Designed for the beginner with a gradual introduction to the polar atmosphere. After your Polar Initiation Training, you are now on your way toward your first real expedition. You will journey to one of the most accessible areas of the High Arctic, the Svalbard Archipelago and the island of Spitsbergen.
Before departure, you will be assisted with your personal clothing choices necessary for action and comfort in the deep Arctic cold. This expedition allows you to literally put one foot in front of the other with the confidence and caring assistance of our experienced Polar Experience guides.
Mystical. Mythical. This expedition is the perfect start in our Level 2 program. The imagination as well as the body undergoes continuous stimulation in this sensual environment. You will have the impression of literally walking on water while the sharp sounds of retracting ice serenade you.
Each step forward provides an otherworldly scene of below surface ice sculptures designed by Mother Nature. Fitness level requires the ability to progress between 6-8 hours per day while pulling your own sled filled with your food and personal belongings.
If you're ready for the next level, we offer this deep winter 2-week immersion in Greenland. Our participants have previously experienced cold weather tent camping and have a basic skillset involving cross-country skiing. Progression will require a physical stamina level that allows for 6-8 hours per day of effort.
You will travel autonomously by ski with all of your gear, food and personal belongings stored neatly in your own pulka. Your guide will teach you how to be extremely vigilant for the prevention of frostbite in these conditions. Shelters along the trail for the local Greenlandic hunters will provide an occasional evening luxury when available.
Designed for polar enthusiasts, our unique excursion into Antarctica's Queen Maud Land allows for flexibility and variation. This personalised experience enables the choice of a man-haul ski expedition or a snow-kite odyssey in the pristine terrain around Wolf's Fang Adventure Camp.
This region of Antarctica is known for its favourable weather conditions and lack of crowds. It remains a heavenly place for the pure expedition lover and an absolute bucket-list destination.
90° South. This destination has been sought after by explorers of legend, and now it can be an achievement of your own. The South Pole must be earned through an earnest program of physical and mental preparation. An expert knowledge of polar equipment is also required and our team will help you with a solid training in all areas.
This expedition is for participants of an advanced level and requires discipline and dedication. You will be assisted throughout your preparation phase by Dixie and our Polar Experience team to ensure that you are indeed ready for the admirable quest to reach the very bottom of our globe.
Perhaps the most physically challenging of all of our expeditions, this journey to the elusive pinnacle of our planet deserves an actual rating of 3+. With a sled in tow, you will ski approximately 111 kilometres from 89° to 90° North, navigating continuously among frozen compression zones and open water leads.
The North Pole is a dynamic GPS point that forces you to flexibly shift at the whim of the Arctic Ocean's currents. Some days you will be pushed generously toward your goal, other times you will march against the mercy of a backward drift. In the end, your achievement of finally standing at the precise North Pole, even if only for a few brief moments, will feel sweeter than you can possibly imagine.
An exhilarating and incredible journey across the Greenland Ice Cap. Sailing from Kangerlussuaq in the South, you will arrive approximately 1500 kilometres later in the town of Qaanaaq.
This expedition requires a myriad of skills, including ski and kite proficiency and cold-weather camping experience. Your guide will personally train you prior to the expedition to ensure that you are ready for this not-to-underestimate challenge of flow personified.
This demanding expedition crosses the Greenland Ice Cap from West to East on skis while autonomously pulling your own sled. The distance of approximately 600 kilometres from Kangerlussuaq to Isortoq is replete with challenging terrain and frigid temperatures that can drop to as low as -20°C to -30°C.
It is first and foremost a great human adventure that requires real team spirit and group cohesion. The key to success lies in patience and determination within a broad-minded approach. Acclimatisation to the cold and carefully paced physical efforts fall under the expertise of your Polar Experience guide.
All levels. Our Polar Experience guides provide personalised and thorough training for anyone interested in the skills necessary for polar exploration. We offer beginners the chance to learn both theory and practice during our Polar Initiation Weekend in the Belgian Ardennes. From there we progress with a solid Cold Training in Switzerland, which includes an overnight camping experience in the snow.
For curious souls who wish to learn or perfect the finesse of snowkiting, we offer a course in Norway that can be customised to your level. Sharing our knowledge and experience is perhaps our greatest joy among our tasks at Polar Experience.
Everything you need to know about the preparation of a polar expedition. This beginner level course, designed by Dixie Dansercoer, has a balanced instruction between classroom theory and outdoor equipment practicum. Physical and mental training are also addressed, including a Sunday morning hike or run enjoyed in the neighbouring countryside.
The quaint village of Villers-Sainte-Gertrude in the Belgian Ardennes provides a remote and intimate location for our group. After a full day of work, your first evening is spent with an entertaining expedition movie night, a cold Belgian brew, and the opportunity to personally ask our experienced Polar Experience guide your various questions about polar travel.
We learn and perfect basic kite skiing techniques thanks to the advice and lessons of one of our experienced guides. We take the time to review skills such as how to open and launch the sail, how to manipulate and pull it in the wind, and how to tack in the breeze. You organically progress in kite skiing while controlling your speed while coping with the meteorological constraints of the environment.
As the hours pass, you will feel more at ease in the use of the skis both upwind and downwind and in the carving of the sail. We live this journey like an expedition with a daily basecamp established in the Hardangervidda National Park. Our program aims to prepare you for a first polar expedition where kite skiing will be a means of travel.
This is your chance to put theory into practice. Dixie Dansercoer designed this course for beginner & intermediate adventurers who desire a thorough introduction to cold weather expedition travel and camping. The group will meet for instructional theory on the morning of Day 1 and then head immediately up into the mountains for a snowshoe trek with breathtaking views of the Aletsch Glacier.
On Day 2 you will begin a snowshoe trek and pull your own trainer-sled to the alpage at Chäserstatt. Before the light fades, you will establish your campsite with the patient instruction and assistance of our guide and then experience your first "polar" night under the stars.