On May 1st, Ramón Larramendi, Jens Jacob Simonsen, and Bendt-Poul Jensen, together with a team of local Inuit hunters and fishermen, carried out the first operational tests of the Hydrocopter, the newest vehicle incorporated into the Inuit Windsled Project.
The first advance team arrived in Upernavik to prepare the logistics for the 2026 expedition, where the Hydrocopter immediately demonstrated its potential under real Arctic conditions.
After two days of testing, the team achieved the first major milestone of the expedition: reaching the Greenland Ice Cap without the use of helicopters. Designed to navigate safely through broken and unstable sea ice, the Hydrocopter opens new possibilities for accessing remote Arctic regions in conditions where conventional transport becomes extremely difficult.
The Hydrocopter also played a key role in recovering snowmobiles previously left on shore, approximately 15 km from the Ice Cap access point. This operation required crossing a narrow fjord system affected by broken sea ice, strong tides, and powerful currents, making it one of the most technically demanding stages completed so far.
The remaining members of the expedition team are expected to arrive in Upernavik in the coming days as preparations continue for the next phase of the 2026 North Greenland Windsled expedition.
