24-day expedition in Greenland with the Ceres XP Extreme with Flo Schmidt

3rd July 2024 | Flo Schmidt embarked on a 24-day expedition across Greenland's inland ice this year, accompanied by the Ceres XP Extreme expedition tent. As a mountain guide and EXPED tester, he shared his experience of the journey.

About the expedition

The expedition began with a flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, followed by a day of preparation, equipment checks, and packing sleds. Traveling to point 660 by truck and trailer, they started their journey onto the inland ice. The initial days involved navigating challenging glacier terrain with steep climbs, aiming to establish their first campsite swiftly. By the third day, they transitioned onto the ice itself and covered approximately 250 km over the next five days. Despite facing temperatures consistently below minus 20 degrees Celsius, reaching as low as minus 36 degrees Celsius on seven days, they encountered strong winds peaking at 40 km/h, with a particularly intense period forcing a two-day break due to winds reaching 80 to 90 km/h. On their final day, enduring 23 hours of continuous travel due to imminent storms of up to 120 km/h.

Summarizing his experience, Schmidt identified the Ceres XP Extreme's three standout features: 

  • exceptional stability
  • superior warmth retention
  • pre-attached snow flaps. 

He concluded that the tent is ideally suited for polar expeditions, offering advantages over competitors in terms of design and functionality.

The Ceres XP Extreme 

Stability

Regarding the Ceres XP Extreme tent, Flo Schmidt highlighted several standout features. Notably, its exceptional stability, capable of withstanding wind speeds of 80 to 90 km/h thanks to its robust double poles. He noted that the tent's design, with the pole channel situated closer to the flysheet compared to competitors like Hilleberg, contributed significantly to its stability in high winds. 

Weight

Despite its durability, the tent remains impressively lightweight, a crucial advantage given the expedition's demands.

Warming

In terms of warmth, Schmidt found the Ceres tent notably superior to others, providing nearly 5 degrees Celsius more warmth post-pitching compared to Hilleberg tents. This feature proved invaluable in Greenland's harsh climate. 

Snow flaps 

The tent's pre-attached snow flaps also garnered praise for their convenience in extreme weather conditions, eliminating the need for additional sewing or adjustments.

Vestibules

Additionally, Schmidt appreciated the spacious front vestibule for cooking during inclement weather, emphasizing its practicality during storms. 

Set up 

While the interior space was slightly smaller compared to some competitors, he found this to be negligible given the tent's overall performance and ease of setup, even in adverse weather conditions.