Photos: Erik Boomer
“We’re going to kite-ski across Greenland with our kayaks.”
When these words came out of Erik Boomer’s mouth when I saw him this summer on Idaho’s Payette River, they didn’t surprise me. Because this is how Erik Boomer rolls. The “honey badger,” as he’s fondly referred to by friends is a serial adventurer. He has crossed the North Pole on skis, has kayaked some of the world’s toughest rivers (he once had a team hang him off belay in his kayak before he cut the rope and ran a 60-foot waterfall). The dude gets out there. And he’s a gifted photographer.
Right now, he’s on one of his most audacious adventures yet: he, his girlfriend Sarah McNair-Landry, and longtime expedition paddler Ben Stookesberry, are crossing Greenland using kites to access some supremely difficult whitewater. Mostly all of it self-supported. Word has it that the kite skiing across the frozen tundra became too difficult, so they had to drag their kayaks and food for miles. Red Bull has helped with logistics and filming (only for the first week) but the team has mostly turned to skiing while dragging boats. And they’ve run some tough whitewater (see below). All in all, they will have traveled 700 miles–destination: six degrees North of the Arctic circle. “Just when you think you have it in the bag, a crevasse field pops up and ruins your day,” Boomer says on one post.
Still, sounds as if the trekking has proven fruitful. Check out some of these drops:
And this two-tiered monster:
No word on when the crew plans to finish but you should definitely follow Stookesberry’s and Boomer’s Instagram accounts for more.