After just 17 days of intense polar travel, the Windsled team has completed a historic round-trip crossing of northern Greenland — a total of 1,541 kilometers — paving the way for future zero-emission scientific expeditions in one of the most remote regions on Earth.
The expedition departed on May 30th from the ice cap at 2,207 meters above sea level, and reached the same point again after navigating across the vast icy plateau to the eastern edge and back.
The expedition was led by Ramón Larramendi, creator of the Inuit Windsled and a pioneer in sustainable polar travel. He was joined by Jens Jacob Simonsen experienced Greenland explorer and Antonio Mangia Italian guide. The team collaborates with the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISP) and the University of Maine, collecting atmospheric and snow samples during their journey to study changes in the Arctic climate.
A New Route for Science- The main objetive
This expedition wasn’t just about reaching a destination — it was about opening a new route that will provide reliable access to the entire northern Greenland ice cap plateau from the logistical base in Upernavik.
The circularity is key — it allows the team to reach remote and difficult areas and return safely to the same base camp.
By establishing this loop, the expedition fully avoids the need for complex, expensive, and polluting logistics, making future scientific missions more sustainable, regular, and feasible.
The Journey in Three Steps.
The expedition unfolded in three main phases:
- Sled Retrieval: The team first reached the sled’s overwintering location buried on the plateau. They dug it out from 1.5 meters of snow and prepared it for travel — all within just 5–6 hours.
- Eastward Crossing: With favorable tailwinds, they pushed eastward toward the coast with strong daily progress.
- The Return: The most challenging leg — a 815 km push back west in just 5 days, mostly navigating with crosswinds (lateral pull), which is far more demanding than tailwind navigation.
Despite a three-day standstill due to calm weather, the team averaged an extraordinary 95 km per day over the full journey. One particularly intense day saw them cover 270 km in 16 hours without stopping, battling strong winds and navigating with a 100 m² kite at the edge of controllability — a test of both skill and endurance.
A Platform for Polar Science
Throughout the expedition, the Windsled functioned as a mobile scientific laboratory, enabling the team to collect environmental data and samples in remote areas of the Greenland Ice Sheet. This platform, powered solely by wind and human ingenuity, allowed for low-impact travel and continuous research in an otherwise fragile environment.
The team collaborated with two major research institutions: the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISP) and the University of Maine (USA). As they traversed the ice, they conducted atmospheric sampling and snow stratigraphy studies, gathering data that will be used to analyze the evolution of polar snow layers, the transport of airborne particles, and long-term climate dynamics in the Arctic. These indicators are crucial for understanding both local and global impacts of climate change.
This successful mission confirms that wind-powered exploration is not only technically viable but also essential for the future of sustainable polar science. By eliminating the need for fossil fuels and costly air logistics, the Windsled opens the door to regular scientific campaigns in Greenland’s most remote and scientifically valuable regions — all with zero emissions.
What’s Next?
Although the main objective has been achieved, the expedition isn’t over. The team is now dismantling the large sled to rebuild a lighter version, with which they plan to descend another 60–70 km toward the coast. If conditions allow, they will be picked up by boat.
This final descent is crucial: the goal is to establish a fully surface-based logistics route — both for access and for departure — linked directly to the Windsled base camp on the plateau, near Upernavik. This base will host most of the equipment through the winter, ready for the 2026 expedition.
With this step, the Windsled project enters a new era of circular logistics: one that avoids air support altogether and enables regular, zero-emission scientific missions deep into the Greenland Ice Sheet — starting and ending at the same sustainable base.