Arctic Team Challenge

Festival Location: Ammassalik Island, Greenland

Festival Type(s): Endurance Sports Events , Extreme Sports Events, Multidiscipline Sports Events

The Arctic Team Challenge is an annual adventure race held on Ammassalik Island, Greenland. The 5-day combined stage and expedition race takes teams through a distance of about 250 km and climbs 9,000+ vertical metres in the magnificent and wild beauty of Ammassalik Island.

The Arctic Team Challenge is always held in July. As this month unfolds, the Arctic summer reaches its very height with long sunny days and just a few hours of twilight. The average temperature during daytime is between 10 - 15 degrees celsius.

The Arctic Team Challenge consists of the following stages:

Mountain Biking

The bike sections have received the best reviews from very prominent mountain bikers. Very demanding routes both physically and technically. The routes are laid out on a mixture of gravel roads, paved roads, dirt tracks and "no tracks at all".

Mountain Trekking

Navigating through mountainous terrain, with very few - if any - defined tracks. Cols, culoirs, peaks and rivers need to be crossed with a lot of loose rocks and some easy scrambling. On one of the stages we might incorporate actual climbing, but this will be done with the timing on hold, to make this experience accessible for all racers, including those without any previous climbing experience.

Glacier Trekking

Several glaciers will be travelled. This requires full glacier gear (crampons, harnesses, ropes, ice axes) and the requisite knowledge to use this equipment. There will be crevasses on the glaciers, but generally the crevasses are easy to navigate - though in bad visibility difficulties can arise.

Ice Fjord Paddling

The Canoe venue is a unique experience on the ice-filled waters of the Sermilik Icefjord. Paddling among the huge icebergs is an awesome experience and not to be found anywhere else. Our Grabner Adventure inflatable canoes have proved their value - they are stable (very safe) and carry the whole team. Safety on this venue is a main issue and security boats are at all times close to the racers.

Above text courtesy of http://www.eastgreenland.com.

Arctic Team Challenge - When, Where and More Info Please

When: The Arctic Team Challenge takes advantage of the long-lit summer days of July each year

Where: Ammassalik Island, Greenland

More Info Please: For more information visit the Arctic Team Challenge Official Website at http://www.atc.gl or take a look at the Official Tourism Website of East Greenland at http://www.eastgreenland.com - both, fantastic resources.