UKC

This video is from my April-May 2013 expedition to NE Greenland, which included a few first ascents of unclimbed (but very easy) peaks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UFp32N_iA8&feature=share

My video is very amateurish, and the climbs no harder the PD - so nothing special to see. But the scenery is awesome and the climbing potential is limitless! And it was a brilliant trip!

In reply to Mark123: How lovely to see some film of the Staunings (I've been there three times). How did you get in there? And out again? Twin Otter?

In reply to Mark123: fabulous.

In reply to Stephen Reid: Yes - We flew to Constable Point in NE Greenland from N Iceland in a Twin Otter. We then headed N over Hurry Fjord using snowmobiles, over the Jameson Land mountains and along Scopresbysund Fjord before continuing up Nordvest Fjord. Oxford Glacier was impassable to snowmobiles so we skied up for 5 days to our BC. All the trip was very well organised by Tangent.

In reply to Mark123: OK, I knew Paul Walker was organising snow mobile access to the southern Staunings for the summer months, but at the time of year you went, would it not have been possible to land the twin otter at your BC? Or were the snow conditions not suitable?

If you have a report of the expedition in digital form, I'd be very glad if you could email me a copy (stephen@needlesports.com).

In reply to Stephen Reid: Hi Stephen, The original plan was to get the snowmobiles all the way to the BC over 2 days from Constable Point. However snow conditions (deep, dry, and extremely unconsolidated) and the complexity of the glacier, particularly crevasses, meant we had to ski haul the sledges up Oxford Glacier instead. I'm in no position at all to judge whether or not a twin otter could have been used instead for our BC, too costly for me I expect. The general conditions on the glacier 2 hours beyond the BC did however remind me of Kahiltna Glacier landing area, but I know nothing about aviation!! No report on our routes prepared so far but I'll send you it if / when completed. However, our climbs were nothing compared to your routes in the Staunings. I've seen the photos on the Needlesport web of your first ascent of the South Ridge of Dansketinde - now that's real climbing and exploration - well done!

In reply to Mark123: It sounds as though the snow was such that you couldn't have landed a plane there. It also sounds as though you did some proper exploration yourself, not to mention some hard work in sledding through all that snow. Plenty of the new routes we have done in the Staunings were fairly straightforward, the crux is really getting yourself there with all your kit and not forgetting the matches. I'd love to go back but it's getting increasingly expensive. We only managed to get the South Ridge and South-West Ridges of Dansketinde done in a three week expedition by using a helicopter to get us to Col Major, and we could only afford it because we were sponsored by a geologist to collect rock samples. Amazing climbs though - I wonder if they'll ever be repeated!

I'll look forward to seeing your report.

In reply to Stephen Reid:

I flew right over the Staunings many years ago on the way in to the Petermand Bjerg area. Its one of the most spectacular mountain ranges I've seen with what looked like acres of granite on some peaks, no doubt mostly untouched still. Its still at the back of my mind as a place to go.