THE GREENLAND PROJECT

Our plan was straightforward: the team met in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland’s main hub and our official starting point. A friend drove us by 4×4 to the Russell Glacier, but the easy ride ended there. We had to haul a ton of gear across two kilometers of rugged scree just to reach the edge of the ice.

From that point on, it was a four-week push across the sheet. Our days were a grueling cycle of skiing for ten hours while navigating crevasses and storms—all while keeping a sharp lookout for polar bears. On top of the physical trek, we conducted our research every morning and evening. It was an exhausting pace, to say the least.

While we all joined for different reasons, we were immediately united by two things: a sincere commitment to the environment and the challenge of solving a complex problem. Our diversity wasn’t an accident; we were brought together specifically because our different backgrounds made us stronger. We operated on the belief that a well-rounded team consistently outpaces the efforts of any individual.

The results surpassed our expectations, and I believe our approach serves as a great model for any team. By defining clear roles based on each person’s specific strengths, we avoided the friction of “too many cooks in the kitchen.” This allowed everyone to take ownership of their work, ensuring that every team member felt—and actually was—essential to our success.