DISCOVER

“...in what feels like a different lifetime, I boarded a familiar sailboat, the @auroraarktika, in the Westfjords. It was 2015, and I was leaving Iceland for Jan Mayen. A small Norwegian meteorological base sits on the island, but it’s otherwise uninhabited. Only half of those 35 military folks are allowed to stay for a full year, the rest forced to leave after six months simply to maintain their mental health. It’s 300 miles from land in any direction. Thirty miles long and shaped like an hourglass, the isthmus is only 1.6 miles wide. The island is volcanic in every sense of the word: black rock, no large flora or fauna, desolate. Only when you look closely do you see the birds, the small flowers, the strangely thriving ecosystem. Oh, and it’s home to the northernmost active volcano on earth. So we sailed there because, of course, we wanted to ski it. Two days took too long morphing into five, as the sailboat floated up and down, back and forth, putting me into the deepest coma of seasickness. When my feet touched the volcanic soil I again nearly vomited, knowing that in a couple of short days, I’d have to go through that again. There’s no alternative—no airport, no other boats, nothing. I arrived on the only boat in the world with a commercial permit to camp on the island, and I’d be leaving from it far too soon. But first, I had a 7500’ foot volcano to climb and ski under the Arctic’s midnight sun.” @brodyleven

“The slippery toilet seat barely held my hands as I dry heaved into it. Maybe it was the seaksickness making me vomit. Maybe it was the taste of the toilet water sloshing into my mouth. A couple days later, we anchored our tent to whale bones and driftwood for shelter from the constant sea breeze. There are no trees on the island, so the driftwood is said to arrive from Siberia. In what feels like a different lifetime, I boarded a familiar sailboat, the @auroraarktika, in the Westfjords. It was 2015, and I was leaving Iceland for Jan Mayen. A small Norwegian meteorological base sits on the island, but it’s otherwise uninhabited. Only half of those 35 military folks are allowed to stay for a full year, the rest forced to leave after six months simply to maintain their mental health. It’s 300 miles from land in any direction. Thirty miles long and shaped like an hourglass, the isthmus is only 1.6 miles wide. The island is volcanic in every sense of the word: black rock, no large flora or fauna, desolate. Only when you look closely do you see the birds, the small flowers, the strangely thriving ecosystem. Oh, and it’s home to the northernmost active volcano on earth. So we sailed there because, of course, we wanted to ski it. Two days took too long morphing into five, as the sailboat floated up and down, back and forth, putting me into the deepest coma of seasickness. When my feet touched the volcanic soil I again nearly vomited, knowing that in a couple of short days, I’d have to go through that again. There’s no alternative—no airport, no other boats, nothing. I arrived on the only boat in the world with a commercial permit to camp on the island, and I’d be leaving from it far too soon. But first, I had a 7500’ foot volcano to climb and ski under the Arctic’s midnight sun.” @brodyleven

“I could easily just stay here - freezing, my heart is slowing down and I am almost not breathing. The silence is only interrupted with raindrops and occasional whale breathing.” @_nata_ #olympusinspired #olympusaustralia

“Oh captain, my captain! This is Oli staring at the sea. And there was always something amazing on the horizon! 🤩 Hope to see you soon again! 🇬🇱 Maybe even in the Westfjords? 🇮🇸 Thanks again! 🤙 #zoomexpeditions #grönland #fotoreise” @zoomexpeditions

The surroundings of our homeport, Ísafjörður, offers endless opportunities for outdoor activites. Our friend @retro_outdoors was trying out some bouldering last weekend - with a view😎

Quiet summer night in Aðalvík @okolbeinn

“We didn’t have optimal weather but it didn’t stop us from exploring and having fun with @ingafann on the @auroraarktika in the beautiful #Westfjords. New friends, sailing, whale watching, running, mussel hunting, eating, dancing, chasing waterfalls, thermal pools and resting sums up the past week. Now onward to Reykjavik for the second halfö @patterned_health #neverstopexploring #hornstrandir #running #roguerunning #explore #iceland #runiceland #westfjords #naturereserve

“Did I go to Iceland with the intention of jumping off things into freezing water? Nah. But that's what happened. The thrill of jumping off high things into water that literally takes your breath away - it became slightly addicting” @mmkwock

Checking out Hælavíkurbjarg with @expeditionengineering

“Nach der anstrengendsten Wanderung unserer Ostgrönland Expedition holte uns Oli mit dem Dinghy wieder zurück an Bord, wo an dieser Stelle noch das Schwimmen in 4 Grad kaltem Wasser auf dem Programm stand. 🥶🤙🇬🇱 “ @zoomexpeditions #zoomexpeditions #grönland #fotoreise #auroraarktika

Photo by #CanonExplorerOfLight @onnevanderwal: "Tenley van der Wal admires the stunning beauty of one of the colossal ice bergs adrift in the Ammasalik fjord off Tasiilaq in Eastern Greenland from the deck of the 65 ft steel ketch Arktika." Camera: #Canon EOS R Lens: RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Aperture: f/10 ISO: 200 Shutter Speed: 1/640 sec Focal Length: 27mm

“When you bring a dude from Miami to Greenland.⠀⁠⠀ Repost from @roam using @RepostRegramApp - ⁠⠀ When you bring a dude from Miami to Greenland.⠀@roam⠀⁠⠀ >> Video by Roam Founding Contributor @chrisburkard of @ritonkulous #ROAM⁠⠀

“What a last night it was in Greenland - beautiful Aurora on the sky above „Arktika“ “ 📷@mm_monikameier #aurora #northernlights #nordlichter #nightsky #greenland #grönland #mynorthadventure #tasiilaq #fjord #arctic #arktis #nikonphotography #amazing @auroraarktika

Awesome Kayaking in Greenland with @nihil_baxter123 . #greenland #eastgreenland #destinationeastgreenland #grönland #ostgrönland #auroraarktika #mavic2pro #djimavic2pro #hasselblad #dronephotography #aerialarts #zoomexpeditions #ig_masterpiece #ice #kayaking #icekayaking #awesome

Woosh (!) @okolbeinn

The local kids are interested in our photo workshops🙂”Die Kids in Ostgrönland sind extrem neugierig und sehr aufgeschlossen gegenüber Besuchern. Das hat uns super Fotogelegenheiten beschert und einige lustige Momente. “ @zoomexpeditions 🇬🇱 #grönland #kids #zoomexpeditions

View.... with @iov000 #greenland #sailing #glacier #iceberg #photography #arcticcircle #sonyalpha #climatechange #climatestrike

Calm water kayaking in the #Hornstrandir nature reserve. The mothership not far off, ready with a nice meal and comfortable bed for the night.

“Small human, big landscape? Instagram recipe? Overdone? The truth is when you confronted with nature at the enormous scale and beauty that outdoor exploration and adventure often put you in, it’s hard not to do it? It’s hard not to feel like you not doing these places justice otherwise. Going further, considering the tiny human, giant backdrop equation is there to give perspective and context, I often find myself shooting small humans in landscapes/places that need are threatened and need a voice. Seen here, @annafrosty runs along the rocky shores of the ice-choked Sermilik Fjord in East Greenland - the floating debris remnants of the fast melting Greenland ice-cap.” @kelvintrautman

Here’s a boat and some ice with @jamieetrapp