The 2005 WindPower Greenland Expedition
Wowser. I'm not sure how this expedition passed me by, especially as Tony and I were in Greenland that year, but it's something very special indeed: in July 2005, three young Norwegians, Niklas Norman, Trygve Nakling Kristiansen and Carl Gustav Rye Florence kite-skied from the south coast of Greenland (Narsaq) to the north (Qaanaaq) in an amazing 21 days. That's a total distance of 2,300km. Their average speed for the last nine days of the expedition was an incredible 210km/day, with their best day being a world record distance of 442.7 km in 24 hours.
The contrast with my next expedition, SOUTH, couldn't be more marked. Tony Haile and I are setting out to walk 600km further than this expedition, and we're expecting it to take us three months longer than it took these guys to cross Greenland using kites.
The video is a great example of how proficient people (Norwegians especially!) are getting at using traction kites to haul sledges over huge distances in polar conditions. A lot of people ask whey we're not using kites in Antarctica this year (SOUTH will be an entirely human-powered expedition, and if we're successful, the longest unsupported polar journey in history).
The answer is that kiting hasn't even entered our minds. The two disciplines of 'manhauling' and kite-skiing are now so far removed from each other that you might as well ask an Olympic rower why they don't windsurf, or why a marathon runner doesn't use inline skates. Walking when we could be using kites might sound foolhardy to some, and the idea of expeditions aimed at athletic rather than academic endeavour certainly seems anathema to many. I was encouraged, therefore, to read that Fridtjof Nansen described his brand of polar expedition (he was the first to pioneer small ski teams pulling lightweight sleds, more than 100 years ago) as "the sportsman's method".
That's not to say that kiting hasn't entered my mind for future expeditions, and this video has certainly set a few ideas bubbling away… Well done Niklas, Trygve and Carl Gustav!
February 24th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
That was awesome! Curious about what some of your concerns would
be about using this technique? Are there technical issues maybe
given the distance of travel?
BTW: Glad to see you are back after the last post!
February 25th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Ben,
How are you it has been a long time since I posted on your site. (Although I do visit from time to time)
How are plans for your trip coming along???
I am sure that after postponing once you are keen to get away.
Jon, having powerkited for a few years (amongst other things) The technical issues are normally down to line management. This can be awkward as you cannot untangle etc with gloves on.
Additionally sail repair, and of course what do you do when there is no wind (amongst others).
Alan
February 26th, 2007 at 12:59 am
I tried to get beyond the soundtrack in the video to get a feel for what I was seeing these guys do, but I couldn't. Maybe it is just me, but the music totally worked against this video.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Jon - as Alan pointed out, you're far more dependent on the vagaries of the weather if you rely on kites. The Ice Kites expedition in 2002 was cancelled completely due to a lack of wind, and the all-female Arctic Foxes team in Greenland last year ended up walking instead of kiting as the wind was so poor.
Bill - that's Norwegians for you. It seems being born with an innate skiing prowess somehow takes over the part of the brain that's responsible for musical taste. Tony and I ended up at a disco in Oslo a few years ago (with locals moshing to Three Lions, of all songs) and the experience left us scarred for life…