Greenland 2009 (West-East)
Expedition News-Official Website
From 15.03.2009 to 15.06.2009 - Status: success
Greenland from West to East
© International Polar Foundation
The expedition will start from the corner of the airport in Kangerlussuaq (in Sønderstrøm Fjord) and finish at a small village nearby Isortoq on the other side of the land.
Six Finnish people are involved in this trip: Timo Stenros, Expedition leader, 56 years old engineer, married and father of two adult children (hobbies: long distance running, motorcycling, glacier hiking), Kossila Kar, the expedition deputy, 31 years old, avionic mechanician (hobbies: computers and games, roller-skating, long distance running, skiing, summer and winter hiking), Kokko Jani, 32 years old, metal worker (hobbies: all kind of hiking, climbing, canoeing), Parkkinen Teija, 41 years old, surgeon (hobbies: all kind of hiking, skiing, glacier hiking, long distance runing), Suhonen Arto, 51 years old, master craftsman, married with three adult children and dog (hobbies: all kind of activities in nature, glacier hiking), Västinsalo "Rami" Raimo, 54 years old, entrepeneur (hobbies: all kind of ski hiking, camping, canoeing and timberwork).
Dye 2, US radar station closed in 1992
© Erik Verheijden / Erik Verheijden
Two people will stay behind at the HQ : Mikko Koivunen, web-pages, supporting and guard duties during the expedition (hobbies: cycling and kayaking) and finally Vesa Luomala, supporting and guard duties during the expedition (Vesa has executed a similar expedition across Greenland in 2006).
It is also planned that their route passes by a deserted radar station DYE-2. They will land on the airport in the morning of March 26th. They plan to start the expedition to the glacier within three days of their arrival. Planned time for the expedition is about 4 weeks. Before the definite decision for the starting date, they have to take into consideration the dominant local ice conditions as much as possible.
From the web site : " In our GPS we shall have about 650 kilometers at the end of the hike and our target is to ski some 20 kilometers per day. Our hike is unsupported, which means that we have all necessary equipment along from the very beginning. We have calculated that the load of the sledge is going to be some over 100 kg in the start. ..."
