PolarExplorers

10/29/2024

releases the Endurance documentary this Friday! It chronicles the search for Ernest Shackleton’s ship that was trapped in Antarctic ice floes and eventually sank into the Weddell Sea in 1915.

Along with the search for the shipwreck, the documentary will also feature reenactments of Shackleton and his men’s incredible survival story, including the daring traverse of South Georgia Island.

Did you know that we guide a mountaineering traverse of Shackleton’s last dash? It’s an adventure of a lifetime for those with mountaineering skills, and a fabulous seafaring journey for those who don’t wish to spend 3 nights crossing South Georgia Island.

SGI is amazing whether you cross it or not. It’s been called “Antarctica in a Nutshell” because of its resemblance (in miniature) to the world’s coldest continent. Birders and wildlife lovers, rejoice, SGI also has an extremely rich biodiversity.

This one should be on your list. DM or email [email protected] for more details.

10/28/2024

ENDURANCE by National Geographic drops this Friday! We can't wait to watch the search for Shackleton's lost ship unfold. And it looks like there be some cool recreations of the greatest survival story ever, including Shackleton's daring traverse of South Georgia Island.

If you want to retrace Shackleton's amazing mountaineering traverse, send us a DM or email [email protected] to secure your space on the Shackleton Crossing of South Georgia Island.

10/25/2024

EXPEDITION GUIDE / OUTDOOR INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

PolarExplorers’ Matthew Henson Scholarship is a two year scholarship awarded annually to people of color with aspirations of breaking into or furthering a position of leadership in the outdoor industry. It provides fully subsidized participation on our Polar Shakedown Training (Feb 1-6, 2025; 2026 dates TBA).

Access to the outdoors in general and leadership positions specifically has not been equitable. Every one of us at PolarExplorers has benefited immensely from our personal relationship with the outdoors. We have grown strong from its ruggedness. We have learned leadership lessons and humility not only from the wild places we visit but also from the people with whom we travel. We seek expand access to all of the benefits that are so vital to our lives.

The scholarship honors the legacy of Matthew Henson, a remarkable polar explorer and perhaps the first person to stand at the North Pole. His boundless endurance, wise decision making when facing incredible adversity, and vast skill set contributed to the success of many expeditions. But because he was a Black man, he did not receive the recognition he deserved until after his death.

His legacy lives on in the countless people who have been inspired by his life.

Application for the Henson Scholarship is officially open—link in bio. Please submit your application by December 1, 2024. Recipients will be notified by Dec 16.

The scholarship is open to all people of color who aspire to have a career in the outdoor industry, inspire others, and are looking to add cold weather camping experience to their skill set. Qualified applicants should have previous backcountry camping experience.

Please DM or email us at [email protected] for more information.

10/22/2024

So fun for PolarExplorers program director and North Country Shore North Shore Country Day alumna Annie Aggens to share her love of adventure, polar exploration history, and conservation with the staff and students. Annie’s passion and energy are infectious!

08/28/2024

ANNOUNCING: Expedition dates for our first ever winter traverse of Greenland’s Arctic Circle Trail.

Join us March 13-26 for an amazing ski-pulk journey from Kangerlussuaq to Sissimiut, Greenland.

Expect sled weights of roughly 40kg, and long days of skiing in sub zero conditions.

Highlights include traversing gorgeous backcountry, opportunities to witness the Aurora Borealis and Greenlandic wildlife like muskoxen, a UNESCO heritage site visit and exploring Greenland’s second largest town, Sissimiut, where modern and traditional culture exist side by side.

This expedition has limited availability. DM us or email [email protected] for more details.

08/02/2024

DROPPING SOON! Dates for March 2025 Svalbard Ski Pulk adventure.

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago that’s deep inside the Arctic Circle.

Despite its location, Svalbard is easily accessible via the international airport in Longyearbyen (LYR), the northernmost continuously occupied town in the world.

And while the Arctic, mountain strewn backcountry is thrilling and challenging to explore by ski, Longyearbyen offers first class comfort and convenience in lodging, dining, and shopping.

It’s the best of both worlds. A North Pole adjacent ski journey and a lovely stay in modern Arctic comfort.

Message us today to claim your spot on the presale team roster!

07/09/2024

What’s the longest you’ve gone without setting foot on land?

It had been 28 days for us when these photos were taken during the final stretch of our Greenland Crossing.

It’s hard to overstate just how overjoyed we were to set foot on (and hug!) a rock 😆

We had just wrapped up a difficult day of skiing at 2am, and were riding waves of concurrent excitement and fatigue as we pitched our camp along a beautiful finger-like moraine.

After 28 days of trekking over a mountain of snow and ice, the aroma of dirt and rocks was curiously strong 🤔

It was just about as bizarre to us as getting to take our first shower in a month (two days from then).

These were very special moments for us. Some real trail magic.

06/06/2024

Our teams are back home after successfully traversing the Greenland ice cap! They had some thrilling highs and many challenging lows. Their journey was nothing short of epic.

You can read what a day in their life looked like here: https://www.polarexplorers.com/dispatches-and-blogs

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05/01/2024

Both of our Greenland icecap crossing teams have officially started their journey!

Check out our blog to follow along with their progress over the next few weeks. https://www.polarexplorers.com/dispatches-and-blogs 🇬🇱

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04/25/2024

South Pole & Vinson: Only 2 spaces left!

Don’t miss out on your chance to join the ultimate Antarctic expedition combo. Ski to the South Pole on a Last Degree Expedition and scale Antarctica’s tallest peak, Mt. Vinson, all in the same month!

Link in bio.

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02/15/2024

During expeditions people usually think about food, and also the people they love. Happy Valentines Day!

02/09/2024

‼️ Calling all Polar Explorers ‼️ We have 2 spots left on our Greenland Icecap Crossing this spring. Contact us for more details or visit the link in our bio.

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01/14/2024

Our team has reached the South Pole! Check out our blog for the full report.

After skiing 9.5 nautical miles today we are very excited to share that Arne, Claus and Tay reached the South Pole at around 4:30 PM. Wohoo!! Way to go Arne and Claus! It was an overcast day, with light winds and temperatures around -20C. Without blowing snow it is possible to see the station from a...

01/11/2024

Arne, Clause and Tay have passed S 89.30 as they ski to the South Pole. Pulling a sled across Antarctica's polar plateau is always incredible but on this expedition Arne, who is blind, is inspiring a world of adventurers. Read daily dispatches from Arne, Claus and Tay here: https://www.polarexplorers.com/dispatches-and-blogs

and read more about Arne here: https://blindpioner.dk/wp/

Get helpful tips and advice; take an armchair adventure; keep tabs on our current expeditions. Get all that and more from this blogs and dispatches page.

11/17/2023

Our Shackleton Crossing team completed their mountaineering traverse of South Georgia yesterday while being tormented by incredibly challenging conditions! Catch up on our blog posts to relive their amazing journey across "the Galapagos of the South Seas".

Our hardy team seized an opportunity to pay homage to Sir Ernest Shackleton at South Georgia Island's most hallowed grounds, the retired whaling settlement of Grytviken. In 1916, Grytviken served as the nerve center for Shackleton's painstaking and ultimately successful efforts to organize the rescu...

11/09/2023

New Blog Series! Our South Georgia Island Shackleton Crossing team has just embarked on day one of the expedition. Follow along for daily updates on their adventure in "The Galapagos of the Southern Ocean."

Welcome to the PolarExplorers Shackleton Crossing Dispatches! Follow along for daily updates on our team as they embark on an amazing voyage to and mountaineering traverse of South Georgia Island. Today was big. The team officially set sail for South Georgia Island, and they hope to arrive by Monday...

10/25/2023

It’s that time of the year… We are proud and excited to announce the application period for the 2023-2024 Matthew Henson Scholarship is LIVE!

The PolarExplorers' Matthew Henson Scholarship honors the legacy of polar explorer Matthew Henson (1866-1955) by inspiring people of color - particularly emerging outdoor guides or people with current positions or future goals of leadership in the outdoor industry - to embrace cold weather adventures, and to build the necessary skill set to thrive (and not just survive) during cold weather expedition travel.

This two-year scholarship, awarded annually, provides two consecutive years of fully subsidized participation on PolarExplorer's Polar Shakedown Training. The first year focuses on skill development and an overview of cold weather expedition travel. The second year dives into leadership development and hands-on experience guiding in the extreme cold.

This scholarship is open to all people of color who are passionate about wilderness travel and outdoor leadership, who aspire to have a career in the outdoor industry, and who are looking to increase their skill set to include cold weather camping and leadership. Qualified applicants should have previous experience with backcountry camping, the desire to inspire others, a strong commitment to developing positive relationships, an appetite for a steep learning curve, and a level of fitness that can accommodate long days of hard work.

Applications are due by December 1, 2023. The scholarship recipient will be notified by December 15, 2023. The dates for the training are February 1-6, 2024.

For more information visit https://www.polarexplorers.com/matthew-henson-scholarship or contact Annie: [email protected] ~ +1-847-256-4409

10/19/2023

The South Pole: a Wonder of the World?

Stonehenge; the Roman Colosseum; Petra in Jordan. For many travelers, sites like these "wonders of the world" are a must-see and we get it! They have a combination of culture and history that make them fascinating and they are relatively easy to access. Antarctica on the other hand is not easy to access. It defines the word remote. It's separated from the rest of the world by a massive and remarkable ocean. Its environment is so extreme that there is no indigenous human population. And yet, if you're like us at PE, the pull to go there is impossible to ignore.

We're passionate about the polar regions and we'd love to help you experience them. Give us a call and share your Antarctic dreams with us. We'd love to help you turn that dream into reality. Or if you're thinking about any other polar expedition whether it's Greenland, the North Pole, in the tracks of Shackleton on South Georgia Island, or across Europe's largest glacier in Iceland, we want to hear from you!

Our South Pole Last Degree Expedition runs January 1-16, 2024.