Ruskovilla_Cat_2020-2021_EN

BAND OF 11 - ACROSS GREENLAND WITH RUSKOVILLA An expedition of Erikoisrajajääkärikilta ry (special border jaeger guild) was off on a daring journey: their aim was to ski 600 kilometres across Greenland without assistance, along the Cold War era radar station line. The expedition had been planned for nearly three years but was almost stopped early on by violent storms and snow flurries. Seamless cooperation, careful preparations, and the correct equipment kept the party safe even in life-threatening conditions.

“I had the idea about an Arctic trek. Finnish expeditions have skied across Greenland’s continental glacier before, but none have visited the Cold War era radar station DYE-3, so we set that as our goal. We soon formed a party of 11 from members of the special border jaeger guild. Once we heard from some veterans in our first meet-up, namely the experiences of Henrik Reims from Arctic expeditions and Veikka Gustafsson’s from the Himalayas, that really lit our fire,” says Nestori Nurmi, leader of the expedition. A stormy start The expedition took some three years to prepare. Each member was assigned their duties – glacier skills, cooker boxes, polar bear encounters, etc. Once personal skills had been fully honed, they were meshed into a working unit on various training camps and hikes. No one could have predicted that those skills would be tested immediately at the very start of the expedition. “The flurries and poor visibility during the first week were quite the ordeal for us. The gusts on the sixth day were so violent that they tore up tents and tossed people across the glacier. Fortunately, careful preparations and training paid off.”

Photos: Tapio Rinne

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