During a recent long hiking trip into the stunning Scoresby Sund on the eastern coast of Greenland, we sat down with expedition guide Marco Rosso. He shared his passion for guiding guests and how the long hiking experience may be the most exciting Oceanwide Expeditions activity to date.
We were several days into an 8-night expedition cruise into Scoresby Sund, and m/v Ortelius was navigating through the magnificent Øfjord, skirting icebergs below a brilliant blue sky. During downtime, we sat with Marco Rosso in the lecture room of the ship, informally referred to as 'the chapel,' with its wooden pews and column-lined walkways. "I'm so happy to have been on both this trip and in Svalbard," Marco explains, smiling, his enthusiasm infectious. "In Antarctica, I am often a camping guide, but I love to hike, so being on these long hiking trips where we trialed the experience has been great."
Long hiking was a big draw for many guests joining this expedition cruise, who enjoyed three days of long hikes, venturing far from the ship and connecting with Scoresby Sund's landscapes. "I think the guests experienced long hikes at their best during the second hike of the trip," suggests Marco. "We took our time, really immersed ourselves in the tundra, following herds of musk ox and just enjoying the silence. The first long hiking day was more challenging, with steeper inclines and rocky ground. Sometimes, you have to adapt, and things don't go perfectly. But, if you have the time to adjust your route, it's all part of the adventure."
Picture by Marco Rosso
The lure of the wilderness
Adventure runs deeply in Marco's life. Originally from Italy, he now lives in Chile, and in addition to working with Oceanwide Expeditions as a guide, he also guides trekking tours in Patagonia. When asked to pick his favorite destination between Svalbard, Antarctica, and Greenland, he takes a moment to juggle them in his mind. Part of his love for Patagonia lies in its vast trekking and hiking opportunities - not always possible in Antarctica.
"Greenland and Svalbard offer something of a balance between what I love about Patagonia and the landscapes of Antarctica," he offers after some thought. "I fell in love with the landscapes of Patagonia, so I am always searching for hints of that everywhere I go. In Greenland, you have vast landscapes, massive cliffs, and mountains on a scale beyond anything in Svalbard. It also has icebergs and glaciers, similar in many ways to Antarctica. But the big difference for me, and what makes Greenland so special, is the ability to explore the tundra and go on long hikes away from the ship."
Antarctica is a different beast from the Arctic. Vast, remote, untamed, and spectacularly beautiful, the Antarctic landscape is rugged and mountainous, with glaciers covering vast swathes of otherwise explorable land. For this reason, most visitors to Antarctica explore areas around landing sites or the mazes of icebergs and ice floes rather than take part in long hikes far from the ship. In contrast, in the Arctic, the summer months reduce snow and ice cover, and the land comes alive, with plants carpeting rolling tundra, transforming it into a sea of color.
Picture by Martin Anstee
"This place, Scoresby Sund, is just beautiful," agrees Marco. "It's a fantastic experience for guests. There are mountains, canyons, valleys, huge glaciers, and heavy snow on the mountaintops. You have the vegetation of the tundra, the colors of autumn. You can see the story of time in the landscapes of Greenland."
This is undoubtedly true. Throughout the trip, the geology of the region was on display in every direction. From the granitic rock of Øfjord and the smooth slopes of Ikasakajip Nua, to the scattered boulders of gneiss and veins of schist that scarred the rolling tundra of Cape Hofmann Halvø, the tumultuous ancient story of this part of the world could be traced in the rock, and the vast fjords left behind by the ice caps of the past.
"It's great to see guests coming to that realization as they climb moraines and overlook the glaciers," Marco says. "While I am not an expert, I try to share what I know about geology, and people engage with that. For instance, when walking on a moraine, I like to think about when the glacier was there, how it shaped the rocks I see today, or the mountainsides or rock formations on the slopes around me."
Picture by Marco Rosso
What makes Greenland stand out in this regard is its isolation. There, guests can tread ground where few people have ever before. "That's what I love about Greenland," Marco agrees. "You can see similar things in Europe, of course, but almost always, things have been moved. They've been changed. There's been some form of anthropological intervention. Here, there's almost none."
What runs through our conversation is Marco's passion for engaging with people and his enthusiasm for guiding in the polar regions. Throughout the trip, Marco was ever-present in the dining room, bar, or on deck, chatting with guests, and he was always among the most enthusiastic when welcoming guests ashore for an excursion or when out on a Zodiac cruise. "I think it's important to remember that, for many guests, one of the biggest things they remember from these trips are the guides," he says, smiling. "We're such a huge part of their experience. Of course, the knowledge we share and the expertise we show are important. Still, the most important, in my opinion, is to remember that they experience everything through us. The personal touch is so important."
Every guide has a different focus, expertise, or approach to guiding. Marco had to find his own approach when he first transitioned into the tourism industry ten years ago. "I asked myself a lot of questions," he says. "What kind of guide should I be? What do I need to learn? Do I need a specialism? But, it was my wife, who is also a guide, who told me that the best guide is one who has a good time with the guests, who share these special moments with them, answers questions, but above all else, is a positive, engaging part of their experience. And I think that makes perfect sense. So, that is me."
Picture by unknown photographer
On an Oceanwide Expeditions ship, guests will have access to a range of expertise among the expedition team, with specialists with broad knowledge on subjects including biology, geology, photography, and bird life. However, as Marco explains, balance is key to the formation of a great expedition team.
"As guides, it's good to have a basic knowledge of different topics, but you don't need to know everything," he explains. "We have a range of specialties, from experts on certain topics to more generalists in the expedition team. You need to offer something for all guests on board - everyone is different." This element of continual learning and knowledge sharing is true for the guests on board and the guides themselves. "I'm not a geologist or a glaciologist, but I like to make sure I know some basics of different subjects," agrees Marco. "I have just started a bachelor's degree in earth science - it's relevant to many of the topics we explore on board, so I look forward to using that."
When asked if he ever feels under pressure to be an expert on all aspects of the polar world, he laughs. "No, because we are always learning, which is great for us as guides and the guests. If we don't have a marine biologist on board for a voyage, it's up to us as guides to provide the knowledge and insight. Sure, it's a challenge, but an interesting one."
"My background is in engineering; I studied - mechanical engineering, specializing in fluid dynamics and thermodynamics," he continues. "I can talk about the melting patterns of icebergs, the atmosphere, and wind patterns, for example. I'm fascinated by the morphology of the landscape, geology, and, of course, glaciers. So, I like sharing that insight with other guides and our guests."
Picture by Saskia van der Meij
The crew radio crackled into life once more, as it had done so occasionally throughout our conversation. It would soon be time for a presentation in the bar, and a team meeting had been called. Before finishing our interview, he shared an experience that sums up the importance of balancing sharing information with the raw experience.
"In Antarctica, we spotted a pod of orcas while the ship was relocating, so we rushed to the Zodiacs. The water was like a mirror, and the pod circled us, breaching among the icebergs. At that moment, with my guests, we just sat silently and experienced something extraordinary for over two hours. Some were emotional, and that stuck with me. I saw how special my role was. Of course, the questions came after, and we gave a presentation, but in that moment, we connected through something extraordinary."
He was silent momentarily as he recalled the memory, smiling. "Yeah," he said eventually, "Those moments make these trips so unique and magical for me. Those are the moments that change people."
Main image by Marco Rosso
