Nordur

19/08/2026

Communication is a big part of any expedition, especially once you’re well beyond normal phone coverage.

At Nordur, we use a mix of systems depending on where we are and what we’re doing.
-InReach gives us satellite messaging and tracking, we are currently using the explorer model which can get a forecast and has mapping.
-Sat phone provides direct voice communication when we need. Sometimes we need to organise logistics, pickup on call doctors or communicate with the team at home.
-Short-range radios keep everyone in contact between vehicles, on foot or ski and around camp. Good if a team has to split or comms from basecamp to a summit team.
-Longer Range Ham radios where appropriate to monitor relevant local radio traffic and maintain a better picture of what’s happening around us, we are currently using them out in the Yukon to monitor wildfire activity.

The important part is redundancy. Equipment fails, batteries die and coverage varies. Having more than one way to communicate means we’re not relying on a single system when we’re a long way from help.

Good comms aren’t the most exciting part of expedition planning, but they’re one of the most important.

19/08/2026

A lot more pictures to come, but this was a particularly special moment we shared with a grizzly bear last week. 🐻

It’s a busy time of year for bears in the Yukon. Winter isn’t far away and, with autumn already starting to creep in, they’re in a race to pile on as much weight as possible before hibernation.

At this time of year, a grizzly can gain around a kilogram of body weight a day as it feeds almost constantly.

Luckily, the berries are ripe, plentiful and ready for eating — and this one was certainly making the most of them.

An incredible animal to sit quietly and watch going about its day, and definitely one of those moments from the Yukon that will stick with us for a long time.

14/08/2026

In October we have a expedition heading back out to the Western Sahara in the Iriqui National Park.

It shares a lot of similarities to the Polar trips. Temperatures swing, water is scarce and distances are deceptive. Out here, good expedition planning and skills matter.
That’s exactly why we come here.

This expedition takes a different line. It’s a self-supported journey from Mhamid, close to the Algerian border, travelling by foot and camel across open desert for seven days. There are no roads, no 4x4s in the background, and no fixed camps waiting for you. Just a steady route west, carrying only what you need, and sleeping under the stars each night.

10/08/2026

A DAY ON A WINTER CROSSING: INTO THE STORM

An afternoon on a winter crossing can take you through completely different environments.

One moment the pulks are gliding across firm, open snow. The next, you are climbing, breaking trail or leaning into a wind that is beginning to erase the landscape around you.

Distance only tells part of the story. Snow conditions, terrain, visibility and wind determine how hard each kilometre feels—and how quickly the group can move.

As the weather deteriorates, attention begins to shift towards camp. We need somewhere suitable to stop, enough time to secure the tents properly and a group still capable of working together in the wind.

Putting up camp in calm weather is routine. Putting it up in a storm is a team effort.

Poles are assembled, tents are controlled against the wind and snow anchors are buried deeply. Pulks and skis are secured, loose equipment is accounted for and, eventually, everyone disappears inside.

Outside, the wind continues.

Inside, the stoves are lit, snow begins to melt and a small tent becomes home for the night.

So…how’s storm life in your tent?

10/08/2026

09/08/2026

A DAY ON A WINTER CROSSING: BREAKING CAMP

Morning on a winter crossing doesn’t begin with putting on your skis.

It begins inside a frost-covered tent, lighting the stove and melting snow.

We need enough water for breakfast, hot drinks and the day ahead. While the stoves are running, sleeping bags are compressed, mats are packed and equipment is organised ready to go back into the pulks.

The tents come down last.

Snow anchors are dug out, poles are packed and every piece of equipment is loaded back into the pulks. Before moving, we check the weather, confirm the route and make sure everyone has the clothing, food and water they need close at hand.

During the first few days, breaking camp can feel slow and chaotic. But everyone soon develops their own system. Jobs become shared, pulks are packed more efficiently and the whole group begins moving earlier.

Eventually, what first took hours simply becomes the morning routine.

Then the skis go on, the pulks begin to move and another day of the crossing starts.

30/07/2026

A huge thank you to Quinn and Alex for the great company, enthusiasm and effort over the last few days.

We’ve covered some serious ground, chasing the best weather windows and making the most of every opportunity.

We kicked things off with an ascent of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis, where they both did a fantastic job. From there we headed east for a canoe journey on the River Spey, paddling from Broomhill Station down to Knockando.

Next it was northwest towards Skye, stopping for an evening of rock climbing en route before making the most of a weather window for a mountain day on the Cuillin.

Finally, we headed back to Gairloch, where the River Ewe provided the perfect venue for a packrafting journey from Loch Maree all the way to the sea.

It was a full-on few days. Most nights didn’t finish until midnight, and one stretched on until 2am—but that’s often the reality of our bespoke courses. We build each trip around the conditions, giving our clients maximum flexibility to experience the very best that Scotland has to offer.

With a 1:1 guiding ratio, we can adapt every day to suit the weather, conditions and objectives, creating an experience that’s simply not possible on a standard itinerary.

Thanks again, Quinn and Alex. It’s been a pleasure guiding you both.

27/07/2026

26/07/2026

NORTH PATAGONIAN ICEFIELD — PART THREE

ACROSS THE ICEFIELD

Once on the plateau, the scale of the icefield becomes clear.

We travel west on snowshoes, roped together and pulling everything behind us in pulks. There is no trail to follow. The route crosses vast open ground, broken by crevasse fields hidden beneath the snow.

Navigation can mean finding a safe line through complete whiteout. When the weather clears, the challenge changes to intense sunlight reflected from the ice.

If conditions and time allow, we can leave the main crossing route to climb remote summits, gaining views across the plateau and towards the Pacific fjords.

As we approach the western side, the ice becomes increasingly broken. The final stage takes us through the complex crevasse fields of the San Rafael Glacier before descending towards the Pacific coast.

A complete east-to-west crossing of one of the least-travelled icefields on Earth.

Remote. Bold. Cold.

24/07/2026

NORTH PATAGONIAN ICEFIELD — PART TWO

GAINING THE PLATEAU

After our first night near the snowline, the real climbing begins.

Everything needed for the weeks ahead—food, fuel, tents, ropes and rescue equipment—must be moved higher. Loads are carried on our backs or hauled in pulks wherever the ground allows.

The route onto the plateau feels more like a big-mountain expedition than a conventional icefield crossing. We move through broken glacier, climb steep snow slopes and gullies, and scramble across exposed rocky ground.

Progress is slow. Camps are established higher as we gradually move the entire expedition upwards, gaining almost 2,000 metres from Lago Leones before finally reaching the main icefield plateau.

Only when the ground begins to open out can we properly load the pulks and prepare for the journey west.

Several days into the expedition, the crossing itself can finally begin.

Next: remote summits, crevasse fields and the journey towards the Pacific.