John Huston and Tyler Fish on Frobisher Bay outside Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Canada. John: “Those [previous] experiences give me foundation from which to work from and educate myself. Off the top of my head the biggest things I take away from those experiences are that success lies in preparation, optimism, humility, mental strength and a strong healthy team. The North Pole challenges me as never before, the Arctic Ocean is much more dynamic and risky than an ice cap.” Image courtesy of John Huston/Forward Expeditions/ forwardexpeditions.com (click to enlarge)
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ExWeb interview with John Huston: “I can’t control the un-control-ables of life or an expedition only my reaction to them.”
Posted: Feb 26, 2009 10:20 am EST
(ThePoles.com) In the beginning of March, Americans John Huston and Tyler Fish will attempt an unsupported ski expedition from Ward Hunt Island to the North Pole. They are busy with their last preparations at Matty McNair’s house and workshop on Baffin Island. ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer caught up with them; here goes the interview with John.
ExplorersWeb: You have done expeditions on Antarctica, Greenland and Baffin Island. How do you think will those experiences help you in this North Pole expedition and what do you think will be different?
John: Those experiences give me foundation from which to work from and educate myself. Off the top of my head the biggest things I take away from those experiences are that success lies in preparation, optimism, humility, mental strength and a strong healthy team. The North Pole challenges me as never before, the Arctic Ocean is much more dynamic and risky than an ice cap.
ExplorersWeb: How heavy will your sleds be? How many days of food do you take with?
John: 270 pounds per person, we are carrying 55 days of food
ExplorersWeb: Did you pack any special treats?
John: 16 year Single Malt Scotch
ExplorersWeb: How do you and Tyler know each other? What have do done together before?
John: Tyler and I have worked together for 10 years. He was a mentor of mine when I worked at Outward Bound in Northern Minnesota. We’ve raced on the same cross-country ski racing team and have been expedition teammates several times. We are different people, but have the same core values and commitment to communication and honesty.
ExplorersWeb: How did you prepare for the North Pole?
John: Since the end of last year’s expeditions, physical training has included 8 months of tire pulling and core strength training in the weight room. For me physical training is a big boost mentally. I also prepare mentally through positive visualization, research and imagining myself in expedition scenarios when pulling tires. We came north to Iqaluit about two weeks ago in order to acclimatize to the cold, but it has not been as cold as we had hoped.
ExplorersWeb: What is our biggest fear for this NP expedition?
John: Besides Tyler’s snoring, I have a few stomach butterflies about the first few days. We are starting early, March 1 hopefully, and it will be damn cold. We’ll need to have a lot of patience, caution and discipline in executing our routines and getting in the groove.
ExplorersWeb: What will keep you going when things get tough?
John: I think of people who have it worse than I do (I feel very fortunate to be fully engaged and out on the ice pushing my limits, following my dreams), say positive mantras, take it all as a challenge, and know there I can’t control the un-control-ables of life or an expedition only my reaction to them.
ExplorersWeb: How do you feel at the moment?
John: Ready to go camping. I’m sick of the administrative work that comes with an expedition project.
ExplorersWeb: Any experienced polar explorers who played a role in your North Pole preparation?
John: Rune Gjeldnes, Richard Weber and Matty McNair have all been invaluable.
John Huston guided an expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in 2007-08 and is also an experienced sled-dog handler. He was born on August 14, 1976 and lives in Chicago, IL. John is running our expedition company, Forwad Expeditions, and does public speaking. He said he comes from a very close family of 5 and “have a lovely girl friend at home in Chicago”. His favorite book is “War and Peace”, by Leo Tolstoy. When he was skiing to the South Pole he read “Anna Karinina” again (which he cut in half for resupplies). This time, with no resupplies he is taking a lightweight book of Tolstoy short stories. John’s favorite movie is “Godfather I and II” and he said his favorite food is “Mexican, Indian, Italian, Steaks, just about anything ethnic, I really miss guacamole.” As for music, “I’m an old time Blues fan, also some jazz, rock, anything with a groove.”
To date no American has skied unsupported, unassisted to the North Pole. See Adventure Stats link below the image.
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