of sporting expeditions, the quest to become the fastest, the first, the highest or the longest has shown how humankind accepts challenges to push the limits. The urge to see how far we can go seems to be a natural one for human beings. We wonder how we can become better at something, we like to discover and analyse, and we like to take on new challenges.
Unfortunately the modern world is also a very competitive one. The more competition infiltrates the world of polar expeditions, the more senseless discussions will arise on how to compare exploits. Polar explorers who focus exclusively on the competitive aspect will become blind to the essentials of a polar expedition: amazement, vulnerability, power, true comradeship… We must safeguard the world of polar expeditions from becoming simply a competitive sport. There should be no place for judges or referees to determine whether or not an expedition should qualify for yet another record-breaking exploit or for success-hungry ‘explorers’.
Many of the great polar explorers were (and are) romantics, and it is clear that the intensity of life in the frozen world deeply affects the emotions. I would be surprised to hear of anyone who spends considerable amounts of time on the ice saying that they have never felt a moment of bliss.
It is fair to say that man is naturally ambitious, and that raising the bar has enabled huge discoveries and brought about much progress, but the polar regions have so much more to offer. Having in the early years focused too much on my sporting ambition, I now understand the old adage ‘the way to the goal is more intense than the goal itself’. Once on the ice, all is clear: anything superfluous disappears and you are on your own in a simple, pristine and truly wonderful environment. That, to me, should be the main motivation for polar travel.
The harsh reality is, however, that polar travel is costly, and in order to convince possible sponsors some explorers will let their imaginations run away with them, or let the sponsors determine what the rules will be. Sadly this leads to competitive motivations for polar travel which detract from the true value to be gained from time spent in the polar regions. The desire to push ourselves to the limit is deeply rooted in human beings, but genuine records can only be established when parameters have been laid out by some kind of regulatory body that does not yet exist. In any case, in the polar regions the conditions differ every day and make any comparison impossible. And why would anyone want to embark on a quest to challenge nature's position as the strongest force?
A PASSION FOR THE POLES
A polar explorer does not decide at birth that they are going to immerse themselves on a regular basis for long periods in the frozen deserts of the Arctic or Antarctic – it's something that develops over the years. Many people have asked me where my passion for the polar regions originated, and I have yet to find a simple answer…
As a little boy, I loved the feel of sand, grass or rain when I played outdoors with my friends. I loved my grubby knees after an afternoon of rambling in the woods, and was proud of my dirty clothes, proof of my time spent outdoors. The subsequent 11 years of boy scouting, culminating in a get-together of scouts from all around the world in Ireland, encouraged that connection and induced a strong respect for the natural world.
That same respect has continued throughout my life. At 18, as a long-haired bass player, I pulled myself away from busy city life to spend a year as an exchange student in the US. I was deposited in the quiet town of Moscow, Idaho, where church choirs did not appreciate my wild bass grooves… so I immersed myself in backcountry skiing, multi-day hikes in the mountains, and long-distance running through endless fields. Busy Belgium was exchanged for wide open spaces, and I discovered the natural beauty of the cold winters and hot summers of the American Northwest.
Surely thousands of people have done the same, and have experienced exactly the same exhilaration, but they haven't all become polar explorers, but I am convinced that a solid foundation in the natural world is truly character building.
Nobody helped me with this construction of my ‘real self’. My parents encouraged me to save for my first pair of running shoes, stereo or any other material stuff, so I had to work for it. Picking fruit, waiting tables, working at a grocery store, painting houses, helping farmers, doing market research… As a result, working towards my goals felt like the most normal thing to do. Following my dreams would not come free, and I found pleasure in drawing up a plan to keep my focus and strive towards it.
You have to work hard to reach ambitious goals. Talent and intellect surely help but only when you add an eagerness to work will you have laid the foundations for a good polar expedition.
Acting Responsibly
I have an uncomfortable feeling that I am living in an era where everything is just a little too easy and I am probably not alone. It is the constant onslaught of comfort-promoting commerce that concerns me. When things become too easy, we get lazy. When we get lazy, we get ill. When we are ill, we cannot function.
It is difficult to operate in modern society without the latest technology: if you do not have the latest software, you cannot open certain email attachments; any new car will have all manner of unnecessary ‘must-have’ frills. Some people just give in and go with the flow; others are simply left out because they cannot afford to keep up. But – in the midst of it all – it is important to remember that nothing worthwhile comes without effort.
So what has this to do with polar exploration? The early pioneers had many similar heartaches. Organisers of past and present expeditions have had to overcome endless hurdles. Today we have to deal with paperwork and permits that we may feel restrict our freedom, but which are in fact essential – we all depend on someone or something to help us out on the ice.
The point is that however much we may wish to be ‘free’ in our polar explorations there are restrictions to be taken into account. For example, it is important to check whether we are actually allowed to do what we intend to do. Restrictions usually concern:
political situations
protection of the environment
protection of wildlife
safety issues.
None of these should be taken lightly: all polar travel requires the individual to act responsibly, and the word ‘responsibility’ can be interpreted in many ways. Even when there may not be any clear legal restrictions on what you are allowed to do, responsibility goes hand in hand with ethics and respect. It is vital to inform yourself fully of the issues before you go, and to take the planning stage very seriously.
In the northern regions, explorers’ responsibilities extend to the indigenous peoples – living on a tightrope between their traditional way of life and changes brought about by contact with outsiders
THE PROFESSIONAL VIEW
Explorersweb asked Canadian polar veteran Richard Weber for his opinion. Holder of speed records to both poles, and with seven full-length North Pole expeditions behind him, he is among the top 10 modern polar explorers in the world. A low-key guy, often the people he guides get all the headlines. This is taken from what he said.
In a recent expedition… a North Pole skier was rescued by the military after he had run out of fuel. The story received a good amount of media coverage. These days, with most extreme points already explored, modern adventurers kick up the difficulty by going with less support, faster, longer, higher, or via ‘impossible’ routes.
Sometimes it gets them in trouble and they become dependent on others to save their necks. It's OK, as bending of boundaries is necessary for human
