Like most people, Sandy Walker admits the first image that came to mind when she thought of skiing in Greenland was slogging across flat, glacial ice in gnawing cold.
But while skiing from a sailboat base in Iceland a couple of winters ago, like her companions on that trip, her interest was piqued when the sailboat owner shared photos from his own ski trip in Greenland.
“I was quite surprised to see the pictures,” Walker said. “They were skiing in shirt sleeves and the glimpses we got of the terrain in the background was anything but flat. The mountains behind the hut had some snowy couloirs and we also saw pictures of people skiing down long glacier runs. We all instinctively looked northeast towards the eastern coast of Greenland and that, as they say, was that.”
Having previously organized several unique adventures with her friend, ACMG mountain guide Jim Gudjonson, who guides the trips she organizes, Walker was up to the task.
Walker will share stories and images from her trip on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the Canmore Seniors Centre starting at 7 p.m. Hosted by the ACC’s Rocky Mountain Section, admission is free and open to all.
Thanking the global financial crisis and “Iceland’s imploding economy” for helping bring the price down, Walker worked out budgeting then tackled the barriers of remoteness, extreme cold and the potential threat of polar bears.
Gear minimization provided its own set of challenges, since a strict weight restriction for flights between Iceland and Greenland meant everything had to be weighed to the gram. All food had to be shipped over because of weight restrictions. Shipping food to Greenland from Europe was much easier than from Canada, which imposes restrictions.
“The shipped food ended up being the equivalent of a vegan diet,” Walker said. “We picked up dairy and meat in Iceland and canned goods in Greenland. It all came together, but it was stressful spending almost $1,000 on shipping fees and not knowing if that – the bulk of our nutrients – would arrive.”
Next, Walker secured a commitment from five hunters with 10 to 12 dogs per sled.
The group, which totalled 10 people from Canmore, Kamloops, Montreal, Peterborough, Ont. and Oregon, flew to Iceland hoping they wouldn’t have to wait for the good weather necessary for the flight to Greenland, scheduled only twice a week. While everything went wrong at least once before they left Canada, once they arrived all went smoothly. After sitting/slouching on a dogsled for two days with an overnight in a tent along the way, they settled into Tasiilaq Hut, which Walker likened to the Alpine Club of Canada’s Bow Hut.
Travelling with a rifle at all times in case of an unlikely, yet possible, polar bear attack took some getting used to, as did towing a sled every day, which represented a necessary first aid precaution.
“Ambient temp was -25 C, so we had to drag one sled with us each day,” Walker explained. “If someone got hurt, the priority was rolling them onto the sled and getting them back to the hut ASAP. Lying hurt on the snow simply wasn’t an option.”
Challenges aside, the skiing was spectacular. Blessed with 10 blue-sky days, the group skied boot-top powder daily and was mesmerized by northern lights at night.
