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I know of at least one other 'poster' on UKClimbing who is off to Greenland this summer. I am going to Torssukatak Fjord in southern Greenland (where the 'Thumbnail' is) in July.
Has anyone else been to the world's biggest island/planning a trip there? It is becoming an increasingly popular destination - share your knowledge and experiences.
Has anyone else been to the world's biggest island/planning a trip there? It is becoming an increasingly popular destination - share your knowledge and experiences.
In reply to Tom Briggs, Jagged Globe:
I have always been interested in going but not managed it yet. What are the costs involved?
I have always been interested in going but not managed it yet. What are the costs involved?
In reply to Andy Hyslop Rock + Run:
I'll put a proper break down when I know it Andy. At the moment, we have just bought our flights for the main leg from Copenhagen to Greenland which were £460. Another Sheffield group who I know of got a discount on their flights by 'coupling up' - some weird deal with the airline where they have had to pretend to be travelling as couples (but they're all blokes).
On top of this main cost, we have to get a flight from the UK to Copenhagen, some gear to freight out and then the various ferries/boats to get us to the Fjord (I'll post details - you can probably guess that I haven't been in charge of logistics!). When we're there, we'll hire a small dingy with an outboard to get about the fjord. We've budgeted for about £1K all in for a month, but we'll see how it pans out...
I'll put a proper break down when I know it Andy. At the moment, we have just bought our flights for the main leg from Copenhagen to Greenland which were £460. Another Sheffield group who I know of got a discount on their flights by 'coupling up' - some weird deal with the airline where they have had to pretend to be travelling as couples (but they're all blokes).
On top of this main cost, we have to get a flight from the UK to Copenhagen, some gear to freight out and then the various ferries/boats to get us to the Fjord (I'll post details - you can probably guess that I haven't been in charge of logistics!). When we're there, we'll hire a small dingy with an outboard to get about the fjord. We've budgeted for about £1K all in for a month, but we'll see how it pans out...
Has anyone taken out a Sat phone to Greenland before? Presumably you need a permit?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Tom
Any help would be much appreciated.
Tom
In reply to Tom:
No permit needed. You only need a permit for the radios (I think), which could well work out cheaper & more effective.
If you do take a sat phone, make sure you take a spare battery - the damp, cold air seems to mysteriously suck the power out of them.
No permit needed. You only need a permit for the radios (I think), which could well work out cheaper & more effective.
If you do take a sat phone, make sure you take a spare battery - the damp, cold air seems to mysteriously suck the power out of them.
In reply to Andy Hyslop Rock + Run:
I'm surprised hardly anyone answered your posting.
I went to Greenland a few years ago, it cost an arm & a leg but it was FANTASTIC and worth every penny. I am going back this summer to climb and ski-mountaineer and can't wait.
BTW, I like your shop!
I'm surprised hardly anyone answered your posting.
I went to Greenland a few years ago, it cost an arm & a leg but it was FANTASTIC and worth every penny. I am going back this summer to climb and ski-mountaineer and can't wait.
BTW, I like your shop!
In reply to Andy Hyslop Rock + Run:
Hi Andy,
I'm one of the guys travelling as 'couples' that Tom mentioned above! We managedto get discounted flights (buye one get the second half price) by posing as couples! We're paying slightly more than the others (even after discount) because we are flying a little later into the seasn.
Here's a breakdown of costs (per person) so far:
Flights - £640 (Stansted - Greenland - Stansted)
Boat - £310 (Airport - Base Camp - Airport - 2 days travel each way)
Freight - £40 (6 120litre barrels - no weightlimit - there and back)
Food - We have freighted a load out (about half) and will buy the rest out there - budgeting for about £100
Insurace - £50 (Foundry)
Odds and Sodds - accommodation in Copenhagen, group kit etc etc - £200?
If you want afull breakdown we'll be writing a comprehensive report on our return in August. It'll be published on www.climbingmedia.com
Hi Andy,
I'm one of the guys travelling as 'couples' that Tom mentioned above! We managedto get discounted flights (buye one get the second half price) by posing as couples! We're paying slightly more than the others (even after discount) because we are flying a little later into the seasn.
Here's a breakdown of costs (per person) so far:
Flights - £640 (Stansted - Greenland - Stansted)
Boat - £310 (Airport - Base Camp - Airport - 2 days travel each way)
Freight - £40 (6 120litre barrels - no weightlimit - there and back)
Food - We have freighted a load out (about half) and will buy the rest out there - budgeting for about £100
Insurace - £50 (Foundry)
Odds and Sodds - accommodation in Copenhagen, group kit etc etc - £200?
If you want afull breakdown we'll be writing a comprehensive report on our return in August. It'll be published on www.climbingmedia.com
In reply to Mat Heason:
Looks like you guys got a better deal on freight - we've paid £500 between 6 of us (there and back) for 6 x 60L barrels which works out at £83 each.
It's interesting looking at some of the economies of scale. I think there's 8 in your team isn't there Matt, so you wouldn't have had much grant money to contribute to each person's expenses, once it has been divided up. There's 6 of us, so that goes a bit further, but we'll be paying more for freight and a boat.
Our team are going to hire a boat for the whole of our duration in BC (3 1/2 weeks), so that we can move up and down the Fjord, so this will be an extra cost for us.
Looks like you guys got a better deal on freight - we've paid £500 between 6 of us (there and back) for 6 x 60L barrels which works out at £83 each.
It's interesting looking at some of the economies of scale. I think there's 8 in your team isn't there Matt, so you wouldn't have had much grant money to contribute to each person's expenses, once it has been divided up. There's 6 of us, so that goes a bit further, but we'll be paying more for freight and a boat.
Our team are going to hire a boat for the whole of our duration in BC (3 1/2 weeks), so that we can move up and down the Fjord, so this will be an extra cost for us.
In reply to Tom:
Economies of scale and shopping around. Did you use Laymans in Bradford for your freight? They are the poeple who everyone told us to use, but I thought that I'd at least get a few more quotes. We ended up using a company in Immingham on the East Coast. Also, everyone said we should buy our barrels from a place in Stockport. I found a place in Stalybridge that sold them to us for £6 each (120 litres).
So how much is your boat Tom? When you say you are hiring a boat for the duration, is it a small outboard type? How are you getting to your base camp? We have chartered a fishing boat to pick us up at the airport and take us to base camp (and then back to the ariport 3.5 weeks later). It's pricey (£2,500 in total), but it saves us at least a day of travel at either end of the trip. We decided not to hire a boat for the duration, but I believe that yu may be paying us a visit at some point!
Economies of scale and shopping around. Did you use Laymans in Bradford for your freight? They are the poeple who everyone told us to use, but I thought that I'd at least get a few more quotes. We ended up using a company in Immingham on the East Coast. Also, everyone said we should buy our barrels from a place in Stockport. I found a place in Stalybridge that sold them to us for £6 each (120 litres).
So how much is your boat Tom? When you say you are hiring a boat for the duration, is it a small outboard type? How are you getting to your base camp? We have chartered a fishing boat to pick us up at the airport and take us to base camp (and then back to the ariport 3.5 weeks later). It's pricey (£2,500 in total), but it saves us at least a day of travel at either end of the trip. We decided not to hire a boat for the duration, but I believe that yu may be paying us a visit at some point!
In reply to Mat Heason:
Actually Matt, we may miss you as we're leaving a week today (3 July) and returning 4 August, so we'll be out of BC by 30 July.
£6 for 120L barrels - that's a bargain.
Yep - we used the Bradford guy, just because I found it a bit of a nightmare deciphering the other freight quotes! Seriously though, the other freighting companies that I got in touch with seemed to be quoting more - I don't think we did too badly really, as we didn't want to ship as much as you guys.
We're getting the ferry (2 1/2 days) from Narsarsuaq to Augpilagtoq, rather than a private boat because it will be a lot cheaper for us and we're happy taking that bit longer to get there. In fact, we've yet to make the final decision on what our set up will be once we're there. Either we'll hire a trawler to get us to BC and a small boat for us to get around (quoted £1500 for this), just get dropped off/picked up by a speedboat, or the cheapest option, use local traweler 'taxis' to get around as and when.
So if we have our own small boat, we may see you?
Actually Matt, we may miss you as we're leaving a week today (3 July) and returning 4 August, so we'll be out of BC by 30 July.
£6 for 120L barrels - that's a bargain.
Yep - we used the Bradford guy, just because I found it a bit of a nightmare deciphering the other freight quotes! Seriously though, the other freighting companies that I got in touch with seemed to be quoting more - I don't think we did too badly really, as we didn't want to ship as much as you guys.
We're getting the ferry (2 1/2 days) from Narsarsuaq to Augpilagtoq, rather than a private boat because it will be a lot cheaper for us and we're happy taking that bit longer to get there. In fact, we've yet to make the final decision on what our set up will be once we're there. Either we'll hire a trawler to get us to BC and a small boat for us to get around (quoted £1500 for this), just get dropped off/picked up by a speedboat, or the cheapest option, use local traweler 'taxis' to get around as and when.
So if we have our own small boat, we may see you?
In reply to Tom:
Well we should arrive at Base Camp on the evening of the 24th of July. Pop by for a cuppa if you have a boat!
Have a good one.
.....
By the way, what are you doing about communication whilst you are there? Radio / Sat phone / Flares? We have a sat phone (one of the guys going has his own!), and are planning to buy some flares in Nanortalik.
Well we should arrive at Base Camp on the evening of the 24th of July. Pop by for a cuppa if you have a boat!
Have a good one.
.....
By the way, what are you doing about communication whilst you are there? Radio / Sat phone / Flares? We have a sat phone (one of the guys going has his own!), and are planning to buy some flares in Nanortalik.
In reply to Mat Heason:
I'm taking a Sat phone and laptop (feature on this site if all goes to plan...)
Plus Motorola VHF radios
I'm taking a Sat phone and laptop (feature on this site if all goes to plan...)
Plus Motorola VHF radios
In reply to Tom: GRANTS !!!!
How do you get f........g grants ?????
How do you get f........g grants ?????
In reply to David Jinks:
Good question. There's a useful article in this months OTE (?) by Ian Parnell. Basically, get in touch with the MEF and they will send you an application form for your proposed expedition. I'm new to this, but generally, you need to be planning a trip to either to a relatively unexplored area and/or an unclimbed objective or a new route or a significant first British ascent.
In your application, you must show that you have carefully researched the area/objective and give the impression that you have a good chance of success! This comes down to the experience of the team - how well matched you are to the objective and the amount of research you've done. You may well be called for an interview before a final decision is made as to whether you are eligible for a grant. You don't have to be a famous climber! There are a large number of teams going to Greenland this year, because they've put together well-researched proposals and they've got a good chance of climbing a lot of new routes/peaks (because there are so many!).
A point that's worth making is that IMO (and quite a few others I may add), there don't seem to be that many British climbers exploring new areas at the moment. When you think how many amazing and relatively unexplored places that there are out there. Grant assistance from the BMC and MEF is unlikely to pay for your whole trip though, for example, our trip to Greenland is likely to end up being a personal contribution of £850 per person.
Also, look at sponsorship opportunities. This basically comes down to making contacts and persisting with it. You've got to sell the idea, IMO, climbers tend to feel that they're not worthy sometimes. But you can be suprised as to who might help you out - it might not go as far as underwriting your whole trip, but a bit of help is better than none at all. We got gear from DMM, Lyon Equipment (Beal ropes), Rab and Mountain Hardwear, plus a couple of our team members already had deals with Wild Country, Scarpa, Marmot and Helly Hansen. So we did alright for gear, but there's always those other bits and bobs (like radios) which you end up paying full whack for. We were let down badly by one distributer at the last minute, but that's life - their loss!
Good question. There's a useful article in this months OTE (?) by Ian Parnell. Basically, get in touch with the MEF and they will send you an application form for your proposed expedition. I'm new to this, but generally, you need to be planning a trip to either to a relatively unexplored area and/or an unclimbed objective or a new route or a significant first British ascent.
In your application, you must show that you have carefully researched the area/objective and give the impression that you have a good chance of success! This comes down to the experience of the team - how well matched you are to the objective and the amount of research you've done. You may well be called for an interview before a final decision is made as to whether you are eligible for a grant. You don't have to be a famous climber! There are a large number of teams going to Greenland this year, because they've put together well-researched proposals and they've got a good chance of climbing a lot of new routes/peaks (because there are so many!).
A point that's worth making is that IMO (and quite a few others I may add), there don't seem to be that many British climbers exploring new areas at the moment. When you think how many amazing and relatively unexplored places that there are out there. Grant assistance from the BMC and MEF is unlikely to pay for your whole trip though, for example, our trip to Greenland is likely to end up being a personal contribution of £850 per person.
Also, look at sponsorship opportunities. This basically comes down to making contacts and persisting with it. You've got to sell the idea, IMO, climbers tend to feel that they're not worthy sometimes. But you can be suprised as to who might help you out - it might not go as far as underwriting your whole trip, but a bit of help is better than none at all. We got gear from DMM, Lyon Equipment (Beal ropes), Rab and Mountain Hardwear, plus a couple of our team members already had deals with Wild Country, Scarpa, Marmot and Helly Hansen. So we did alright for gear, but there's always those other bits and bobs (like radios) which you end up paying full whack for. We were let down badly by one distributer at the last minute, but that's life - their loss!
In reply to Tom:
Off to Greenland tomorrow. I will post up some logistical stuff about our trip when I get back.
Off to Greenland tomorrow. I will post up some logistical stuff about our trip when I get back.
In reply to Tom:
I hope you all have a greast trip, and shall try to contain my envy {
I hope you all have a greast trip, and shall try to contain my envy {
In reply to David Jinks:
Arrived back from Greenland on Saturday, safe and sound. It was a great trip all round, but logistically quite a difficult area to get to, although things are improving. We took the 'wing it' approach after the travel agency that we used (Team Arctic) messed up.
Our payment for flights was 'lost' and we never received our tickets for our leg from Copenhagen to Narsarsuaq (Greenland)! We ended up being asked to meet out agent "outside of Burger King at 8am" in Copenhagen airport the morning of the flight. It became clear that they had failed to do anything that we'd been promised, so we ended up with free helicopter flights (it must have cost them a fortune!) and free ferry journeys.
By taking a helicopter on the leg from Narsarsuaq to Nanortalik, we avoided being delayed for 4 days as the ‘ferry’ that we were meant to take couldn't get through the pack ice. And then we opted for the services of a local fisherman, rather than going for the official route in getting to base camp in Torssukatak Fjord. Much help from Greenland Tourism's 'Niels', the agent in Nanortalik who is trying to improve the services available for climbers in the area - a guy who promises little, but comes up with the goods every time.
We had 3 weeks at base camp, the area is very remote and pretty much untouched. Rock everywhere - huge granite spires and steep faces, plenty of exploding icebergs and whales, seals and Arctic Fox your friends for the duration. The ‘Thumbnail’, climbed last year, was on the other side of the fjord, not too far away. The 'Baroness' cliff that we planned to climb was a bit of a monster - it was very steep and nothing felt easy. Lines were less continuous than we'd hoped and the character of the climbintg more 'British' than 'American'. The rock was very good overall though, although there were some more crystalline, hollow bands in places. Four routes were completed up to 650m, 15 pitches by the team, climbing in pairs. Another route was done on an adjacent cliff and an attempt was made on the impressive 'Baron' cliff - forced retreat due to bad weather.
We had two storms, the second of which was fairly major with very strong winds, wiping out two of our tents, blowing a barrel 100m over rocks and into the sea. Impressive 50m 'twisters' whipping up the fjord were the highlight.
Overall, lots of fun and only one near miss when I nearly capsized our 8ft dingy/outboard in the middle or the icy fjord. It’s no wonder that Greenland is the number one place for exploratory expeditions at the moment - there's just so much unclimbed rock. When we left, we heard that there were about 6 or 7 teams (different nationalities) in Tasermiut Fjord, the most developed climbing in the area with massive cliffs Ulamertorsuaq and Ketil. Still loads to do, it’s just knowing where it is and getting to it!
Arrived back from Greenland on Saturday, safe and sound. It was a great trip all round, but logistically quite a difficult area to get to, although things are improving. We took the 'wing it' approach after the travel agency that we used (Team Arctic) messed up.
Our payment for flights was 'lost' and we never received our tickets for our leg from Copenhagen to Narsarsuaq (Greenland)! We ended up being asked to meet out agent "outside of Burger King at 8am" in Copenhagen airport the morning of the flight. It became clear that they had failed to do anything that we'd been promised, so we ended up with free helicopter flights (it must have cost them a fortune!) and free ferry journeys.
By taking a helicopter on the leg from Narsarsuaq to Nanortalik, we avoided being delayed for 4 days as the ‘ferry’ that we were meant to take couldn't get through the pack ice. And then we opted for the services of a local fisherman, rather than going for the official route in getting to base camp in Torssukatak Fjord. Much help from Greenland Tourism's 'Niels', the agent in Nanortalik who is trying to improve the services available for climbers in the area - a guy who promises little, but comes up with the goods every time.
We had 3 weeks at base camp, the area is very remote and pretty much untouched. Rock everywhere - huge granite spires and steep faces, plenty of exploding icebergs and whales, seals and Arctic Fox your friends for the duration. The ‘Thumbnail’, climbed last year, was on the other side of the fjord, not too far away. The 'Baroness' cliff that we planned to climb was a bit of a monster - it was very steep and nothing felt easy. Lines were less continuous than we'd hoped and the character of the climbintg more 'British' than 'American'. The rock was very good overall though, although there were some more crystalline, hollow bands in places. Four routes were completed up to 650m, 15 pitches by the team, climbing in pairs. Another route was done on an adjacent cliff and an attempt was made on the impressive 'Baron' cliff - forced retreat due to bad weather.
We had two storms, the second of which was fairly major with very strong winds, wiping out two of our tents, blowing a barrel 100m over rocks and into the sea. Impressive 50m 'twisters' whipping up the fjord were the highlight.
Overall, lots of fun and only one near miss when I nearly capsized our 8ft dingy/outboard in the middle or the icy fjord. It’s no wonder that Greenland is the number one place for exploratory expeditions at the moment - there's just so much unclimbed rock. When we left, we heard that there were about 6 or 7 teams (different nationalities) in Tasermiut Fjord, the most developed climbing in the area with massive cliffs Ulamertorsuaq and Ketil. Still loads to do, it’s just knowing where it is and getting to it!
In reply to Mat Heason:
Out of interest, would you be able to pass on the contact details of the place you got your barrels from, in Stalybridge you said?
Thanks in advance,
Ben.
Out of interest, would you be able to pass on the contact details of the place you got your barrels from, in Stalybridge you said?
Thanks in advance,
Ben.
In reply to Mat Heason: Could you post on here or email me the number for the place you got your barrels from.
Cheers
Cheers
In reply to Tom: Ta Very Much!!
In reply to Tom Briggs, Jagged Globe:
Check out my website www.fridgeproductions.co.uk
I've just come back from filming an expedition to the Schweizerland Alps (Eastern Greenland) and I've posted the better images from the trip on the site for the team members to check out.
Also, check out the video download (currently, only Microsoft Media Player) for a 1 minute 35 second taster of the documentary to be entered into this years Kendal Film Festival.
Check out my website www.fridgeproductions.co.uk
I've just come back from filming an expedition to the Schweizerland Alps (Eastern Greenland) and I've posted the better images from the trip on the site for the team members to check out.
Also, check out the video download (currently, only Microsoft Media Player) for a 1 minute 35 second taster of the documentary to be entered into this years Kendal Film Festival.
In reply to Tom:
Thanks for that breakdown - always interested in what other folk get up to in these far off lands.
I got back from Eastern Greenland over the August Bank Holiday after a delay in Kulusuk due to bad weather over Iceland and the Denmark Straits.
Good time was had by all - weather very good and sometimes mist down to your ankles. Saw the beginnings of the Aurora Borealis on a couple of occasions.
Check out my website www.fridgeproductions.co.uk I've posted the better images from the trip on the site for the team members to look at.
Also, check out the video download (currently, only Microsoft Media Player) for a 1 minute 35 second taster of the documentary to be entered into this years Kendal Film Festival.
If you go along - I can recommend it then make yourself known.
Thanks for that breakdown - always interested in what other folk get up to in these far off lands.
I got back from Eastern Greenland over the August Bank Holiday after a delay in Kulusuk due to bad weather over Iceland and the Denmark Straits.
Good time was had by all - weather very good and sometimes mist down to your ankles. Saw the beginnings of the Aurora Borealis on a couple of occasions.
Check out my website www.fridgeproductions.co.uk I've posted the better images from the trip on the site for the team members to look at.
Also, check out the video download (currently, only Microsoft Media Player) for a 1 minute 35 second taster of the documentary to be entered into this years Kendal Film Festival.
If you go along - I can recommend it then make yourself known.
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