Wow! It's been an emotional roller coaster over the last few weeks. Coming back from the South Pole, the worst happened. Ryan Waters, team member for the North Pole leg, dropped out due to personal reasons. Understandable as he had was still in Antarctica on a 70-day expedition.

Worse, was Darcy St. Laurent's email stating that our military flights to northern Ellesmere Island were cut. 'Expletive No' was the last response in a chain of answers that had been overwhelmingly 'yes'. Ouch. That one hurt.

Panic ensues.

On my way to the North Pole in 2006, there were often many times when I wanted to give up and quit. Unfortunately, during that trip there were many times where no real option to stop existed. We were outside of the realm of rescue. I would later realize that, sometimes, the best way to keep moving forward is to not have another choice.

Sitting comfortably in a house, it's easy to decide 'not' to go to the North Pole. Everything was stacked against me going. No major sponsor, team members dropping out, logistics flushed you-know-where. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about all those hurdles. Still, I had hope. I am working with an amazing team of voluteers who are helping promote and implement the entire mission of Save the Poles. Other partners like Miquel and msnbc and Calvin at Newsvine are offering support as well. (By the way you should join the conversation on newsvine at http://ericlarsenexplore.newsvine.com/)

From the team at Scream Agency to Tim Harincar at webexpeditions (x-journal and x-plot), to sponsors like terramar and Sierra Designs (and now bing), the definition of team for an expedition like this is way more than just the few people traveling on the ice.

Amazingly, the hard work by everyone starts paying off. Through Lora's help, Discovery Channel Canada picks up the story. Tim cranks out much need web site changes and mapping updates. Elisabeth, his wife, continues to manage a lot of the overall web presence for Save the Poles. New team memebers come on board (more later). Sponsors like Goal0, Optic Nerve, Terramar and Atlas pledge financial support.

The biggest news however, was the effort of one single person. OK, maybe two. A friend from high school (in Wisconsin), Scott Bishop works at microsoft and he was able to connect me with some key marketing people several years ago and then again, last fall. In January, I met with Kristin Meldahl at Bing, who took an immediate interest my project. After several weeks of meetings and arm twisting, a sponsorship agreement was hammered out. Wow. More news on this soon! (Thanks again Kristin).

By the way and in case you missed it, the fundraiser in Golden at American Mountaineering Center... A big success. HUGE thanks go to Audrey Milton, a long time friend and supporter of Save the Poles. She even wrangled her husband Dave and two kids into coming along for the show. Of course, Lora and Zack from Scream were there to lend a hand as were Paul from Scarp and Jason, Phil, Sue and Chris from Sierra Designs. A celebrity appearance by Aron Ralston was also nice. Special thanks to Maria for being the solid overall supporter as well.

This news... And everything I've just written... it is just the beginning. We are only one-third finished with the Save the Poles story. More is to come. Our North Pole departure date looms ominously close. We are hoping to be at our starting point in northern Ellesmere Island by March 1st!

That doesn't give us much time does it? Are you packed? Are you wearing your tx2 base layers? Just because I am going to the Arctic Ocean and you are staying home, doesn't mean that you are not part of the team too. We can not do all this alone.

No one of us is as strong as all of us!

Image: Sierra Designs' Phil Mesdag fitting the 'Big Kev' polar tunnel tent with a new fly.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

I spent a few hours yesterday with Richard Ortner, a meteorologist from Denver's KMGH channel 7. We talked about our changing climate, life on the trail, polar gear and training. Richard is a great guy and I appreciate the time he spent discussing Save the Poles. There should be STP TV spot sometime this week

With only a few weeks before my North Pole departure, I am trying to reign in chaos. Not that easy. I wish I could report that everything is great and it's been smooth sailing but the opposite is true. Our military flights to northern Ellesemere Island did not get final approval and Ryan Waters a stalwart mountaineer and polar traveler backed out of the North Pole team for personal reasons. ARRRGGHH!

I am trying to prioritize in these final weeks, but it only makes me realize what I already know. Everything is important! In a polar expedition each piece is a critical component of the whole. Training, gear, proper diet (ie Clif bars), logistics, safety net, team, clothing, travel systems... I'll stop there.

I've had a string of bad luck lately that I hope doesn't carry over to the Arctic Ocean. My external hard drive slipped out of my back pack while traveling and smashed. I broke a pair of my favorite sunglasses as well. To add insult to injury, Wells Fargo made a clerical error that took four hours to straighten out (their fault not mine).

Funding is still a priority. We still need a few more dollars to make it North. If you're in Colorado or know someone in Colorado, please pass along this information: Save the Poles Fundraiser - February 4th, 6:30 pm Mountaineering Museum - Golden, CO. Find out more at http://www.cmchams.org/eric/

I have had some amazing conversations with all sorts of folks lately about polar travel, solar power, mapping and much more. I spent part of last week in Seattle meeting with REI, msnbc, stanley-pmi.com/" target="_blank">Stanley and potential partner bing. While Newsvine and MSNBC are going to be big hits, I am most excited about BING. Tim at webexpeditions has already started incorporating BING maps into our mapping program.

Much like the picture, BING could really be the unifying factor - the thing that brings all those expedition priorities into one seamless unit.

Image: BING surrounded by expedition gear.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net


The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

In Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer convention, walking around with my hat out. Lots of great conversations with current Save the Poles supporters as well as potential sponsors. Great event with Optic Nerve generates a big cash donations. Much appreciated!

Image: Eric Larsen Optic Nerve's Bill Cotton and Tom Fox with a really BIG check!

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

Hard to imagine that a week ago I was in Antarctica. Today, I am in Sayulita, Mexico relaxing in warm sun and humidity. I'd fill you in on some of the more gory details of my rest and relaxation, but for some reason sitting on a beach doesn't make as engaging of a story as battling the polar elements.

My transition back to normal life has been relatively easy. After all, being in civilization is what most of us are used to. I do feel a bit down unfortunately. Life, in normalcy, is definitely easier than a polar expedition but it's not as intense either. I miss that. I like the directness and struggle that permeates nearly every second. Traveling home the past few days, I have felt an over arching sadness creeping in.

The experience of skiing to the South Pole day after day after day is so all encompassing that to not be in Antarctica is anti climactic. Being at the grocery store, driving a car, taking a shower... These simple movements of daily life seem mundane and irrelevant now.

For the past two nights I have been having dreams about skiing to the South Pole. I wake up disoriented and stressed. I am still surprised at how worn out I am. I do finally feel like I'm ready to start exercising but I might wait one more day.

My eating habits have not escaped careful study either. After nearly two months of freeze-dried food, vegetables have been a high priority. I thought I might get a bit of a fix in Chile. Unfortunately, Chilean cuisine (from what I have seen) has eschewed the four food groups for a smaller number: two - meat and potatoes. I'm not complaining and I while I was in Punta Arenas, I had no problem knocking back several meals 'a lo pobre' - usually meat served with onions and fried eggs.

Pulling into Boulder, my first stop was a favorite restaurant, Mad Greens. Serving mostly salads. I promptly ordered two larges salads hoping to eat one for Dinner and the other for lunch the next day. I stopped to rent a mindless movie, Transformers, then finished both salads before the Autobots final victory.

Later, I collapsed into bed and fell immediately to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later trying to figure out where I was, why it was dark, and where my madshus.com/" target="_blank">skis were. My body has left Antarctica, but my mind seems hesitant to.

Image: Chris's Lomo a lo pobre.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

I never cease to be amazed at how small air travel has made the world. I woke up yesterday morning in Punta Arenas Chile and fell asleep (for a few minutes at least) somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico. Now I am in Miami waiting for the next leg in my trip home (the temporary one in Boulder). To Dallas, then finally Denver. One of the reasons I like expeditions so much is that I get to catch up on my sleep.

I shouldn't complain really, because I also have a little bit more R & R coming my way. Yes, while I may love snow, ice and cold I'm pretty sure I won't melt on a warm beach. Besides after being covered from head to toe for 2 months straight, a little (or in this case a lot) of vitamin D will do me good. Look out Mexican beach, this polar man is heading south. In a couple days I'll be drinking out of coconuts while planning my daily caloric needs for the north pole. I'm am really looking forward to this trip.

One of the things that people always ask me is about the impact of air travel on the environment. I for one, travel a lot by air for sponsorship meetings and presentations. It is important to point out the paradoxes in one's own behavior (and then changing them).

The David Suzuki Foundations web site describes the problem as such, 'Although aviation is a relatively small industry, it has a disproportionately large impact on the climate system. It presently accounts for 4-9% of the total climate change impact of human activity.'

But at a time when we urgently need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, emissions from aviation continue to grow. For example, since 1990, CO2 emissions from international aviation have increased 83%. The aviation industry is expanding rapidly in part due to regulatory and taxing policies that do not reflect the true environmental costs of flying. "Cheap" fares may turn out to be costly in terms of climate change.

Compared to other modes of transport, such as driving or taking the train, traveling by air has a greater climate impact per passenger kilometer, even over longer distances (see graph below). It's also the mode of freight transport that produces the most emissions.'

The web site also goes on to describe several solutions to the problem.

Because the climate impacts of air transportation are at present not adequately regulated under national or international laws, the onus is on individuals and businesses to limit their flying unless absolutely necessary. This needn't be as drastic as it sounds:

1. Consider taking a vacation closer to home. You'll save money and avoid the stress of airport security, traveling to and from the airport, and sitting in those tiny seats. Most of us live in places that tourists from elsewhere visit, so take a holiday in your hometown or region and find out what it has to offer.

2. Use other modes of transport where possible. Trains and buses, for example, are much more energy efficient than airplanes, and for regional trips can even be faster when airports are factored in. Even cars can be more efficient than planes --especially with more than one passenger.

3. Use video-conferences for meetings. Companies like Swiss Re and IKEA are using video-conferencing to reduce business air travel. Companies benefit from reduced costs, and more efficient decision-making about travel. Employees avoid the stress of traveling and time away from home and family.

4. Use webcams (skype anyone?) to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away.

5. Contact your political representatives, tell them you're concerned about the contribution of aviation to global climate change, and ask them to take action to regulate and limit greenhouse gas emissions from this sector. If you do have to fly:

- Try to minimize the number of flights you take by combining trips. For example, book more than one meeting in your destination city, so you don't need to fly there several times.

- Fly during the daytime, because studies have shown that flights taken at night have a greater impact on the climate.

- Fly economy, because more people per plane means fewer emissions per person.

- Pack light, because lighter planes mean less fuel is burned.                      

- Purchase carbon offsets to account for the emissions from your flight. 

See the David Suzuki carbon neutral web page for more information.

There is no question that my expeditions (vacations and every day actions) have an effect on the amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere. However, I like everyone else, can do my part to reduce travel, save energy, buy carbon offsets and all the other little steps that can add up to make big change.

Image: A warm (looking) Antarctic Day.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.