** ARCTIC ISLAND WONDERLAND **

JAN MAYEN & MILNE LAND (Scoresby Sound fjord)
Sailing expedition "Tillman Style" including an ascent of Jan Mayen's highest mountain, Beerenberg 2270m, and exploration and trekking on Milne Land, east Greenland.

Join the Polar Bear team, and Greenland experts Tangent Expeditions, for a rare sailing and climbing adventure in the High Arctic. This 18 day expedition will take you from Iceland to Jan Mayen island, across the Denmark Straits to Greenland, and exploration of the World's largest fjord system, before returning to Iceland.

Using the maginificant and recently refurbished ex BT Global Challenge yacht "Polar Bear" you will be joining an experienced team of crew and guides to maximise your opportunities to experience these rarely visited parts of Jan Mayen island and Milne Land island. After a very rare ascent of Beerenberg, and a short stay on Jan Mayen we will set sail for the ice studded east coast of east Greenland. Here there will be opportunity to visit the remote Inuit settlement of Scoresbysund before heading on to the remote Arctic island of Milne Land in the inner reaches of Scoresby Sound fjord, the largest fjord system in the world. Only a handful of expeditions have ever traveled in to the heart of these range which has left many areas unexplored. A fabulous and beautiful arctic island full of alpine peaks, immense glaciers and stunning views of the ice berg filled fjords.

Tangent Expeditions is the leading authority on mountaineering expeditions to Greenland and has previously organised six spring and summer expeditions to Milne Land. No other guiding company is running, or has run, expeditions to the innermost summits of Milne Land.

Transport Logistics

The group will meet at our guesthouse in Reykjavik on the expedition start date before taking a flight to Akureyri in north Iceland the next morning. The expedition food and equipment will already be on board Polar Bear, our base for the next two and a half weeks sailing and exploration. From Akureyri we will depart the same day on the three day voyage to Jan Mayen island, 600km north of Iceland. After a few days on land making a very rare ascent of the island's highest mountain, the volcanic and glacier covered Beerenberg, we set sail across the Denmark Straits to Greenland. Navigating our way through the polar pack ice we will enter the mouth of Scoresbysund, the largest fjord system in the world! A day will be spent exploring the local village of the same name, and restocking supplies before a week's exploration of the inner reaches of this magnificent fjord network. The main focus will be a circumnavigation of the fjords largest island, Milne Land. There will be opportunities to go ashore and with the guidance and experience of our professional guides there will be opportunity to make ascents of coastal peaks. One day's sailing will then bring us to Constable Point, a tiny airstrip at the head of Hurry Fjord from where you will catch a connecting flight back to Reykjavik.

Daylight Hours

There will be 24 hour daylight throughout this expedition. At this time of year sunsets and sunrises merge in to one long beautiful display of colour.

Weather

Because of it's great stature standing proud of the surrounding ocean, Beerenberg can sometimes be shrouded in cloud. Although it's possible to climb this peak from sea level in one day we have opted to allow 4 days for the ascent, which leaves a little time for exploration as well, or an intermediate camp if required. In contrast, Milne Land usually receives very fine and settled weather in July, with many clear sky days. Temperatures between +5c and +15c should be expected.

Level of Camping

Camping is straight forward on both Jan Mayen and Milne Land, usually in two person North Face tents (supplied). Individuals and tent pairs will be expected to cook their own food as tent teams.

Experience Required

Clients wishing to make an ascent of Beerenberg should be hill fit and capable of long days out on the hill, occasionally up to 10-12 hrs if required. On Milne Land you will be able to set your own itinerary /agenda and trek and explore at your own level.

Extreme Clothing

There is no requirement for more specific extreme clothing other than normal Summer hillwalking clothing and boots. This should of course include waterproof jackets, trousers and mountaineering boots capable of taking a crampon.

Equipment Provision

Tangent will provide North Face tents, floor insulation, MSR stoves, lightweight plywood stove boards, fuel bottles, fuel cans, fuel funnels, stove spares kits, lighters, pans, white gas fuel, food, toilet paper, maps & aerial reconnaissance photos, GPS, group survival shelter, emergency flares, PLB (emergency locator beacon), rifle & ammunition (Polar Bear deterrent), VHF air band radio, walkie talkie radios, satellite telephone & solar re-charging system, base camp medical kit, mountain first aid kit, general spares and repair kit, client prussik loops, ropes & all snow/ice climbing and crevasse rescue equipment for security on steep ground and glacier travel, general spares and repair kit.

Clients will need to provide your own 50+ litre daysack, sleeping bag suitable for 0'c, inflatable sleeping mattress (& repair kit), or foam sleeping mattress, water/windproof jacket and trousers, crampons, full warm clothing, insulated jacket (optional), gloves/hat, 100% UV sun glasses, 1 litre metal flask, 1 litre water bottle, eating/drinking cup/bowl/utensils, pee (toilet) bottle, harness, helmet, 5 x screwgate karabiners, ice axe. Certain equipment is available to hire by clicking on the Equipment Hire link at the top right of this page.

Insurance

We can arrange insurance with our partners P J Hayman. Please contact our office for latest details.

Leader

The expedition leader will be Paul Rose, an experienced Greenland guide who's led several previous Tangent ice cap crossing expeditions and led our successful 2002 Watkins Mountains expedition. Paul led our first trip to climb the rarely ascended north ridge route and summited GBF on 2nd June 2002. He then led the team to make the first ascent of one of the highest unclimbed arctic summits, Paul's Mirage 3350m, which lies just to the north of GBF, followed by a first ascent of Jubilee Peak 3206m climbed on the Queen's 50th Jubillee on 3rd June. He made the first ascent of the twin summits of Mt Eggars 2824m and several repeat ascents of other peaks. Prior to this Jan Mayen expedition Paul will be leading Tangent's Watkins Mountains expedition, to make ascents of the Arctic's three highest mountains, in east Greenland. Paul has huge Antarctic experience and is better known nowadays for his BBC TV documentary work on climate change and for the recent landmark series "Oceans".

Further Details

The pages for this expedition are still to be expanded further, upon the safe return of Paul Walker from a current winter expedition in Greenland! If you have any further questions in the meantime, please contact our partners at www.thepolarfront.com who will be happy to supply you with more details about this expedition, the yacht, and the expedition schedule.

Personal Service - all prospective clients are welcome to visit us at our home in Cumbria or Paul Walker will travel to any part of the mainland UK free of charge to meet with you and discuss the expedition in more detail and show you maps and photographs. We believe this benchmark service is offered by no other expedition travel company and supports our commitment to providing an ultimate level of high quality personal service.