New-route blitz in Greenland’s Fox Jaw Cirque

The land's frozen, the food questionable, but the climbing... spectacular. For Nate Furman and friends Josh Beckner, Jed Porter, Annie Trujillo, Kadin Panagoulis, and Darcy Deutcher, not even a two-day hike to the nearest liquor store, in Kummuit, 30 miles from basecamp, could put a damper on their excursion to the Fox Jaw Cirque of Greenland last summer. In June — before the annual food supply shipment had arrived in Greenland — the American-based posse established several new alpine rock routes, culminating in a 17-pitch, 3,000-foot FA on Snaggletooth, Natural Mystic (5.10+), which took nearly 39 hours of nonstop climbing. “Because of the 24-hour daylight," recalls Furman, "we could just keep climbing without schlepping bivy gear.” But to arrive, the group endured a 10-hour flight, 60-mile boat ride, and an eight-mile hike. They set foot in the Fox Jaw Cirque of the Schweitzerland Alps, in southeastern Greenland in late June.

The team climbed several of the region’s finest formations, during their 37-day stay, nabbing six FAs, including two 14-pitch climbs: Beers in Paradise (V, 5.10+, AO), on the Incisor that shares four pitches with Mike Libecki’s Tears in Paradise; and Left Rabbit Ear (IV, 5.10), an intimidating climb that demanded run-out offwidthing in lieu of wide cams. Each of these routes took over 24 hours to complete with no bivys. The trip culminated with Natural Mystic, and saw no interference from weather. “The weather patterns are typically mild, compared to Patagonia or Alaska,” says Furman. “The climbing ends up being kind of ‘Alpine-Lite’ — all the taste of regular alpine, but half the danger.” Because Greenland is situated at a relatively low altitude, hazards like altitude sickness, hypothermia, and frostbite are diminished.

“From a distance most of the peaks looked chossy,” Furman recalls. “But occasionally you’d see a huge, clean, bright-white granite face.” Furman says the peaks did not disappoint: thin cracks gave way to intricate traverses with ample face holds and juggy incuts, making for spectacular climbing all around.