At Standup Journal, we celebrate the men and women who are utilizing watersports to raise awareness and promote advocacy for the environment. Every one of us that takes a stand inspires others to look at their own daily practices and do the same. That's why, when we saw Fanatic SUP team rider Michael Walther's jaw-dropping, scenic and powerful film, The Great Route, we knew we wanted to hear more.
Along Greenland's rugged icebergs, temps hover at -15 degrees Celsius. This is not your average place to SUP. Photo by: Daniell Bohnhof"Rugged icebergs from centuries of ice. The silence, the sheer endlessness of the polar region's quietude. No soul far and wide, only nature and myself."
In the Stillness of Greenland's Arctic Shelf
In May of 2018, Daniell Bohnhof, Max Stolarow and Michael Walther traveled to Greenland to experience up close the impact climate change was having on daily lives in the arctic. Powered by boat and their inflatable stand up paddleboard, these three explorers reached into the farthest north to hear about how rising temperatures and changes to ice flow patterns was changing the world for Greenland's coastal citizens.
On their way, they traveled through Aasiaat, a small town comprised of 5,600 residents located on the southern tip of Disco Bay in Greenland. There, they spoke with locals about how the shifting ice masses brought about fundamental changes to daily life in the northern region.
Aasiaat, a coastal fishing town, is locked in by ice throughout winter. However, local changes in temperature make travel overland (usually by dog-sled) hazardous, as the shifting ice - less every year - keeps residents landlocked for months at a time. Photo by: Daniell BohnhofThe Great Route: Climate Change in the Arctic
Walther, entering the waters on his inflatable stand up paddleboard, tells an incredible story of their experience. Landlocked on icebergs, temps hovering around -15 degrees (a warming according to the locals) the team begins to understand how rising temperatures are having a startling effect to life on the planet, starting in the extreme north.
They couldn't get where they were going by boat, due to dangerous ice floes, so Walther inflates his SUP to explore the icebergs. Photo by: Daniel BohnhofRead the Full Story in Standup Journal
You can read the full adventure of Walther, Bonhoff and Stolarow in the Winter 2020 Issue of Standup Journal, on newsstands through March 21st, 2020. Rich with spectacular imagery, chilling in detail (pun intended) and a call to the future to protect our waters, The Great Route: The Impact of Climate Change by Michael Walther will haunt you with its beauty for a long time. Pick up a copy at your local Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Gelson's Markets or subscribe here to be a part of the majesty 4X per year.
Michael Walther's award winning film, The Great Route, about this same expedition is now available in it's entirety. You can view the trailer in the link above.
