Challenger
Titan Challenger Expedition Down Jacket
01/15
Finse Polar Skills Challenge
Acquire the fundamental skills of polar travel and camp out in sub-zero temperatures in the majestic Norwegian high plateau.
Le 285,590,000.00
The Finse Polar Skills Challenge is designed to give a hands-on experience of all the elements required for a future expedition to the world’s extremities. Our base is the Finse 1222 hotel, named after its elevation above sea level on the plateau where Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen came to train for Antarctica.
Over a packed week, we’ll build a range of practical skills in the snow behind the hotel, before heading out into the wilderness to put it all into practice with a night camping on the ice.
Physical Requirement
Level
Time of Year
Finse, Norway — 10 Day Weather Forecast
Daytime Forecast
Nighttime Forecast
Invigorating Experiences, Personal Development
From exhilarated arrival after dark to reluctant departure, Finse stretches the senses and piles on the skills.
Two days in, you’ll be confident on all the essentials. From there on it’s all about gaining familiarity before putting it all into practice on our overnight snow camp.
Learn the fundamentals of polar travel
Learning Telemark skiing takes some adjustment - but once mastered, progress becomes twice as efficient, with smooth momentum the aim. Hauling a loaded pulk up a slope involves sidestepping techniques; coming down the other side requires a whole different knack.
We’ll survey for crevasse fields and become familiar with avalanche alerts, detection & response protocols. We’ll be taught how to keep our high-calorie snacks edible without breaking the teeth and our batteries working in the cold.
We’ll prepare muscles and skis for a day’s trek, and dress to avoid exposed skin. We’ll learn to pitch camp on the snow, and to melt just enough of it to hydrate our food and keep us warm.
A night in the wilderness
We’ll traverse up to 20km of varied terrain as a team, keeping spirits up and support to the fore.
We’ll each take a turn in leading, compass in hand.
We’ll set up camp amid acres of pristine polar landscape: few sleepovers occur in such a remote location. Despite conditions outside that can reach -20 with wind chill, it’s warm enough inside. The night is spent in welcome comfort and conviviality.
Spectacular Hospitality
Steeped in the Shackleton legend, Hotel Finse 1222 comes with magnificent views of the frozen Lake Finsevann and the glacier beyond. The inside is as welcoming as only Norwegians know how: firewood, food, friendship and fulfilment.
Equip Yourself For This Challenge
Testimonials in the Press
“It was probably the best experience of my life so far.”
“Inarguable proof that my physical and mental strength is far more than I ever gave myself credit for.”
“It had only been a short expedition but I was already planning my next – it turns out there’s no turning back once you’ve had a taste of real adventure.”
“The journey is as much inward as it is outward.”
“I felt a huge appreciation for the natural world and people who encompass the spirit of endurance.”
Shackleton Challenges
From Antarctica to Greenland, Oman to the Himalayas, our epic and life-affirming Challenges are designed and delivered by our record-breaking team of professional guides with with safety, skills development and enjoyment prioritised.
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