Title Partners 
The Harsh Reality
Environment: Arctic Greenland for 113 days beginning in Spring. This is twice the length of many other full length expeditions and without the milder Arctic conditions of August and September.
Conditions: Temperatures below -30 combined with raging Pittarak winds
Objective: To traverse the Greenland continent and then return…fully unsupported (no resupplies and man powered)
NEW Route: North-West from near Kulusuk to the west coast and back
Sledges: 2 sledges weighing 195 kg per person
Calories: 5500 calories per day
RECORD: The longest fully unsupported polar journey of all time – 1374 miles (2210km)
Route Map
How?
From their mounting base in the Inuit settlement at Kulusuk, the team will use dog teams and a helicopter to fly to their coastal startpoint. This early in the Spring, the temperatures are so cold and sea-ice so thick that boat travel is impossible. Once at their start point, they will immediately head up the heavily crevassed Nagtivit Glacier with sledges fully laden. They will contain a total of more than 150kgs of equipment and supplies per person. Unlike the early traverses of Greenland by pioneers such as Nansen, the pair will head far to the north as they manhaul towards the west coast, reaching high arctic latitudes and increasingly brutal conditions.
In the early stages, they may need to haul their loads in relays. This means hauling a single sledge at a time and returning to retrieve extra supplies. As the team proceed west, they will lay depots along the route containing supplies to support them on their return journey; this is fundamental to a journey of such length and difficulty. Once they have laid sufficient supplies and have made strong progress, they will haul North towards Baffin Bay through awe-inspiring surroundings and harsh spring conditions.
As the team approach the west coast, they will leave their sledges on the icecap and descend to the coast ‘alpine-style’ – using crampons and ropes to achieve a true traverse of the continent. This achievement is only the half way point however – the journey back will be a race against time.
Their return journey will involve a different technique. The team will ski at pace between their depots to reach the east coast, their final destination and in doing so complete the longest fully unsupported polar journey of all time. Throughout, the pair will have to work on dwindling rations- enduring hunger and physical and mental exhaustion.
Return journeys are how it all began. In the pioneering days there was never an option of a pickup from the destination – the journey back is part of the challenge. This journey is both ground breaking and also in line with the true nature of polar travel pioneered by Scott, Shackleton and Nansen.
Unlike the majority of polar expeditions which are limited by when air support can afford to perform a pickup, the Tiso TransGreenland will be limited less artificially. The team has finite supplies of food and fuel – their challenge will be to reach the east coast before either run out.
