Posted: Nov 19, 2009 08:52 am EST
(ThePoles.com) Eric is skiing to the South Pole at the moment, but this is part of a bigger mission; to complete the Three Poles in 365 days and to raise awareness to save the Poles.

Before Eric left for Antarctica he spoke to ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer about his mission, his teammates and what makes a good leader/teammate, advice for skiers, his mountain preparation and what he thinks about explorers and exploration.

“People say that there are no real explorers left, that the world has long been mapped and visited,” stated Eric to ExplorersWeb.

“For the most part that’s true,” he said and added, “however I still think exploration has a role in our society.”

“It fosters curiosity and builds a connection to the natural world. In reality, I think we are all explorers – discovering the world for ourselves. However, the job of explorers in the 21st century is not to conquer these places but to protect them.”

ExplorersWeb: You are guiding an ANI/ALE team form Hercules Inlet this season. This expedition is part of a bigger plan, doing the Three Poles in 365 days. What is your bigger aim with these expeditions?

Eric: With the Arctic loosing almost one-third of its surface ice in the last 20 years, snow, ice and cold is on the same path as the passenger pigeon.

Scientists estimate that the Arctic Ocean, will be ice free in the summer in as little as 10 or 20 years! Ultimately, the goal of this trip is to tell the story of the last great frozen places – The North Pole, South Pole and Mt. Everest.

I want to connect people with the raw beauty of these places and take them on a journey that they themselves may not be able to participate. In doing so, my hope is to remind us all that the polar regions are critical to regulating world climate and that global warming is an issue that affects us all.

ExplorersWeb: You have two teammates for the South Pole expedition. Who are they and what is their adventure background?

Eric: The south pole trip is going to be a lot of fun. I am excited to be working with ALE again. They run a great program and provide excellent support for me (as a guide) and the clients. I am also very pleased with my two ‘team mates’. I feel they bring a broad range of experience an insights into our small group.

Dr. Bill Hanlon completed seven summits in 2007. He is founder and Medical Director of Basic Health International, a Canadian federally registered charity established in 2003 to support primary health care and public health projects in remote, high need communities living at high altitude.The primary focus of the foundation is to help create sustainable, economically viable, local solutions in the area of public health and primary health care. BHI has been involved in projects in Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Ladakh, Ethiopia, Peru, Honduras and W Papua.

Dongsheng Liu is a marathon runner, sport biker, snowboarder and outdoor enthusiast. He was born and grew up in China but has lived in Canada since 2002. He runs an adventure company in Canada and the Arctic Circle in winter watching northern lights (Aurora). He is inspired by the story of “1990 International Trans-Antarctic Expedition”, and a life dream from childhood. Dongsheng started preparing for polar travel in 2008. He took the polar training in 2009 March with Matty McNair (and myself as an assistant) on Baffin Island.

ExplorersWeb: What are your plans for the North Pole and who will your teammates be?

Eric: North pole team has been a rocky road with people coming in and out. Right now we are three total: myself, Ryan Waters and Darcy St. Laurent. We are on a shoestring budget and still fundraising. We hope to complete an unsupported trip to the North Pole. Mostly likely we will leave from Ward Hunt or somewhere a bit west of there. Ultimately, nothing is decided.

ExplorersWeb: More or less, how long after the South Pole expedition will the North Pole expedition start?

Eric: We’re hoping to get on the ice before March 1.

ExplorersWeb: Is everything already prepared for NP?

Eric: You’re joking, right? Almost three years ago when I first started fundraising I envisioned having a big sponsorship lined up, an expedition manager on staff and the sleds packed and sitting in storage two months prior to departure. With the down turn of the economy, fundraising has been anything but easy. So for this trip most of the planning and prep has been on my own. That said I have had a lot of great volunteer help as well.

Still, that’s the beautiful part of being in a good team, everyone is able to do their part to make the whole successful. Darcy is working on logistics and some food sponsorships. Ryan is helping with sponsorships and used pulk acquisitions (long story) and I have been fundraising and getting gear.

Gear wise we are almost set. Karhu is making some new reinforced skis for the trip. Sierra Designs has developed a new tunnel tent, anorak, down jacket and other polar gear. Scarpa even created a new boot that is tentatively called the telephantom. It’s cool.

As a side note, I do feel with enough experience (and $) putting together a polar trip is relatively straight forward. Polar equipment and technology has come a long way in the last 10 years and you can apply the same principles to different situations and hopefully end up successful.

ExplorersWeb: You will go to Everest in the fall season. Which side? The Poles are quite different from the mountains. What do you see as the differences and how will you change your mindset for that?

Eric: I haven’t worked on the actual logistics for the Everest climb. Most of that will happen in May and June after getting back from the NP. Right now, I’m inking we’ll be on the south side, but a lot could change between now and then.

In mountaineering there are very intense bursts and then rest. Polar travel, on the other hand, really isn’t as hard on any given day, rather it is the accumulation of that work over the course of days, weeks and months that wears you down. I think I use a similar mindset for all three legs but modify it slightly for Everest.

Basically, I look at these expeditions as work and my goal is to make my work as easy as possible. The main way to do this is by saving energy – being efficient. From getting as much sleep as I can each night, to eating a large and healthy diet, to implementing efficient trayel systems. Each little piece of energy saved adds up to increase potential success.

ExplorersWeb: In a 2007 you told ExWeb that mountaineering is you weakest component. How have you strengthen this component in the past two years?

Eric: By climbing lots of mountains :). I was in Argentina in 2008 just to get above 20,000’. Then, a lot of crampon work and climbing in Colorado and climbing Denali this past June. We had a great climb and summited in six days. More training after the North Pole leg as well.

ExplorersWeb: You have skied from the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf to the South Pole last year. What advice can you give to skiers who take that route?

I think my advice is the same no matter the route: train hard. Travel easy. Have fun! Use your gear prior to arriving in Antarctica. Get a good pair of insoles in your boots. Sew a nose beak on to your goggles. Read and talk to others with experience and learn from others but develop systems that fit your own abilities and preferences.

ExplorersWeb: From the viewpoint of a leader, what makes a good teammate?

Eric: There are so many things that are integral to being a good team mate. While related experience isn’t necessary, it is nice to travel with people that actually know what they’re doing.

However, whether I’m a leader or part of the group, I believe the same skills apply: being a good communicator, a team player, willingness to divide up work equally, being self aware, understanding your personality in the group, being observant, physically fit, a desire to push yourself, inventive, light hearted, a good story teller, just to name a few (I have a longer list).

ExplorersWeb: What lessons have you learned on Antarctica, or other expeditions, that you will implement?

Eric: Dinner for breakfast? I’m not a big fan of oatmeal. I think I’ve developed a good daily travel systems as well. I’m always learning, modifying and improving.

ExplorersWeb: What are the highlights in your adventure career?

Eric: Anything dog sled related... In 2004, I finished 12th in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. Living and traveling with sled dogs is an incredible experience.

The One World Expedition (summer trip to the North Pole) was definitely memorable due to all the crazy ice conditions and open water on the Arctic Ocean but disappointing in that we didn’t return to land as originally planned.

I had one of the best team’s I’ve ever worked with on my South Pole trip last year. However, I think I am most pleased with actually starting the Save the Poles expedition. I think it’s a good trip with an important mission.

American Eric Larsen was born in 1971 and is permanently in Grand Marais, MN but have been living in Boulder, CO this past summer. He works as a motivational speaker, expedition guide and does odd jobs. Eric’s hobbies are camping and anything outside – bicycling, canoeing, hiking, etc reading, writing and photography.

His favourite books are ‘North of Reliance’, ‘Great Heart’, ‘Farthest North’, and a random assortment of classics, nature essays and expedition stories. The movies he liked best were ‘Never Cry Wolf’, ‘Blues Brothers’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘The Royal Tennenbaums’. The music that Eric likes to listen at are ‘Modest Mouse’, ‘Andrew Bird’, ‘Death Cab for Cutie’, ‘The Postal Service’, ‘Mason Jennings, Bon Iver’ and ‘Vampire Weekend’.

As for his favourite food Eric says, “I never met a noodle I didn’t like (I also actually like freeze dried meals if you can believe that).”

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