In December 1996 we began to plan an expedition to a remote mountain area and research led us to the Rignys Bjerg Mountains in Arctic, East Greenland (Lat.69°N, Long.26°W). No expedition has ever visited these mountains and we expect to make a large number of first ascents.
We fly via Iceland to a remote airstrip at Constable Point on the East coast of Greenland. Here we will collect our equipment which will have been freighted out earlier. Then the journey continues in a Twin Otter. This small plane has been fitted with skis to allow it to land us on the glacier at the heart of the range. It will be three weeks before it returns to pick us up.
Travel on the glaciers will be on skis, using pulks to carry our gear and food. We will probably cover over 100 km but will also climb many of the mountains that push up through the ice. These rise to around 2800m, though there are no maps and we will record the first accurate data. We have some aerial photographs which we will use for navigation.
As we will be north of the arctic circle around the longest day in the year we will have permanent daylight. This will allow us to travel at night when it is colder and the snow conditions are better.
We hope to use a satellite phone to send back reports from Greenland. Photos taken with a digital camera will also be transmitted for inclusion in this web site.
A gun will be carried in case we meet a polar bear and we will have two emergency radio beacons that transmit on the international distress frequency. However, any evacuation would take several days as the Twin Otter will be flying other missions back in Iceland.
This expedition will be the most ambitious to date for each of the members but we have built the necessary skills and have realistic views of our abilities. We have all climbed together for many years and are confident that we can realise a safe and successful expedition.
The expedition is officially supported by the British Mountaineering Council, Mount Everest Foundation and the Scott Polar Research Institute, though the majority of the cost will be borne by the team members. A full report will be submitted to each of these bodies for inclusion in their libraries.