Men's Journal

In November 2009, polar explorer Eric Larsen started a bid to become the first to climb Everest and reach both poles in single year. With both poles under his belt — he reached the North Pole on Earth Day — only Everest remains.

Interviewed by Chase Scheinbaum

You’ve done a lot of work to draw attention to climate change through your website, Save the Poles. What’s your strategy?

It’s about creating a basic awareness of what these places are like. Even if it’s as simple as “Antarctica is a continent,” and “Polar bears don’t live there” — I get both of these questions all the time. I’m trying to get people interested in the subtle and unique aspects of these places and to build a connection to them and understand they’re not just big blank expanses. They’re unique ecosystems and important for regulating world climate and helping to cool the planet.

What global warming-related changes have you noticed at the poles?

There are some pretty glaring changes on the South Pole. A weather station there recorded 14 days of calm conditions with no catabatic winds — winds that originate off of higher peaks or ice caps and go out toward the perimeter. Those winds are very important in terms of regulating world climate because they push cold air out and help with atmospheric circulation. So to have those winds potentially shut down is pretty catastrophic for the rest of Earth’s climate. That’s this year, and it’s hard to say if that’s evidence of global warming or just a variation, but when you start to see these extreme events happen more often and with a greater intensity, it’s hard not to draw a conclusion that it’s evidence of climate change.

How about at the North Pole?

On the Arctic Ocean we had unusually variable weather conditions. We would be skiing along, and the wind would be coming from the northwest, and within an hour it would have switched 180 degrees. We also had some unusual conditions with the drifting of the ice. Normally there are set patterns, but the ice was drifting in all sorts of directions, and it really depended on which way the wind was blowing — very unusual. What that says to me is that there is less land-fast ice frozen around the perimeter of the ocean.

Lastly, we saw a lot of rough ice — ice that has been broken and has drifted. Historically, explorers would encounter big flat sections of ice and massive pressure ridges. And we didn’t see any of that. We saw some flat ice pans, but mostly it was ice that had drifted. To me that indicates that the ice is thinner — it’s breaking up more frequently.

How will those changes affect polar expeditions in years to come?

I question anybody’s ability to do a winter-style North Pole expedition in more than 15 years. I don’t think there’s going to be enough ice. It’s not going to be sturdy enough. And there will be no chance for rescue. Right now small planes land right on the Arctic Ocean, but they need a certain thickness of ice to do that. And the amount of open water will be too great. So I think that North Pole expeditions are going the way of dinosaurs. That’s frustrating for me.

The South Pole is not having as dramatic of an effect from climate change because it’s a continent. But there are a lot of changes around the perimeter of Antarctica where ice meets water. I was very surprised this year at the amount of whiteouts. They weren’t due to windy, cold conditions. They were more often due to warmer, humid conditions. In Antarctica — which is a desert — that is very unusual. That affects navigation and ability to get rescued.

When will you arrive at Everest base camp?

I’ll be leaving at the end of August for that expedition.

That’s quite late in the season there, no?

What a lot of people don’t realize is there are two weather windows for Everest per season. One is right now and the other is in the fall. You don’t hear about it as much because there are fewer people there. The avalanche danger is a little higher, but you have fewer people.

Losing weight is common on polar expeditions. Have your polar trips withered away hard-earned muscle that you’d rather have for your Everest bid?

I’ve been doing polar explorations for quite a while now, so I’ve got the right diet figured out. I lost about 10 pounds in Antarctica and only a little more than five in the North Pole. What I try to do is have a caloric intake that’s equal or a little greater than the calories that I’m burning. And for me training is a year-round thing. I’ve also got a lot of time to recuperate and train before Everest.

How has the public’s understanding of global warming changed since you began polar exploration?

The conversation in 2006 was almost the same as it is now: “We’re debating the science. What evidence do you see?” Which to me is a little frustrating because the point isn’t whether you believe in the science of global warming or not. The science is the science. The conversation right now should be, “Okay. What are the solutions?”

Click here to continue to Larsen’s website and learn how to get involved.