Team 67°N: they crossed Greenland in less than ten days | Photo: Oliver Hugh-Jones

Four British voyagers have set a new record for the world record for the fastest crossing of Greenland on foot by man or animal.

Tom Avery, Andrew Gerber, George Wells and Patrick Woodhead are Team 67°N, a group of renowned polar explorers. They rode their kites in temperatures of -25C° for a total of 610 kilometers (379 miles).

"We are black and blue, dehydrated, weather-beaten, frost-nipped - and it was all worth it. The conditions were right, but it's tough going on hard ground; our sleds and our knees took a real pounding," Avery told BBC.

"We set an ambitious target, but never in our wild dreams thought we'd do it that fast. We are delighted, but we are shattered and exhausted more than we have ever been in our lives."

Team 67°N completed the Greenland crossing in nine days, 19 hours and 40 minutes, which means more than eight days off the previous record set by Briton Matt Spenceley and Patrick Peters, in 2008.

The snow kiteboarders kicked off their adventure in the remote Inuit village of Isotoq, and concluded the challenge in the former US military town of Kangerlussuaq.

Team 67°N covered the majority of the distance on skis, and when the wind and terrain allowed, they were assisted by kites. The final descent off the Russell Glacier could only be accomplished by foot.

In one day - May 15th - the group rode their kites for 17 consecutive hours and covered 281 kilometers (174.6 miles) with speeds topping out at 43.29 km/h.

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