First ascents in Greenland: Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) female alpinists sail to the big walls

The SAC women's expedition team has completed several first ascents in Greenland. The remote granite walls were explored in big wall style – "by fair means," meaning without airplanes, but using public transport, ferries, and sailboats.

By Fair Means to Greenland

When, after four days at sea, the first icebergs appear and the granite towers emerge from the mist behind them, it becomes clear: the goal of two intensive years of training has been achieved. Off the coast of Greenland lie the walls that have been dreamed of, planned for, and talked about for so long.

The expedition team is part of the youth development program of the Swiss Alpine Clubs (SAC). The aim of the training is to teach young alpinists all aspects of mountaineering and, ultimately, to plan and execute an expedition themselves. During the expedition year, the team consisted of Naomie Bürki, Lea Schneider, Melanie Tenorio, Pauline Laubscher, and Gianna Müller, accompanied by mountain guides. Carol North and Ramona Volken. The expedition not only served to expand alpine expertise, but also set an example for women in a traditionally male-dominated environment.

Greenland was chosen because its high granite walls, with their generally good rock quality, and the multitude of possible lines offer ideal conditions for new routes. Furthermore, the region can be reached without flying, which aligns with the sustainable expedition style.

Why train, bus, ferry and sailboat?

In this spirit, the journey from Switzerland to Greenland was undertaken by train, bus, car, ferry, and sailboat, instead of by plane. The mountaineers thus demonstrate that modern expedition mountaineering is also possible without flying. The journey began on July 20th in Basel, accompanied by approximately 360 kg of equipment. After a sleepless night in train compartments and near-failures in transporting their gear in Hamburg, they reached Denmark. From there, they took a 50-hour ferry to Iceland. To cross the island, the women rented two cars and loaded them to the brim.

In Reykjavik, the team met their skipper, Vicente Castro, and boarded his sailboat, which would serve as their base camp for the next five weeks. Under changeable conditions – from raging waves to the peaceful midnight sun – they crossed the Atlantic. Pilot whales accompanied them for the last few nautical miles before the first icebergs and granite towers appeared.

Graah Fjord – Beginning of the climbing phase

The first two weeks in Greenland were spent in Graah Fjord. There, gentle beach scenery, clear streams, and glacial tongues unfolded, framed by high granite walls that would become the playground for the alpinists in the following days. Pauline, Gianna, Melanie, and Caro completed their first climb in two days: On the first day, they fixed ropes; on the second, they reached the summit and named their route "Ilumorpooq" (6a, 670 m).

On another wall, roughly 600 meters high, Naomie, Lea, and Ramona climbed a new line in two days. The last pitch before their planned bivouac site turned out to be a steep 7a through a roof crack. "After twelve hours, fifteen pitches, and without a single possible place to sleep, our only hope rested on finding a bivouac ledge hidden above the roof crack," Lea summarized.
On August 4th, the three female alpinists successfully completed the first clean ascent of the route «Imaqa» (7a, C1, 1000 m).

On the 600-meter-high east face of the "Tre Cime," Pauline, Gianna, Melanie, and Caro established the route "Naammassineqanggitsut" (6c, 757 m) over two days, reaching a sub-summit. The four shared two sleeping bags and two sleeping mats—a setup that worked until the middle of the night when the wind picked up, bringing an unwelcome chill. Gusts of up to 50 km/h and increasing time pressure led to their decision to turn back on the second day. "We were glad that we had made the decision to abandon the climb together and by pretty much unanimous agreement. This allowed us to focus our remaining energy on getting down safely—we then called our route 'the Unfinished' in Inuit," Pauline Laubscher recalls.

Skjoldungen – New Goals

After two weeks and several successful first ascents, the team sailed on into Skjoldungen Fjord. Even before entering the fjord, the imposing northeast face of Mt Queen Lilliana immediately caught their attention. An advanced base camp was established to tackle the 600-meter-high northeast face as a joint big wall project. Over several days, the women climbed in rotating rope teams, fixing 460 meters of rope. The route was named "Luca" (6c, 460 m). However, on the fifth day, the project was abandoned due to rockfall.

At the end of the expedition, the women established two more new lines on the south-facing Caval'ou Wall. One of them remained completely clean: "I'm about to lose control and I think I like it" (6c, C1, 745 m). "A highlight was the completely clean ascent on bombproof rock: A fine crack veers left in the roof, transitions into an airy traverse across crimps, and leads into another crack system that curves back to the right," Lea Schneider says passionately about her new line.
The second route, "Geraldine" (6c, A1, 740 m), required minimal fixed anchors. Stable conditions, solid rock, and an impressive view from the summit provided a fitting end to the climb.

Conclusion – How slow travel enriches us

The women of the expedition team look back on a successful expedition in many respects. They opened a total of eight new routes, there were no accidents apart from a broken finger, the weather and conditions were mostly favorable, and decision-making remained responsible despite challenges.

The trip showed how enriching slow travel can be: On the way there, anticipation built up step by step, on the way back there was space to organize impressions and to make the transition back to everyday life smooth.

The last evening in Greenland was spent under the Northern Lights: a quiet, luminous end to an intense few weeks. On August 26th, the ten-day journey home began, accompanied by powerful memories, strengthened friendships, and countless experiences.

• "It goes, boys" | 10 women's climbs that made history
• Women's expedition team plans big wall adventure in Greenland | Crowdfunding launched

+ + +
Credits: Text: Melanie Tenorio (SAC) Cover image: Ramona Waldner