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Thursday 16 August 2012

More Renland pinnacles



On browsing through some of the East Greenland climbing sites, I have come across many more images of extraordinary peaks in Renland and Milne Land.  These are two of them.  The wall in the top photo is, as far as I know, still unclimbed.  The lower one is called Shark's Tooth, and was first climbed to two Russian climbers.  The area is becoming something of a Mecca for climbers, because I suppose this is one of the last great climbing areas -- reasonably easy for access these days, with boat movement easier in Scoresbysund than it used to be, and with many of the peaks close to the shores of the fjords.  This is where maximum downcutting occurred during the big glacial episodes, with glaciers with steep gradients being evacuated rapidly as the big fjord glaciers decanted into Scoresbysund.

Because access to some of these peaks is sometimes difficult in the summer on account of turbulent and wide meltwater streams, the latest fashion is for spring climbing expeditions, with access by snowmobile across Scoresbysund while the winter sea ice is still in place.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

SNOW MOBILES?

Always found shanks's pony quite adequate meself, along with an empty Corned Beef Tin to row across the wet bits.

Yours

H.W. Tilman

BRIAN JOHN said...

Quite so -- they are a soft lot, these modern mountaineers. Probably don't even know how to live in a snow hole over the winter, while herds of polar bears prowl about outside -- as you apparently did at Syd Kap back in the good old days.

Pinnacles desert tour said...

Nice to go here. Really nice.



BRIAN JOHN said...

Did you guys climb these walls? Your photos are fantastic!