North Greenland Windsled Expedition 2026 has just started. Although it may seem hasty, Greenland’s weather conditions demand a perfect, meticulous, and well-planned logistics.
Therefore, J.J. Simonsen, expedition captain and polar logistics leader, together with Mathias Petersen, a local from Upernavik, spent October 10–20 preparing part of the logistics and transporting provisions for the next expedition on the Ice Cap.
One of the main goals of this expedition is to be self-sufficient and to demonstrate the viability of reaching the Upernavik Windsled Camp from Upernavik without relying on external transportation such as helicopters, as in 2025. To accomplish this, the team will access the ice using snowmobiles, following the same method successfully applied during the SOS ARCTIC 2024 Expedition in South Greenland.
J.J. and Mathias’ task was to place some of the supplies and snowmobiles in a safe location at Maniitsoq island near the icecap entrance that was explored in 2025 Expedition, so that in the spring of 2026, the Windsled team can access them and ascend to the top of the glacier from there.
During spring, the sea ice is thin and unsafe, preventing direct access to the area from Upernavik by snowmobile. For this reason, the cargo has been strategically placed before the ice freezes.
For solving the problem of the thin ice from Upernavik to the Deposit in Maniitsoq, the team will introduce an innovative concept, a hydrocopter that can move in an amphibious way through water, thin ice and solid ice in order to travel from Upernavik to Manitsqo Island, where they will begin their ascent to an altitude of 2,000 meters, the location of the Upernavik Windsled Camp.
Therefore North Greenland Windsled Expedition 2026 has already started!!
