Artic
By Jim Gregson
Jim and Sandy Gregson on their recent East Greenland expedition continued to put the "M" into KMC by completing a few more first ascents to add to their already long list from the Arctic. This article has also appeared in the Alpine Club Newsletter.
When Jim Gregson was organising a return visit to North Liverpool Land, East Greenland where he had been in 2007, he found eager takers for an expedition via ALPINET and soon had a group of seven people signed up (of which five were AC members).
Nowadays access to the Arctic has some complexities and Jim was able to call on his own close links with Tangent Expeditions to ease matters to do with logistics, charter flights, insurance, snow mobile transport, specialist equipment and advance freight to get a good deal. Grant assistance from the AC Climbing Fund/First Ascent was very useful here.
So, off we went, first to Iceland - five travelling from the UK, one from France, one from Canada - then onward the next day by charter flight to Constable Pynt in East Greenland. The following morning we loaded all the kit, food and fuel onto a snowmobile-sledge-train for a very cold and bone-jarring journey northwards for 75+ km to get up onto the North Liverpool Land icecap. Just to bring home the reality of the Arctic, during this journey we sighted a large polar bear with two cubs, the first live specimens I'd seen in more than twenty years of Greenland trips, and one of the extra objective dangers of Greenland climbing.
The Tangent Snow Dragons drivers did their very best but at the drop point we were still a few kilometres from our intended base location, so there was an abrupt intro to heavy pulk-hauling to move further up and across the icecap before setting up camp on a level glacier shelf with an extensive outlook. This spot caught the sun from 0630 to 2130 each day, an important factor in the wintry cold of late April, early May. The mountains lay before us.
The group split naturally into three rope-teams - regular Greenland hands Jim and Sandy Gregson plus Geoff Bonney, Yorkshiremen Michael Smith and Peter Chadwick, Frenchman Alexandre Buisse and Canadian Tony Hoare. All are widely experienced and capable. Each team could operate independently and choose what to do according to preference.
After we'd organised Base Camp with a superb latrine and a Polar bear tripwire warning perimeter we held a firearms drill, just in case. We had a rifle (reliable and easy to operate) and a pump-action shotgun (liable to jamming and thus worrying) plus sundry flares and pepper spray. Then we went climbing and skiing.
Alex and Tony, both pro photographers, whizzed about on skis shooting images for some of their sponsors, but also made a number of ascents including Mount Thistle and Mount Hulya 1, and an attempt on the Seven Dwarfs.
Michael and Peter, ever enthusiastic, using Nordic ski kit, explored quite widely using their time to see as much of North Liverpool Land as possible. After a few ascents and excursions from base they packed up and hauled off further north on a side trip to enjoy a more isolated few days. From their new camp they also got onto quite a few tops before returning to base.
Jim, Sandy and Geoff kicked off with a nice big route on the northwest side of Kuldefjeld (Cold Mountain) which gave a splendid ascent and descent at ADinf/PDsup. Later outings led to the top of Varmtind (Warm Peak) and some additional ski ascents.
In camp we would chat over our experiences of the day, with everyone remarking on the spectacular landscape we were living in. Many other fine potential peaks and lines were spotted and photographed for future reference. As our time was limited we were a little dismayed when after a week of sunshine we were enveloped in freezing fog and later a knifing cold wind from the north as low pressure blew in. Base camp was for a while beset by heavy drifting so there was some shovelling to be done. Hill activity in this period was limited to some close at hand visits to Bird Peak and the 3pm Attack Nunatak (so-called after a late start made the original "Noon Attack" Nunatak unfeasible) with its impressively icicle-fringed glacier moat.
As time ran out we scheduled our snowmobile pickup by satphone and after a bit more heavy pulk-hauling we had a rendezvous with the Tangent Snow Dragons. Then another few hours of bump and bang - unless you were on a pillion - to get back to Constable Pynt for a final night.
Some complex charter flight juggling the next day got us and a whole bunch of other people back to Akureyri in northern Iceland for a welcome appointment with the hot showers and clean clothes. That left an interesting drive back across Iceland to Reykjavik to our usual city base at Snorri's Guesthouse (highly recommended) before some serious eating at tables and a drink or two to round off a very rewarding visit to a special part of the world. Good mountains, good company, good idea.
