberry started their hiking and kite-ski journey from Isortoq (East coast) 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 a meltwater river they had located on satellite images.
Follow the team at this unnamed river here:
https://www.gramwire.com/supertrip5000
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, ventured into the Gobi Desert, and kite-skied 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:
NASA: First Map Of Thawed Areas Under Greenland Ice Sheet
#polar
#sarahmcnairlandry
#erikboomer
#BenStookesberry
#Greenland
#supertrip5000
#kitekayaksupertrip5000
