Dispatches & Blogs

Congratulations Chris, Denis, Annie and Michael!! After 30 days of moving east across Greenland, team AC/DC have made it to the icecap’s edge. Behind them is the long white interior. Ahead is the sea, the village, the first edges of return. Finishing a crossing like this is not quite as simple as arriving. For so many days, the world has been reduced to a few essential things: weather, distance, food, fuel, sleep, the condition of your feet, the sound of your teammates moving

AC/DC is now within 10 miles of their coastal navigation waypoint. This landmark is the end of the ice cap as it descends to the water's edge, just a few miles over sea ice from the island community of Isortoq. After a forced rest day on the 27th, AC/DC continued with their nightly travel, departing in the early evening yesterday and skiing through the night. They camped one final time on the ice cap, waking this morning to undertake the final steps with an afternoon start. C

The team is not far from the sea now. After weeks moving across the Greenland Icecap, they are waiting out a windstorm before the final push toward the east coast. Close, but not done. Near enough to feel the pull of the finish, but still very much in the hands of the weather. This is part of expedition life that is hard to explain from home. Sometimes progress means moving. Sometimes it means lying still in a tent while the wind works over the fabric for hours, listening to

Annie reports: "Today was a good day with a wind from the NNW but sun all day. We skied for six eighty-minute pushes and one 40-minute push where each person led for 10 minutes. We made 20.3 miles from our last campsite. We saw some awesome wave-like clouds; I think they are called Helmholtz clouds?" The team is now just 40 miles from the coastal navigation waypoint! Yes, Annie, those wave-like formations you observed are indeed Helmholtz clouds—more commonly known as Kelvin-

Chris reports "18 miles today! Did 7 pushes. Everyone led for 20 minutes on the last push of the day. Hot weather this pm. Everyone good. Snow is deep but better surface texture and the downhill helps." AC/DC descended another 500 feet of elevation. Although hardly noticeable over a 18 mile stretch just knowing that your rolling is enough to celebrate.

Annie reports that AC/DC traveled 15 miles and descended 500 feet. Annie shares that "The clouds in the sky created dark shadows on the snow, long stripes that moved. It was super cool." She also shares that "Denis made a delicious bread fried with cheese and meat for everyone, and it tasted like a 4 star Michelin restaurant tent. Ahh..." The team is all doing well enjoying the travel days and camaraderie. They are working through the challenges of the soft snow and still ma

Chris reports "the snow remains deep and soft. Hard work breaking trail. But it was a little crustier today than it has been so that’s good." AC/DC covers another 15 miles and several hundred feet of descent. They are below the 7000 foot mark. As the crow flys they are now within a hundred miles of their coastal destination waypoint. One of those targets along the route. Weather continues to be stable with light winds, temperature at it's coldest 0F and full sun.

Annie reports that AC/DC is navigating challenging snow conditions, but they are under clear blue skies with light winds. Instead of dealing with sticky, globby snow, the team is encountering post hole conditions. Annie explains that each step and glide on the skis requires significant effort, as the skis sink into the soft snow, demanding a lot of energy to move forward. Despite the difficult snow conditions, the team achieved their goal of covering 15 miles. After setting u

Happy Birthday Chris! Chris reports continued stable weather and travel conditions that are occasionally soft. AC/DC completed another 15-mile day and is now descending several hundred feet in elevation per day. The pleasant weather and light wind conditions, along with clear skies, allow the team to enjoy the vast expanse of the ice sheet. They had some visitors yesterday—a flock of geese encouraged the team by honking noisily as they flew overhead. They reported nearly 20 o

With the summit behind them, the team is enjoying the current favorable weather conditions. Chris reports another beautiful day with mild temperatures at 10°F, light wind, and blue skies. They covered another 15 miles. The snow conditions were manageable, described as soft snow. Soft snow, as we all recall, has been a theme this season during the crossing. The team is proactively adjusting their schedule to start earlier, planning to take advantage of the coldest part of the

The summit of the Greenland Icecap serves as a ceremonial location rather than a physical peak along the route. As AC/DC has been moving eastward on a steady upward climb, the terrain appears flat with rolling undulations in the icecap. These rolling hills gradually rise toward the highest elevation the team will encounter on their journey to the east coast. This elevation has traditionally been around 8,100 feet. Last night, AC/DC camped at an elevation of 8,176 feet, markin

AC/DC is accumulating the miles. They exceeded 15 miles in their daily total and are currently camped at an altitude of 7,800 feet. They anticipate crossing the summit in the coming days. To date, they have covered more than 160 miles on this expedition. Chris reports that the day began favorably with winds around 10 mph and good visibility. By the afternoon, whiteout conditions returned, and the wind increased. Chris described the wind as a quartering headwind from the south

After their mandated early tent time yesterday, the team was up early and back on the trail, skiing eastward before 10 am. Shifting their daily cycle has been a challenge, but the previous day's rest clearly paid dividends: they logged their best mileage yet, covering 15 miles. Although the weather was less than ideal at the start of the travel day, conditions steadily improved. Chris reports the evening is still and cold as he carefully monitors the stove, melting snow for t

Annie reports the team is waking earlier each day to switch back onto a daytime move schedule. These transitions can be hard for their mind and body. Rest and recovery are important components to challenging objectives and truncating them can lead to adverse results. After yesterday's solid day of travel leaving DYE 2 behind they packed up and started their day under very overcast conditions with a wind forecast that was meant to pick up. After a half day of travel the wind f

CP reports that before starting a full day of travel, the team had the opportunity to explore the abandoned DYE-2 radar station. After spending a couple of hours touring this massive facility—including the giant radar antenna dome, barracks, and kitchen—they headed out into pleasant winter weather. The conditions were cold and mostly calm under overcast skies. With a firm, fast surface, the team covered nearly 18 km and crossed the 7,000-foot elevation mark. They now have les

Out on the Greenland Icecap, landmarks are rare. Most days are made of subtler things: the sound of skis over snow, the weight of the sled, the shape of clouds, the work of melting snow into water, the quiet calculations of staying warm, fed, and moving. Then, after days of white space, DYE 2 rises out of the ice. It is a strange and unforgettable place — a human structure left standing in a landscape that seems almost beyond human scale. It feels less like arriving somewhere

The AC/DC team rocked and rolled through the night, covering over 17 km. Switching to a night schedule has proven successful, bringing them within 20 km of Dye-2. Annie reports that the team pushed through persistent challenges following their forced rest day, facing colder temperatures, sleet, and total whiteout conditions. While the cold helped reduce sticky snow, the overall elements were exhausting. After their overnight push, they established camp to dry out their gear.

Annie reports that the team remained stationary to wait out the worst of the weather. Conditions were challenging, with 40 mph winds, snow, sleet, and temperatures near freezing. They are strategically utilizing this forced rest day—a potential reality of any major expedition, like crossing the world's largest island ice sheet. To compensate for the delay, the team is shifting their schedule to travel entirely through the night. By departing in the late evening and traveling

Annie reports that the team was up early again with a 2:00 AM wake-up call. They managed to tear down their tents and uncover their buried sleds. The weather has turned on Greenland; the team is currently enveloped in whiteout conditions with blowing and falling snow. Temperatures are slightly cooler than the past few days, and the wind has picked up significantly. Despite these conditions, the team found a small window to navigate over four miles before the wind increased to

Happy Mother's Day! To the incredible mothers who guide us through life's earliest, exciting adventures—from those wobbly first steps to bouncing back from the first scrapes. Your unwavering love, resilience, strength, and nurturing spirit make us who we are: courageous, adventurous, and ready for anything. Thank you for everything! A special shout-out to our very own Annie Aggens: Happy Mother's Day! We deeply admire your dedication to both your family and your craft. With y