During my years as a guide in Alaska, it bothered me that our trips were only affordable for people with good income.
Join Me is for adventurers fit and motivated enough to accompany me on my travels. As a team. As friends. Everybody covers their expenses themselves. I’m in charge of planning the entire endeavor, helping everybody with their personal preparation and leading the group on location – for these services I will only charge a small amount.
Update 2022: For personal reasons, there are no Join Me tours scheduled at the time. This page is not up to date. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Summer 2021: Greenland
West Greenland | 22/08/2021 – 09/09/2021 | 3400 Euro
Greenland has the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. I spent the summers of 2017 and 2018 there, now I decided to go back for a third summer in 2021. Again I’m going to the west, to the big icebergs and the impressive fjords north of Ilulissat.
It’s going to be a packrafting trip again. Although we will cover most of the terrain on foot, packrafts will be necessary for fjord crossings. Those boats make traveling through Greenland a lot more flexible, plus it’s nice to paddle between icebergs and relax legs and shoulders for a while.
This journey will start with a private water taxi ride from Ilulissat to the abandoned settlement of Ataa, a place that was last inhabited in the sixties. From there we will walk and paddle towards the ice cap and continuously watch calving glaciers and floating icebergs in the sea. Through the mountains and in between countless lakes we will make our way south all the way to Ilulissat, where we will finally stand at its enormous icefjord, fed by one of the world’s most active glaciers.
The total duration from and back to Copenhagen will be 19 days, of which we will spend 17 active days in the wilderness. There will be a food cache in the middle of our trip, so we won’t have to carry all of our food from the first day on and therefore will have lighter backpacks. I can borrow some packrafting equipment if necessary.
The price mentioned above includes all necessary expenses from and back to Copenhagen, meaning flights, food, logistics et cetera. Personal equipment and transport from your home town to Copenhagen and back is not included.
Here is a satellite image of the area we are going to travel through: Google Earth Screenshot. To get a better understanding of what this trip is going to be like, please watch my short Greenland video from 2017. If you are interested in joining me, please email me for more information on the route, finances preparation and other things.
Attention: Important Updates for 2021
As I will become a father in spring 2021, I will not be able to lead the Greenland trip myself. This will be done by my good friend and packrafting partner Seon Crockford-Laserer (owner of “Packraft Europe”). Seon is from Australia and lives in Austria with his wife and three children. He has many years of experience as an expedition leader and holds a number of outdoor and whitewater certifications. I have full confidence in his technical abilities as well as his qualities as a person and team leader. The preparation of the trip is done in consultation with Seon and myself, so I am still available if questions or problems arise. More details can be found on the Greenland info page from Packraft Europe.
Low budget
From choosing the right flight to grocery shopping on location: All members pay for themselves, there is absolute cost transparency. I’m always there to help and give advice when my expertise is needed.
Physical and mental fitness
I expect everybody to be motivated, emotionally stable and physically fit. There will always be demanding situations, so resilience, flexibility and team spirit are essential requirements.
Expedition-style
We travel to rather remote places on challenging routes that I myself look forward to explore and which I prepare for as thoroughly as I can. There can still be unforeseen difficulties – be prepared for an adventure, not a holiday.
a) Planning: I will plan and organize the entire trip, including route, maps, logistics (transport, housing etc.) and food supplies.
b) Preparation and advice: Step by step I will guide all team members through their personal preparation, including:
– Choice of equipment (some of which I can lend)
– Physical preparation and training
– Arrangement of travel documents and help with visas (if required)
– Help with the choice and booking of flights
c) Permits and local help: I will organize local assistance and take care of any special permits required for certain regions. The costs will be shared by all team members.
d) Satellite phone and emergency device: I will be carrying and pay for the essential tools necessary in case of emergency (Iridium phone and SPOT GPS messenger).
e) Leading: I will make sure our journey runs as safely and smoothly as possible and that we will make good decisions despite all difficulties. Certain adjustments might be necessary during our trip, as that’s the nature of wilderness travel. On location I’m usually in favor of group decisions, but if push comes to shove I expect that the rest of the team will trust in my judgement and experience. Yet, I’m not the “guide” who’s main goal is to make “clients” happy – out there, we are a team and everybody is responsible for making our adventure a success.
a) Commitment and emotional stability: “Join Me” travels are demanding endeavors that require a high level of dedication, effort and mental strength. Challenges and difficulties are likely to occur, we then need to pull ourselves together and stay focused. At times of extreme pressure it’s essential that all team members stay calm and optimistic – they have to be committed enough to embrace the challenge and tolerate the stress that comes with it.
b) Physical fitness: Please be fit! You don’t have to be a marathon runner, but good health, basic body strength and endurance are indispensable. Strong joints and muscles help with the sometimes heavy backpacks on treks.
c) Equipment: You don’t only need good gear, you also need to be familiar with it. I will help you choose and get to know the right equipment, but ultimately it’s your responsibility to bring all the items and understand how to use them. I might be able to lend certain items to you, just ask me if that’s what you prefer.
d) Insurance: You will need insurance to cover your costs in the unlikely scenario of an evacuation or health issue. I can help you choose one.
Additional to your own expenses I will charge a fee for the services I provide (see under “What are my responsibilities?”). The fee depends on the length and complexity of the trip. The amount mentioned above is an estimation of all costs related to the journey, including my fee. Not included are expenses for equipment and visas.
Once I have answered all of your questions, I’ll ask for a deposit, which once paid will guarantee your spot. From this point on I will assist you during all necessary steps from getting the right equipment and booking flights to physical training and visa applications. The rest of the sum can be paid just a few weeks before the trip starts. Of course I will inform you about all of these things anyway when we discuss the details of our journey.