Kiwi takes the hard road across Greenland icecap

A Wellington man has crossed the Greenland icecap without the help of huskies or kites to drag his sled.

John Clark, 45, was among an international group of eight who spent 23 days travelling 541km on foot and skis. They hauled sleds that weighed between 90kg and 100kg at the start of the journey in May.

"I think this is the first icecap crossing by a Kiwi without the aid of sleds pulled by huskies or wind," Mr Clark said from Iceland.

"The trip was extremely challenging both physically ... and mentally - a huge slog not to be taken lightly given most manual attempts fail."

He said he suffered badly from blisters and ulcers.

Attempts made by several other groups had to be abandoned because of bad weather, injuries and inexperience. Early in the crossing, Mr Clark's group saw another team being rescued by helicopter.

The group started from Greenland's east coast, gradually climbing towards the icecap's highest point, about 2700m, and then making a long descent to the west coast.

Temperatures ranged from freezing to -25C. The group slept in tents, sometimes building ice walls round them, and ate dried fish, salami, biscuits and chocolate bars.

Mr Clark has previously crossed Antarctica's South Georgia island.

- NZPA