“What I really like about a first ascent is the uncertainty of it all. You simply have no idea whether it is really possible to climb. It’s a huge challenge!”
— Robert Jasper | LOWA PRO Team
Alone
A solo expedition in Greenland
Greenland LOWA PRO Team athlete Robert Jasper set off on a really special adventure in mid-July. He paddled into the remote fjords of eastern Greenland in his foldable sea kayak. He was all by himself. He completed the whole expedition entirely on his own and “by fair means” – a style in which the entire material has to be carried by yourself. He took along 90 kilograms of gear.
On solo expedition in Greenland
The tough slog to the base camp
Jasper allotted four weeks for the expedition. The first objective was the base camp. The wind and weather of Greenland – the average temperature of its fjords in July is below 10 degrees Celsius – sapped Jasper’s strength. He was forced to cover some sections several times because the weather was so bad. He reached his destination nearly two weeks later: He set up the camp at the foot of the Fox Jaw Cirque – a chain of mountains with summits made of granite that resemble a predator’s jaw.
Loneliness or polar bears
Throughout the expedition, Robert Jasper’s feelings vacillated between two extremes: the mentally draining loneliness he felt and his fear of running into polar bears. Nonetheless, the extreme athlete decided to take a closer look at the Molar Spire (the second granite tooth of the mountain range).
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Can Robert pull of the personal challenge of trying this solo first ascent by using the modern free-climbing style?
Stonecircle
Jasper reached the wall of the second granite tooth via a snow-covered couloir. In two days, he climbed a total of seven pitches and then returned back to the base camp because of the fickle weather. The weather had not improved by the third day. But the professional athlete decided he would try to reach the summit anyway. Things could not have gone any better until he reached a point located about 80 metres below the summit. Rain set in, and the rock face became slippery. Robert Jasper weighed the risks and then kept climbing. One mistake could have had devastating consequences. The situation worsened, as fog moved in. Nonetheless, Robert Jasper was able to draw on his deep reservoir of experience and routine to reach the top.
“The clouds parted, and a vast vista of mountains and fjords spread out before my eyes – a climber completely alone, not a single other person in sight. It was like being in heaven, indescribably beautiful!”
— Robert Jasper | LOWA PRO Team
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On solo expedition in Greenland
He descended the mountain by abseiling the route. He was back in his base camp tent 18 hours later.
Robert Jasper then completed the circle after spending 30 days in the wilderness, covering 100 kilometres by foot while lugging heavy gear, climbing 1,000 metres on a sheer rock face and paddling more than 100 kilometres through the sea in his kayak: He returned to his starting point. Robert already had a name for the route in mind: “Stonecircle”.
The shoe
“I was thrilled by the Alpine SL GTX during my solo Greenland big wall expedition. But it’s also the perfect shoe for my Alpine tours as every gramme counts here and the shoe combines a high degree of comfort with technical know-how!”
The facts
- Duration:
- 30 days
- Distance:
- 100 km
- Climate:
- Polar