Adam Kjeldsen, originally from Aasiaat, a city in Greenland at the entrance to Disko Bay, is the Greenlandic guide who accompanied Alex Honnold and the group of mountaineers, climbers, adventurers and researchers on the adventure of In Greenland with Alex Honnold, the miniseries available on Disney+ from April 10th.
Adam Kjeldsen in Greenland with Alex Honnold: the weather rules here
Having grown up sailing the Greenland and Caribbean seas and later becoming a boat builder, Adam has spent much of his life exploring his country in the backcountry on skis, mountain biking and walking. The perfect person to ask about all the difficulties and challenges encountered in getting to the base of the Ingmikortilaq face.
Adam, I would start by talking about the expedition to reach the Ingmikortilaq face: how did the approach take place?
Well, when you grow up here in Greenland, you know that the weather is in charge, and you can’t really mess with it. The plan was to start sailing from the point where we landed the plane, but there was still ice, which normally shouldn’t be there but had been pushed to that point by strong winds. So we had to take the helicopter and then the crossing of the Renland glacier began: the scientists had to do some of their experiments in that area and in practice it took us something like 4 weeks to cross the ice cap, with two camps in which we stayed for a week and 4 days respectively. From the glacier we then descended into a bay from which we began the navigation of the last 100 km up to the base camp where we stayed for a couple of weeks.
Besides the weather, have you encountered any other unexpected difficulties?
From my point of view, no, perhaps from the production point of view, because we had a lot of material to bring and helicopter support was expected, but due to the weather we had it half the time, which created quite a few logistic problems. For me, who grew up here, it was all quite normal: if you can’t fly and you can’t sail, there’s nothing you can do, you just have to adapt. But I also understand the needs of video production. And in the end, we did everything we were supposed to do and all’s well that ends well.
Can you tell me something about climbing Ingmikortilaq?
Well look, I don’t climb, I’m not a climber, or at least I’m certainly not at their level. We watched them from the boat, we saw them start from the cliff and have their first contact with the wall, and if I think that they had never seen it before it was incredible to see how professionally they approached every aspect. Then yes, there were some surprises, but you will see those in the series, I don’t want to give spoilers!
Speaking instead of your life experience and as a guide, when was the first time you touched the Arctic ice cap?
The first memory I have of it is during a caribou hunting trip with my father, I was probably 10 years old. Then you know, I grew up in Disko Bay, and we have a lot of ice there and a lot of icebergs, and it was normal to see it up close while sailing with my father. But yes, the first time I walked on it was probably on that hunting trip of which I still have a photo.
And from your perspective, both from land and sea, how have you seen the environment and the ice change over the years?
There has definitely been a big change since I was a child. I’m 41 now and there are big differences that anyone can see. I’ll give you an example: as a child I lived on a small island, but the mountain you could ski on was on another island and you couldn’t go there until the sea froze. Back then I skied every day, and I could have gone as early as October or November at the latest, but now this no longer happens, and even at this moment (end of January, Ed) it is not possible to pass. Another example is the glaciers that have retreated, and today you can no longer ski where I normally skied as a child. After all, if you think that we only had the first snow 5 days ago you understand how much the temperature has risen here.
Is there anything unexpected that surprised you during this expedition?
Look, I had never been to that fjord, and I was very excited to see the wildlife, especially the polar bear which I have never seen in my life despite having traveled everywhere in Greenland. Well, I was surprised to only see a few seals and a partridge. So little animal life was a shock to me. Then working with the crew was a positive surprise, because it was a really fun experience.
So what do you think are the most obvious consequences of climate change in Greenland and the Arctic environment?
Look, hunting is part of the culture and lifestyle here, but now even in my city there are a lot of people who can no longer go out hunting with dogsled because there is no more ice. All they have left is the boat, all year round, and they are forced to adapt. We do it, we cannot do otherwise, but I don’t think that what we are experiencing from a climate point of view is a positive change, and perhaps in the future there will also be other consequences for us.
This is exactly the next question I was going to ask you: what scares you most about climate change?
Look, it’s still not clear to me. Things are certainly changing, and perhaps hunters and fishermen are the ones most affected by these changes. Now we are all in a modern lifestyle, but nevertheless it is in our culture that the weather decides what you can do, that nature decides what we are allowed to do and what we are not. And so yes, we will adapt, perhaps also to the fact that more and more land is being discovered due to the retreating ice.
And from your point of view, what do you think should be done immediately to slow down or stop these changes?
Obviously we all have the right to live a good life, but then it is the mentality of each of us that can make the difference. I mean, there’s a lot of talk about electric cars now, but from the point of view of those living in Greenland, do we need something more radical? I think so, and I think we all need to think a little more about the impact on the planet of what we do and what we use.
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2024-04-12 12:42:47
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