The right clothing for a warm Greenland ice sheet expedition

The right clothes to stay warm on the Greenland ice sheet

Crossing the Greenland ice cap is a challenging adventure where staying warm is essential. In this blog post, I will take you through the clothing we wear during this expedition. You’ll be surprised how little clothing we actually need.

Feet

Starting with the feet, we wear thin sports socks with a plastic bag called Vapor Barrier Liners over them. Over these go a pair of thick socks. The reason for the Vapor Barrier Liners is that they prevent sweat from my feet from reaching the thick socks and shoes, which would leave me with damp and frozen shoes. Wearing these liners prevents this problem and keeps my feet dry and warm.

Legs

For the legs we wear underwear, long underpants made of Merino wool and possibly thick tights for extra insulation on cold days. Over that goes windproof pants with handy pockets where we can keep stuff while walking. The pants are held in place with suspenders. For extra protection from snow, we have gamashen, gaiters that go over the bottom of the pants and the top of the boot.

Hull

For the torso, we wear a t-shirt to sleep in and a long t-shirt with short sleeves during the day. In nice weather, down to -10 degrees Celsius, we only wear a Gore-Tex jacket to stay warm without sweating. In colder temperatures, we add a wool sweater for extra insulation. For the really cold days, we also wear a wool coat with a fur collar, which breaks the wind. For extra protection while building the camp, we wear a down coat over our other clothing.

Arms and hands

For the arms, we wear wrist warmers and thick woolen mittens. In windy weather, we add windproof overwraps. Thin undergloves are not worn because they separate the fingers, making them colder. For warmer days, we wear thin undergloves. When building the camp, we wear leather gloves with wool inner gloves.

Face

For the face, we wear a large hat that can be pulled over the ears. We also have a buff, a multi-purpose neckerchief that can be worn in a variety of ways. For extra sun protection, we have a winter cap with ear flaps and a desert cap that can cover the entire face.

Additional items

As protection from sunlight, we wear glacier goggles, which are essential to prevent snow blindness. In high winds, we wear ski goggles to prevent snow and ice particles from getting under the glacier goggles. These clothes will keep us warm during our expedition across the Greenland ice sheet. It is important not to dress too warmly because sweating should be avoided. As the saying goes, “Stay comfortably cold.” Do you have any questions about our clothing choices? Let me know in the comments!

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