Some mountains are better known than others: For example,
Gunnbjørns Fjeld and the impressive rock faces in Tasermiut fjord,
but there are thousands of other options that can present equally
formidable challenges.
Climbing mountains everywhere
Mountaineering in its purest form is found in Greenland. There
are thousands of mountains, the vast majority without routes or
paths described in advance. You can find a small fjord with a chain
of mountains that can keep you occupied throughout the summer. The
mountains may not be that high, but are alpine and challenging both
technically and physically. The trick is to pick out an area and
concentrate on this area. There are very alpine areas to find in
South Greenland, whilst East Greenland includes the Ammassalik
region, Schweitzer Land and Scoresby Sound/Ittoqqortoormiit's
Staunings Alps and several other places. Each of these regions is
larger than - or comparable to - the Alps, so you won't find any
queues at the foot of the mountains.
Countless climbing options
It's the same with climbing routes. There are the familiar
1,000-metre high rock faces in the Tasermiut fjord, Fox Jaw in the
Ammassalik area, Skjoldungen and Staunings Alps. World-famous
climbers such as Mike Libecki have climbed world-class routes, but
more manageable routes are also available. You'll continue to find
countless uncharted routes in the areas mentioned.
Best of all: You can do the same - precisely tailored to your
technical and physical abilities. What's more, you can do it in a
relatively inexpensive and simple manner - much easier than you'd
be able to do it in the Himalayas or other exotic locations. We
don't have malaria-carrying mosquitoes or venomous snakes, and the
drinking water is always world class.
Planning is crucial
The most important thing is thorough planning. Find the area
that appeals to you - for which you'll need to scrutinise previous
reports (Mountain info, American Alpine Journal, Danish Alpine
Club, Google), maps (SagaMaps, Danish National Survey and Cadastre,
Vandrekort Grønland and aerial photos from KMS and Google Earth).
Ask for information from the local tourist office and draw up a
budget. You'll soon discover that transport is the biggest expense.
You'll probably have to charter a boat or a helicopter to take you
to your starting point - and to pick you up again. Check that you
can get hold of fuel and food at your starting point in Greenland,
and consider very carefully acquiring/borrowing an Iridium
telephone. Mobile phones are often useless and if you do have an
accident you're a long way from help if you don't have good means
of communication.
Here we're talking about areas where you don't need special
permits from Greenland's Self-Government administration. If you're
heading for Gunnbjørnsfjeld or similar very remote areas, it's
regarded as an "expedition", in which case there are
administrative, insurance and economic considerations that need to
be taken into account.
Common sense and humility
Generally speaking, whatever you're able to tackle on a climbing
wall at home is worthwhile, but you'll be facing challenges of a
completely different nature in Greenland. You're a long way from
help, and you should carefully consider the limits of your
resources and your willingness to take risks. If you get into
trouble, it's initially up to you to deal with the situation. The
challenges are therefore bigger in Greenland - a length of rope
with a category V is more demanding than a category V on a climbing
wall. You have to use your common sense, intuition and humility, in
return for which you'll enjoy a world-class experience at locations
where only a handful of people have climbed before you.