Sisterhood of Adventure
Donation protected
For Katie Crafts, it’s polar ice and pushing her limits.
For Céline Jaccard, it’s the arctic community and sharing experiences.
Adventure means different things to everyone, so we are combining our passions and strengths to explore what it means to us by kite skiing across the second largest ice sheet on the planet: Greenland.
The Plan
On April 15th, 2019, Celine and Katie will strap on ski boots, clip in to a harness, and kite ski 350 miles from the East coast of Greenland to the West coast.
This iconic journey was first completed by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen in 1888; we are retracing his route with an all women's team and modern equipment.
Our self-supported journey will include no food caches nor support dog teams; instead, we will haul sledges with 25-days of food, fuel, and emergency supplies. Oh and chocolate. One of the many pleasures of having a Swiss woman on the team!
When the winds and visibility allow, we will kite. When the winds and visibility don't allow, we will ski (we're both bringing AT skis for this inevitable situation). And when the winds are too strong to move, we will hunker in the tent, lightening our food load, napping, and letting our bodies rest.
Who Are We?
Celine Jaccard is who we endearingly call our modern day Arctic renaissance woman. She lives in a small community in Baffin Island, part of the Canadian Arctic and a similar latitude as our Greenland crossing, where she has learned from the locals how to live off the land, enjoy the darkness of winter, and otherwise embrace her icy fortress. She works as a youth ski instructor, remote medic, volunteer search and rescue, and in her free time she is an outstanding curator of sparkling costumes and a dance move for every occasion.
Katie Crafts is looking forward to this opportunity to try to keep up with Celine. Katie works as a lecturer aboard the National Geographic Explorer in Antarctica, and as an expedition leader for Natural Habitat Adventures in East Greenland. The polar bug bit hard several years back, and since then Katie's spent her time chasing ice from the bottom to the top of the planet, as well as a volunteer porter on a glacier caving expedition, skiing up and down the cascade volcanoes, and sharing the abstract polar regions with hundreds of kids through school presentations in Oregon and Washington.
This is our sisterhood, and we are excited to combine our skillsets to take on this adventure. It will be a test of our capabilities, which we anticipate will be punctuated with joyful moments, adventurous bathroom breaks, and the slight but real chance of a polar bear.
The Impact
The cryosphere is a wholly abstract part of our planet, and we anticipate that this experience will give us an intimate connection to the ice in a way we look forward to bringing to life for others. Be it Katie in her classroom presentations, or Celine in her youth outdoor instruction. We hope and anticipate that the journey will enrich our perspectives on this abstract part of the frozen planet.
We are both avidly involved in our different communities, and look forward to making this experience into an educational opportunity to raise awareness of the icy planet with adults and kids - the most curious explorers of all.
The Budget
We are grateful for the support of our home communities and businesses, and will purchase locally when possible. We will do everything we can to stretch our budget, including sewing some of our own gear and seeking out support from local businesses. Even with a frugal mindset, this is an expensive undertaking and we truly appreciate your support - we can't do this without your help.
While we are prepared to make the gear as inexpensive as possible, the logistics of the trip are well into $15k plus no matter how frugal we are, and we need help to make it happen.
We will use the funds raised here to contribute toward the trip logistics which include flights, helicopter, gear, permits, insurance, food, polar bear deterrents and transport, etc.
Safety
We are extremely cautious and thorough risk assessors. We are prepared to take care of ourselves on this journey, and also anticipate that there may be unforeseen situations that arise; we have planned to be prepared for the unexpected.
We will be in daily communication with our support team back home, and have the support of a medical director in case of unexpected medical situations. If no answer and no message is received during a total of 48 hours, the expedition support will activate search and rescue. Both of us will carry an emergency communication device at all times (Inreach or PLB). We will also carry a satellite phone for more complex communications, and a VHF radio for marine communications and in case of an evacuation.
Additionally, we are grateful for the support of a medical director in case of a medical situation. Our medical director will help us assess any medication situation, and determine whether and how to stabilize and/or evacuate in the extreme case of a trip-ending situation.
Qujanaq!
Thank you for support our all women's journey across the second largest ice sheet in the world. We will cherish your support during cold and "warm" nights on the ice.
For Céline Jaccard, it’s the arctic community and sharing experiences.
Adventure means different things to everyone, so we are combining our passions and strengths to explore what it means to us by kite skiing across the second largest ice sheet on the planet: Greenland.
The Plan
On April 15th, 2019, Celine and Katie will strap on ski boots, clip in to a harness, and kite ski 350 miles from the East coast of Greenland to the West coast.
This iconic journey was first completed by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen in 1888; we are retracing his route with an all women's team and modern equipment.
Our self-supported journey will include no food caches nor support dog teams; instead, we will haul sledges with 25-days of food, fuel, and emergency supplies. Oh and chocolate. One of the many pleasures of having a Swiss woman on the team!
When the winds and visibility allow, we will kite. When the winds and visibility don't allow, we will ski (we're both bringing AT skis for this inevitable situation). And when the winds are too strong to move, we will hunker in the tent, lightening our food load, napping, and letting our bodies rest.
Who Are We?
Celine Jaccard is who we endearingly call our modern day Arctic renaissance woman. She lives in a small community in Baffin Island, part of the Canadian Arctic and a similar latitude as our Greenland crossing, where she has learned from the locals how to live off the land, enjoy the darkness of winter, and otherwise embrace her icy fortress. She works as a youth ski instructor, remote medic, volunteer search and rescue, and in her free time she is an outstanding curator of sparkling costumes and a dance move for every occasion. Katie Crafts is looking forward to this opportunity to try to keep up with Celine. Katie works as a lecturer aboard the National Geographic Explorer in Antarctica, and as an expedition leader for Natural Habitat Adventures in East Greenland. The polar bug bit hard several years back, and since then Katie's spent her time chasing ice from the bottom to the top of the planet, as well as a volunteer porter on a glacier caving expedition, skiing up and down the cascade volcanoes, and sharing the abstract polar regions with hundreds of kids through school presentations in Oregon and Washington. This is our sisterhood, and we are excited to combine our skillsets to take on this adventure. It will be a test of our capabilities, which we anticipate will be punctuated with joyful moments, adventurous bathroom breaks, and the slight but real chance of a polar bear.
The Impact
The cryosphere is a wholly abstract part of our planet, and we anticipate that this experience will give us an intimate connection to the ice in a way we look forward to bringing to life for others. Be it Katie in her classroom presentations, or Celine in her youth outdoor instruction. We hope and anticipate that the journey will enrich our perspectives on this abstract part of the frozen planet.
We are both avidly involved in our different communities, and look forward to making this experience into an educational opportunity to raise awareness of the icy planet with adults and kids - the most curious explorers of all.
The Budget
We are grateful for the support of our home communities and businesses, and will purchase locally when possible. We will do everything we can to stretch our budget, including sewing some of our own gear and seeking out support from local businesses. Even with a frugal mindset, this is an expensive undertaking and we truly appreciate your support - we can't do this without your help.
While we are prepared to make the gear as inexpensive as possible, the logistics of the trip are well into $15k plus no matter how frugal we are, and we need help to make it happen.
We will use the funds raised here to contribute toward the trip logistics which include flights, helicopter, gear, permits, insurance, food, polar bear deterrents and transport, etc.
Safety
We are extremely cautious and thorough risk assessors. We are prepared to take care of ourselves on this journey, and also anticipate that there may be unforeseen situations that arise; we have planned to be prepared for the unexpected.
We will be in daily communication with our support team back home, and have the support of a medical director in case of unexpected medical situations. If no answer and no message is received during a total of 48 hours, the expedition support will activate search and rescue. Both of us will carry an emergency communication device at all times (Inreach or PLB). We will also carry a satellite phone for more complex communications, and a VHF radio for marine communications and in case of an evacuation.
Additionally, we are grateful for the support of a medical director in case of a medical situation. Our medical director will help us assess any medication situation, and determine whether and how to stabilize and/or evacuate in the extreme case of a trip-ending situation.
Qujanaq!
Thank you for support our all women's journey across the second largest ice sheet in the world. We will cherish your support during cold and "warm" nights on the ice.
Fundraising team: Sisterhood of Adventure (3)
Katie Crafts
Organizer
Hood River, OR
Celine Jaccard
Team member
Kate Sedrowski
Team member
