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SubscribeSkis, Boots & Bindings
Skis and boots. In past trips we have used a Baffin Boot attached to a wide touring ski via a Berwin Binding. These are not suitable for the unstable ice conditions on Greenland as the snow and ice can be quite wet and this then builds up on the rather bulky, but incredibly warm, Baffin Boot. So this time we are using a Garmont Ski boot with an extra liner for warmth. These boots are designed for long haul cross country skiing and look a lot like a downhill boot but are much more flexible. The boots are fitted to a narrow Fischer 99 ski (with a skin attached) via a Rottefella Riva 3 binding. When there is no snow and we are on just ice we remove skis and wear a Grivel crampon. In hand we are using Swix mountain poles.
Garmont Ski Boot
The whole process of moving over the ice is quite a simple one but as with anything gets better with practice. When we first started skiing in Resolute Bay in 2005 as we prepared to ski to the Mag. North Pole we really struggled. There was lots of falling over and our speed was incredibly slow. In fact Steve and I had a sit down with the ubiqitous cup of tea to discuss the problems. Steve especially suffered as he had no confidence in the “foreign” system that we were being asked to learn. It is nothing like Downhill skiing and isnt quite the same as Cross County Skiing but more like walking on Skis!
While Steve struggled with confidence, I was just too heavy footed with my bindings which meant that I tended to break things a little more!
However after those early days we found out that we werent as bad as we thought and as time has gone on we have been able to gain some quite good speeds and distances using those same systems.
This time with a different system we are hoping to travel even faster!
