Be Part of a Story Worth Telling.
540km across the Greenland Ice Sheet. May 2026. Fewer than 5 South Africans have ever done this. Here's why your brand should be part of it.
One of fewer than 5 South Africans to ever attempt this crossing unsupported.
Media already on board. Joburg Style Magazine confirmed. More conversations in progress.
250,000+ combined audience across X, Instagram, and Facebook. Live tracking and field dispatches for 25 days.
Post-expedition keynote speaking tour from July 2026. Corporate events, conferences, and media. Your brand on stage and online.
Greenland is the first crossing. The North Pole and the South Pole follow. This is a multi-year expedition story. Get in at the beginning.
Already involved:
Partnerships open. Conversations happening.
Partnership commitments confirmed.
Depart South Africa.
25 days on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Content from the ice.
Post-expedition content and speaking tour begins.
This is not a logo on a t-shirt. This is a documented, real-time expedition that will produce keynote material, long-form visual content, media coverage, podcast episodes, newsletter features, and a story that doesn't expire after a news cycle. In a world that feels heavy right now, this is a good news story. A story about human resilience, commitment, and what happens when someone puts everything on the line for something they believe in. That's the kind of story people want to follow. And the kind of story brands want to be part of.
I'm a strategic performance coach, public speaker, and professional photographer with 25 years in the field. The content coming out of this crossing will be shot on professional camera equipment with drone footage from the ice, and dispatches filmed and photographed in genuine expedition conditions. This is not stock content. This is real work from one of the most remote places on earth.
The Greenland page on this site is the live home base during the crossing. Real-time GPS tracking with an embedded interactive map. Voice notes, written dispatches, and blog updates post directly to the map from the field. Partner logos sit on the tracking page. Every person following along sees your brand alongside the journey.
A dedicated expedition page with real-time GPS tracking, voice notes, written dispatches, and images that auto-update onto an interactive map directly from the ice. Partner logos displayed on the tracking page. Every visitor sees your brand as the story unfolds.
25 days of daily expedition content. Professional photography, drone footage, video dispatches, and written pieces from the ice. Partner mentions woven into dispatches naturally. A minimum of 30 professional expedition images available to partners for their own channels.
Multiple keynote presentations post-expedition to corporate audiences, conferences, schools, lodges, and events. Both locally and internationally. Partner acknowledgment in every presentation. The expedition story becomes long-term brand association.
If you're a journalist, editor, producer, or podcast host, here's the story in brief.
The Story.
A 50-year-old South African is attempting an unsupported crossing of the Greenland Ice Sheet. 540km. 25 days. 70 to 100kg sled. One of fewer than 5 South Africans to ever complete this crossing. He's a strategic performance coach with an Honours degree in Sport Psychology, 25 years in high-performance environments across five continents, and a mental performance framework he's testing in real time on the ice. The expedition is both a personal test and a live case study in human performance under extreme conditions. He's also a professional photographer documenting the entire crossing.
Media Already Involved.
Joburg Style Magazine. On board as a content partner. Writing for their quarterly publication before, during, and after the crossing.
Additional conversations in progress with South African broadcast media.
Available for: Pre-expedition interviews (in person in Johannesburg or via Google Meet worldwide). Satellite dispatches from the ice (conditions permitting). Post-expedition press, podcast, TV, radio, and print interviews from July 2026. Professional photography and video assets available on request.
Contact: info@gerryvanderwalt.com
This expedition creates opportunities for specific types of brands. If your company fits one of these categories, this is built for you.
Clothing, sleeping systems, boots, packs, eyewear, navigation technology, expedition hardware. Your product tested and documented in genuine polar conditions. Endorsed from the ice.
6,000+ calories per day on the ice. Freeze-dried meals, energy bars, electrolytes, supplements, hydration. The ultimate product test. If it works on the Greenland Ice Sheet, your audience knows it works anywhere.
GPS watches, heart rate monitors, expedition tech. 25 days of real performance data in extreme conditions. The kind of content wearable brands build campaigns around.
This is the only Greenland crossing explicitly built around a mental performance framework. If your brand works in mental health, wellness, coaching, or performance psychology, this story aligns directly with your mission.
Newsrooms, podcast networks, outdoor magazines, adventure platforms, South African and international media. A 50-year-old South African attempting a solo Greenland crossing. Fewer than 5 have done it. The story writes itself.
Hydration and energy brands. Expedition vehicles and training partners. Adventure insurance. Financial services looking for authentic performance stories. All relevant. All welcome.
Four levels of involvement. No pricing on this page. Every partnership is tailored. These levels show what's possible. Tell me what makes sense for your brand and we build it from there.
Title association with the expedition.
Your brand name alongside the crossing across all platforms. Lead logo position on the tracking page, all content, all keynote presentations, and all media coverage. First right of refusal on post-expedition content usage. Joint press releases. Dedicated brand integration throughout the full expedition timeline. Social media mentions and story integration when I'm back from the ice. One slot available.
Full integration across content and events.
Logo on the tracking page and all expedition content. Featured in field dispatches and voice notes from the ice. Partner acknowledgment in keynote presentations. Access to professional expedition imagery and drone footage for your own channels. Co-branded content opportunities. Post-expedition content package.
Content and product integration.
Logo on the expedition page. Product testing and endorsement in genuine field conditions documented with professional photography. Social media mentions and story integration. Access to a selection of expedition images. Ideal for gear, nutrition, and technology brands.
Product and gear support.
Product supply for expedition use. Mentioned in gear lists and expedition dispatches. Social media acknowledgment. A genuine partnership for brands that want to be part of the story without a major financial commitment.
All partnerships are tailored. These levels are starting points for conversation. No two partnerships look the same.
Minimum 25 professional photographs from the crossing. Shot on professional camera equipment plus drone footage from the ice. Available to partners for their own channels. Not stock. Not staged. Real expedition content.
Voice notes, written updates, and blog entries from the field posted directly to the interactive tracking map. Partner mentions woven into dispatches and integrated naturally into the storytelling.
Your logo on the real-time GPS tracking page for the full duration of the crossing. Auto-updating map with dispatches, images, and voice notes. Every person following the expedition sees your brand.
Post-expedition keynote presentations to corporate, conference, and event audiences. Local and international. Your brand acknowledged from the stage. Dedicated brand keynotes and talks also available. The expedition story becomes your brand story for years.
Content across a combined audience of 250,000+. Newsletter dispatches. Social content across Instagram, X, and Facebook. Post-expedition podcast interviews and appearances. Your brand featured throughout.
Joint press releases. Interview availability before departure, from the ice (satellite comms, conditions permitting), and after the crossing. Your brand included in all media materials and press coverage.
Before the Ice. Now to 1 May 2026.
Preparation content from South Africa and from Greenland itself. Three to four days on the ground in Greenland before we step onto the ice, all documented. Training updates. Gear reviews and product features. Interviews on mindset and commitment. Media appearances. Newsletter features. Social content across all platforms. Direct email and messaging available throughout this period. Partner logos appearing across all channels now.
On the Ice. May 2026.
GPS tracking with partner logos on the map. Voice dispatches and written pieces auto-updating from the field as conditions allow. Images. Drone footage. Real-time storytelling from one of the most remote places on earth. Brand-specific content can be discussed and scheduled around the expedition. Raw and real.
After the Ice. July 2026 onwards.
Keynote talks and workshops built from the experience. Local and international speaking engagements from July. Long-form written pieces. Podcast episodes and interviews. Professional expedition imagery and drone footage released. Press coverage. A story and content library that keeps working for years.
Gerry van der Walt. Strategic Performance Advisor. Coach. Speaker. Professional photographer. 25 years in high-performance environments across five continents. Honours degree in Sport Psychology. Co-founded and directed Wild Eye, one of Africa's leading photographic safari operations, for 14 years. Three years of dedicated Arctic expedition training across two expeditions, as well as more than 10 years hosting specialist photographic expeditions in the Arctic across Norway, Greenland, and Iceland. The frameworks I teach are the ones I'm using to cross this ice sheet. The content I produce comes from 25 years behind a camera in the world's most demanding environments.
If any of this fits your brand, your newsroom, your event, or your audience, tell me what you're thinking. I'll come back to you within 48 hours.