GR26 - Sila
The Project
Scientists
A 1,700 km south-to-north crossing of Greenland, from Kangerlussuaq to Qaanaaq, by kiteski in total autonomy, led by international explorers.
An extreme endurance challenge in the heart of the Arctic, combined with a scientific mission to collect unique data for climate research and the SUMup glaciological database, contributing to more than a century of observations of the Greenland ice sheet.
GEUS
Baptiste Vandecrux
Glaciology Researcher
Japan Meteorological Agency
Masahi Niwano
Senior researcher, Climatology
Northumbria University
Joseph Graly
Assistant Professor, Geography
Technical University of Denmark
Mai Winstrup
Senior researcher, Geodesy
Press
Le Groenland, cette terre qui vous éprouve durement puis vous offre, sans prévenir, un souvenir inoubliable - La Libre
Quand est venu le moment que nous attendions tous, nous avons eu la sensation de glisser dans un espace infini - La Libre
Wilson Cheung, explorateur : "Dans cet environnement très exigeant, une seule petite erreur vous tuera - La Libre
Louvain-la-Neuve: Imaqa prépare une expédition de 1700 km en kite-ski pour étudier la calotte glaciaire du Groenland - L'Avenir
Quatre chercheurs vont traverser le Groenland en kite-ski sur 1 700 km : un défi extrême au service de la science - NRPyrenees
Carnets Pédagogiques SILA
The diaries of Sila
Day 25-26
From Wilson
14 hours and 300,000 loops of our kites later and we spot something on the horizon! It’s the Fjord! We have almost made it now, it feels unbelievable. We danced all day with our kites, in the glorious sunshine - and a sight of something beyond the vast ice represents home more than I could imagine.
Day 24
From Ed
The inside of the tent on one side started to shake, a sign that the wind was finally arriving. After a day and a half of waiting in our smelly cramped little tent world it was time to move the body and head North once more. The big kites on long lines went up efficiently and easily, the start of our session was keeping us working for progress in this light breeze. The snow surface was scattered with little diamonds of ice crystals as the temperatures dropped and we add more jackets and mittens. The spaces and places change as we move over the undulating gradients. We have been in a world of clouds and mist most of our journey so far, however this evening we are welcomed into a world of unlimited visibility, heading full speed towards the sun which tracks our path as we gain speed. The horizon is a rich medley of cloud and light trickery. We are truly on another planet up here on the ice. Sasha is leading the charge into the late night and she is eclipsed by a halo of rainbow colours and bright parahillion beams as the light turns orange and the ground beneath us a deeper blue scattered with stars
Day 23
From Wilson
What a heavy day yesterday. After what felt like an intense effort, we collapsed into sleep until 10:00 AM today. The air is surprisingly still at 2100m—no wind at all—which is a stark contrast to the hustle we've been in. Despite the quiet, the work demanded our attention. We spent the morning repairing the gear; Wilson's pulk was broken, and we also tackled some issues with the ed and sa equipment. Later, we shifted gears to the science: measuring snow density. The sample, full of packed snow and ice lenses, gave us clear indications of warmer-than-expected winter conditions. The evening was dedicated to nourishment—a hearty dinner of reindeer food—as we prepared for the final push to Qaanaaq, 480 km away.
Day 22
From Sasha
I wake to hear the stove burning. Ed is up already getting the coffee on. Wilson peels off his eye mask, revealing to himself the new day and as with every day, his face lights up and lights me up in return. I feel so grateful to share each day with this little team. When you’re in company that dosen’t require words, it’s always good company. Coffee, Brownie, Breakfast, Pack-Up, Kites up. 11m, 25m lines, NE tack. We weave in the powder, crossing patterns with the blowing snow. The sun warms our backs and calms the winds. Time for some big kites. 15m, 50m lines, we loop the kites and move North powered by sun and gentle air but the mood of the wind is changing, and the sun hides her pale face. A feisty South Westerly wind takes charge and we lean into the NW tack - now we are making progress. Arms extended, clutching the bar, we try to tame the kite, as the wind brings snow and sass - but we are flying. We stick close as the visibility drops, and surprise sastrugi catapults us. Ed finds a hidden speed bump and has to safety release his kite, thankfully he’s okay. We pull the kites above our heads in an attempt to slow down, and the wind seems to take pity on us and eases back to a manageable speed. What time is it? It doesn’t matter, we are moving, distance becomes time. What even is time if the sun doesn’t set, we go until we are too tired, stopping as the wind eases back to 7knots. It’s 12.30am and we eat dinner together, we’re tired but it may as well be 6pm. 170km today, it’s our record so far. We are learning to work with
Day 21
From Ed
We wake at 2am, the tent is shaking it’s fabric with the sound of usable wind. Outside the sun is low on the horizon and air temperature is definitely keeping us awake at this time of the morning. We are on the move and our kite shadows are so far away out to one side. The drifting snow suddenly becomes blowing snow as the sky starts to disappear above us. It is stronger winds than forecasts and we down sizing kites to make the big drifts and sastrugi more manageable - think big speed bumps of varying consistency. By midday we are at one of our remote weather stations for a check over and many pictures. Then off again down wind as the sun is so warm as the effects of the cold wind are now next to nothing as we are moving with it. A big tacking line takes us out to the NW with good speed and improving surfaces now we are flying.
Day 19
From Wilson
Today, May 7th: The three of us woke up at 6:30 AM and kite up at 9:30 AM. We had a beautiful southern wind that effortlessly shifted to a north wind, allowing us to cover 150km today without any issues. The powder snow is absolutely heavenly! Upon reaching our destination in Point India, we set up camp. At 18:30, we conducted some science measurements on snow density and collected snow samples, preparing for the TMR
Day 16
From Wilson
Today marks the end of our stop rest day. Wilson finally fixed the hole in the air mattress, and we had a good night after two restless days. However, the wind was very strong this morning, making it difficult. We needed a lot of help to take down each tent. Today we encountered an east wind and continued our journey non-stop to catch up on the schedule. We covered a distance of 135 km today. My left leg is very painful after these days of hiking. Once we reach the point golf, we still have 1000 km left to go home. It’s still a windy day, so sleep will be tough.
Day 14
From Sasha
Frost lined the hood of my sleeping bag, scratching my cheek as I was rudley awakened by my alarm. one more cold night up here on the icecap. First move of the day is to get the stove on, then everything gets easier. We made a Coffee and I sat and drank it in my sleeping bag, trying to defrost. I perched out of the tent door and was greeted with a happy sun. Its subtle morning heat was so welcome. A calm morning - a good reason to get stuck into some sciencing, so Gilles and Ed dug a snow pit and me and Wilson repaired a broken thermarest. Gradually the breeze built up and we were underway at 11am. Thankfully the rough sastrugi, we’ve skiing over, and slowly rattling our bones apart with had been nicely covered with fresh powder in the night, and we glided out of camp with winds blowing us and the sun smiling behind us. Perfect. The clouds shifted through the day and a patch of open blue followed us, putting us in the spot light. The sun moved west and cast a sun dog onwards and then laterally around the clouds around us. Giving us its halo - Bombing along, this is chain of thoughts, with the clouds, then back again. The kite didn’t need much flying today, just a slow weave with the skis was enough to keep it powered up. Fairly tiered from the day before, we decided to call it a day at 6pm, but as we want to make the most of tomorrow we did t a day at 6pm, but as we want to make the most of tomorrow we did another snow pit at the new camp, ate dinner together and then climbed into our tents.
Day 12-13
From Ed
Today, April 30th, the Sastrugi period is underway, bringing significant storm activity and biting snow drafts. We are learning to harness the downwind loop by navigating a kite over Greenland. This experience is akin to the soaring flight of an arbotross across the South Ocean. Although the effort is exhilarating, a sharp sense of pain remains after reaching 80km. Nevertheless, the work continues: we are collecting snow samples to precisely measure its pitch and density." Diary entry Ed 1st May: I’ve got this funny black charcoal based toothbrush that shows the ice all over the bristles. Some mornings it’s so cold that the toothpaste doesn’t come out of it’s tube other slightly warmer days it does. And then there’s no excuse not to put those icy bristles in my mouth! Yesterday was a blast! We made good progress in the best direction with dream winds. In and out of the clouds on diamond dust further and further North. Makes the ice brush all worth it.
Day 10-11
From Gilles
Focused on progression… Our time is counted. Keeping a close eye on fuel consumption (our only way to have water!!) and food stocks. 2 very cold days with felt temperature of -47*C on the morning of day 11. Small frostbites on our faces - nothing significant at the moment but essential to monitor it throughout - and cracking skin on our fingertips - the most painful is the skin separating from my nails, making open wounds at every fingertip. Progress is slow, too slow. Too much faffing and waiting as when some gets a tangle 3 wait for him/her. Team spirit is strong though, everyone is showing patience, empathy and camaraderie which helps a lot. 40 km on each day… The snow is like sandpaper under our skis with the cold temps and the storm raging through days 8 and 9 transformed the flat icecap into a field of sastrugis as far as the eye can see - making progress slower with all those bumps. West followed by Northwest winds allow us to reach 2200m, our target elevation. But then maybe here’s the rub : by elevating our safety standards (higher elevation = much lower crevasse hazards) we may make our progress more sluggish and painful : colder temps, sastrugis, hard sandpaper-like snow, winds?? There’s another team at work, Norwegians of course. Two of them born with skis clipped to their feet and kites harnessed on. We communicate with each other and boost each other up. They’re cruising on silk snow it seems - easy life -, started 2 days later and already passed us, yet at a much lower elevation and much closer to big crevasse hazards… For Camilla it’s the 10th time she’s doing this crossing : it’s just like going out to the park for a picnic ! With my two English friends it feel at times like we’re on the race to the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott… but we all know how it ended for Scott Si the question is this : should we go to lower elevation to privilege ease/speed if progress ?
Day 9
From Ed
The cassio watch alarm goes off above my head. I slowly add layers of clothing whilst inside my sleeping bag and scouch over to the stove to get some warmth in the tent. The outside world is misty and contrast between snow sky and anything is down to zero, a big change from last night’s beautiful arrival at this place in the big white. The wind is building and buffering the tent as we force down breakfast and make plans for the day. We are in a good position location wise and now at a respectable elevation of over 2000m, so the energy expenditure along with the conditions and forecast make today a restday. We fill our time by first building a wind wall out of snow blocks for the tent, the snow is good here and our quarry and production line is fast flowing. Once our camp set up is more secure we spend the rest of the afternoon engaged in science work which in these winds and temperatures is certainly a challenge with drifting snow a big mittens but this makes for a full filled day and much discussion back in the tent.
Day 8
From Wilson
Cold! Absolutely Brutal! I still feel the chill radiating off the very air. Yesterday night was… something else. We hit a temperature of -22°C, and the wind was relentless. It wasn't just cold; it was a deep, penetrating cold that seemed to bite right into your bones.Every single sleeping bag was practically frozen solid. I checked my toothbrush and my toothpaste—utterly useless. They were rock hard, completely unusable. I had to spend ages shivering, trying to keep my extremities from seizing up. It was a stark reminder of how quickly things can turn from thrilling adventure into sheer, bone-deep misery when the weather turns against you. We managed to start moving towards the 2200m mark around 11:30 PM. That was the point where I started to feel the exhaustion creeping in, but the weather was starting to change in a way that worried me. The wind intensified rapidly, and visibility plummeted. It's impossible to see more than a few meters ahead. Every gust felt like it could tear us off course. We were constantly bracing, fighting the wind just to maintain any semblance of direction. Lunch at 14:00 felt like a small, blessed respite, even if it was just a quick stop. It was time to make the big change. We switched the kite from the 11m setting down to a much lower 7m. It was a conscious decision—less power, more control, less risk when visibility was such a mess. We started that long journey. It was the longest trek yet, a real test of endurance against the biting cold and the chaotic wind. We covered a total of 79km. I honestly felt like I was walking through a monochrome landscape, relying entirely on the faint suggestion of the terrain to guide us. Finally, we arrived. 2100m. When we finally set up camp, the exhaustion was profound, but something shifted in the atmosphere. As the sun began to dip, the sky broke in the most spectacular way. The Sundog. It wasn't just a glimpse; it was a whole spectacle—a brilliant, ethereal arc of light stretching across the horizon. It was the most breathtaking, magical backdrop I have ever witnessed while experiencing such raw, harsh conditions. Seeing that incredible light against the darkening peaks, setting the tent up… it was worth every single icy moment, every freezing night, and every aching muscle. Sleep will be rough tonight, but I managed to soak in that magic. I need to remember this feeling when the cold tries to push me away again. Tomorrow, recovery.
Day 7
From Sasha
Flurries fall sideways so slowly against time, Parting snow, shadow, cloud, crossing horizons gliding by A kinder wind we’ve longed for, arrives on time, Parting cloud, shadow, snow, Greeted with clear skies, 76km in the bag, and now I’m in mine, Eating chocolate, nuts, tea, It’s about bed time.I should probably write kids books 😂. Good day in light winds for us 🙂
Day 6
From Gilles
Rest day & science day. Some kites need minor adjustments, some gear need repair, and we don’t mind resting a little ! I come to understand (or think I understand) long snow kiting trips like these are also about strategy… especially when combined with scientific field work. Making decisions and sticking to it - to manage our energy and the time spent on the science - because the wind comes and goes, it shifts in direction and strength, and you may spend a loooong time switching around your kites, lines or setup, getting up and sitting back down if you can’t exercise patience and jumps up at every subtle expression of an inexistant or unfavorable wind. Sometimes it’s just better to commit to a rest/science day. It is also about proper navigation, and adaptability : we carefully designed a route but here again I come to understand that we can’t really expect to follow that route. Rather we have to go (2) Heavy as we are, we can’t go upwind. So our navigation is pretty much restricted to the 180 degrees downwind window. But such an immense plateau offers great possibilities ! Provided of course that you strictly respect NO GO zones and clearly define your safety standards, because then you could just as easily let yourself drift into huge crevasse fields. So while this tricky warm and unpredictable weather is rather uncomfortable at the start of our trip, we learn a great deal and I’m confident we’ll manage to reach Qaanaaq in time. In the meantime, the science work started and I couldn’t be more satisfied ! Imaqa !
Day 5
From Sasha
The day began with light Easterly winds and an eagerness to get some km under our belt. Unfortunately once we’d set out our 15m kites, we realised the winds just weren’t strong enough to pull us and the sleds. We decided to wait for some stronger winds but the skies cleared and we were treated with some much needed sunshine instead. After a few hours of drying gloves, sleeping bags -and basking in the calm, sunshine - the winds reappeared but this time to the North. Hastly, we set up and kited for a little while but again the winds were fickle and the northerly’s, did not allow us to make good headway, so again set up our little camp and enjoyed kiting about without the heavy pulksin the golden evening light. We are happy to be dry and cold again, tomorrow we will pray to SILA to bring us fair winds 🌬️ night night from us at camp 3.3
Day 4
From Sasha
The morning began with an early alarm, 5.30am and we were all up, completing our final preparations before Chris from the Kangerlusuaq International Science Support centre was to pick us up and take us to point 660 in his truck. Point 660 is a good access point to the ice cap. The day had finally come - Today was going to mark day 1 of the SILA expedition, and there was a fair amount of apprehension in the team. The first few days, for sure, were going to be the most physically demanding and we all knew it.
Day 3
From Gilles
Mountains are still accompanying us on our climb today, but not for long. As they’re fading away in the distant horizon, tomorrow morning might very well be our last sighting of land before actually getting to Qaanaaq, all the way north, some 1700km from here… Very soon, they’ll be but distant memories and the team will have entered for good the realm of snow and ice - and just that ! I was quite satisfied with our choice of itinerary as it’s been going rather well, although we each had two pulks and no less than 100kg of load each. While being heavier than during the Nanok Expedition in 2022, this afternoon we passed our old Camp 6 in less then 3 days time (while it obviously took us 6 days then). Great team, faster progress, less faff and a more detailed study of our entry route made a great difference - but mostly no cameramen ahah ! Snow this year is scarce, it hardly snowed this winter. Blue ice And most surprisingly of all, it is VERY WARM ! As we’re hovering around 0*C and many hours into the positive temperatures, we’re struggling with wet snow, wet tents, wet everything ! Nothing better than a good dry -15*C. Last night and this evening it rained… Mind blowing. Cramponing up our way onto the icecap from Point 660m, tonight we’ve reached a decisive stage : I’ve packed my pair of crampons away because tomorrow we’re clipping our skis and raising those big beautiful sails of ours - let the wind carry us like leaves in the autumn breeze, be free as birds, no more heavy lifting! I expect the chafe to be quite radical. Can’t wait. The next two days the wind’s shifting from the S to SW which is an absolute benediction as we should then be able to sail due east - as intended - without much effort. Drifting too far north means getting ourselves dangerously close to crevasse fields. Wish us fair winds
Day 2
From Sasha
A very kind Finnish team who had set off a few days before on their long arduous journey across the ice cap to the east coast for 35 days, had shared with us their track. It was amazing to have some new intel and with the satellite images, it looked promising - but deep down we all knew we had a complicated jumbled maze of a glacier waiting for us, with 2 pulks weighting a total of 100kg each - so there was no doubt we were going to be in for a tough ride. On top of this, the forecasts were predicting 100km winds tonight into Monday - so apprehensions were justified I think. Despite all of this, we were all buzzing with excitement as we jumped into Chris’s truck - our long journey had begun and no matter what happens I think w e all knew we’d figure it out. As we drove up the long old road from Kanger, passing Reindeers and Mountain Hare - the sun came out and gave way to amazing blue skies, stretching out towards the distant icecap - our home for the next month. We reached Point 660 at around 11am and decided to build a robust camp tucked in between the glacial moraines - placed on the ice itself we made V-threads with the ice screws to secure the tent ahead of the forecasted blow. Once set we decided to make use of the amazing weather and try to take one load and depot it on the glacier. At first we glided along the ancient blue ice, but soon the ice steepened and we dug in our front points to haul the loads up the never ending hummocks of ice. After 3km we entered a frozen melt water channel which helped us navigate past hellish crevassed terrian, following Icey runnels and hoping they would lead us to a flat begnin expanse. To our luck the channel was a good one and with few detours we managed to haul our first load 5km without too many dramas. Up on the rolling blue, distant hills stretched up like towering white mountains in an arctic mirage. After enjoying the views, we scooted back to camp and made tea and ate homemade brownies, hunkering down before the storm. Sila, the name of this expedition is Greenlandic word, and is the name for both weather and consciousness. The winds have started to pick up - so I’m going to drink my tea, contemplate that some more. In the morning we will see what SILA brings (: over and out
Day 1
From Sasha
The morning began with an early alarm, 5.30am and we were all up, completing our final preparations before Chris from the Kangerlusuaq International Science Support centre was to pick us up and take us to point 660 in his truck. Point 660 is a good access point to the ice cap. The day had finally come - Today was going to mark day 1 of the SILA expedition, and there was a fair amount of apprehension in the team. The first few days, for sure, were going to be the most physically demanding and we all knew it.
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