On the cover photo
On the cover photo
Ragnar Axelsson
February 20, 2026
Piteraq storms are among the most extreme weather events in the Arctic: they are sudden, hurricane-like katabatic winds accompanied by freezing temperatures and a near-total loss of visibility. In East Greenland they are considered life-threatening and they define daily life for the people living there. Ragnar Axelsson (RAX) talks about an incident when he himself experienced such a storm.
“The worst Piteraq storms are utterly relentless. The snowstorm had pummelled Ittoqqortoormiit for several days. During the worst spells, you could hardly see between the houses. Still, it was a pleasure to arrive at the village after a long hunting trip out on the ice, because the cold was even worse out there. You could see the odd person darting between houses, but almost no one was outside, as the weather was so unbearable. In the dark on the sea ice, the dog sleds could be seen through the haze as they plodded towards the village.
Stepping off his sled, Little Bent, a hunter from Kap Hope, was covered in snow. It took a while to chip away the crust of ice that had formed around him in the storm. Little Bent got his nickname from his small stature, but as a hunter he is a veritable giant, as he has hunted all kinds of Arctic animals to survive. He tethered his dogs on the ice below town and walked back on land where the snowstorm raged on. The village could barely be seen, if at all. It wasn’t exactly ideal weather for travelling, but Little Bent had run out of provisions and it didn’t look as if the weather was going to let up anytime soon.
Bent is the sole inhabitant of Kap Hope, a small village 14 kilometres from Ittoqqortoormiit. In good weather, the trip between villages by sled takea only an hour, but at that time the snow was heavy and the visibility was poor. The ride went slowly, taking two and a half hours. The huskies in the village lay chained under snow. A few of them stirred as he passed. A large, powerful dog reared up on his hind legs and howled into the storm before disappearing again into the snow.
The village landscape changed in the winter: the snow collected in drifts, hiding entire boats that didn’t emerge until spring. Little Bent strolled around the village, looking in on a few friends before he headed home. Darkness descended. The villagers and huskies watched Little Bent disappear into the storm to follow the faint tracks of the dog sled back to Kap Hope. They’d find their way home together, man and dogs.”
“The worst Piteraq storms are utterly relentless. The snowstorm had pummelled Ittoqqortoormiit for several days. During the worst spells, you could hardly see between the houses. Still, it was a pleasure to arrive at the village after a long hunting trip out on the ice, because the cold was even worse out there. You could see the odd person darting between houses, but almost no one was outside, as the weather was so unbearable. In the dark on the sea ice, the dog sleds could be seen through the haze as they plodded towards the village.
Stepping off his sled, Little Bent, a hunter from Kap Hope, was covered in snow. It took a while to chip away the crust of ice that had formed around him in the storm. Little Bent got his nickname from his small stature, but as a hunter he is a veritable giant, as he has hunted all kinds of Arctic animals to survive. He tethered his dogs on the ice below town and walked back on land where the snowstorm raged on. The village could barely be seen, if at all. It wasn’t exactly ideal weather for travelling, but Little Bent had run out of provisions and it didn’t look as if the weather was going to let up anytime soon.
Bent is the sole inhabitant of Kap Hope, a small village 14 kilometres from Ittoqqortoormiit. In good weather, the trip between villages by sled takea only an hour, but at that time the snow was heavy and the visibility was poor. The ride went slowly, taking two and a half hours. The huskies in the village lay chained under snow. A few of them stirred as he passed. A large, powerful dog reared up on his hind legs and howled into the storm before disappearing again into the snow.
The village landscape changed in the winter: the snow collected in drifts, hiding entire boats that didn’t emerge until spring. Little Bent strolled around the village, looking in on a few friends before he headed home. Darkness descended. The villagers and huskies watched Little Bent disappear into the storm to follow the faint tracks of the dog sled back to Kap Hope. They’d find their way home together, man and dogs.”
Text and image: © RAX
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Ragnar Axelsson+-
Born in Iceland in 1958, Axelsson trained as a photographer and soon began working as such for the Icelandic newspaper, Morgunblaðið. Since then he has been documenting the lives of people in the far north. His pictures have appeared in Life, Geo, Polka, Newsweek, Stern and Time Magazine among others. To date he has published three books: Faces of the North (2004, new edition 2015), Last Days of the Arctic (2010) and Behind the Mountains (2013). In 2001 he received an honourable mention at the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards. More