YASU OGITA TO LAUNCH ARCTIC EXPEDITION

Japanese adventurer Yasu Ogita is preparing to embark on his next big polar adventure, which is expected to get underway next week. He is currently in Canada, and preparing to head north, as he embarks on what promises to be yet another difficult expedition.

In 2014 we followed Yasu closely as he attempted to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole. Unfortunately he had to abandon that attempt when he simply ran out of time before he could reach 90ºN. But back in 2002, Ogita completed a journey on skis from Resolute Bay to Grise Fjord on Ellesmere Island. Now, he’ll set out from that point on his next adventure, which promises to be a challenging one.

According to ExWeb, Yasu will set out from Grise Fjord on March 24. He intends to ski across the frozen Arctic Ocean in an attempt to reach Greenland. Along the way, he’ll cover more than 1000 km (621 miles) with the hope of reaching Siorapaluk in the Qaanaaq area on Greenland by May 7.

The Japanese explorer has already scouted out the route, and reports that the ice is in excellent condition. He hasn’t traveled through this region before however, so he doesn’t know completely what to expect. He does plan on taking plenty of photography equipment and video cameras along for the expedition to document the journey however, including a drone to capture aerial footage as well.

With the challenges that now face explorers attempting to reach the North Pole, I expect we’ll start to see more Arctic expeditions like this one. There is plenty of exploration to be done in the frozen regions of our planet that don’t involve going to one of the Poles. The Arctic seasons have been rather quiet over the past few years, and will probably continue to be so. But a few intrepid souls will still find ways to travel through this difficult and demanding part of the world.

We’ll keep an eye on Yasu’s progress in the days ahead as he makes his way across the Arctic. Stay tuned for updates.

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Kraig Becker

Kraig is an outdoor and adventure travel writer based in Nashville, TN. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to numerous online and print outlets, including Popular Mechanics, Gear Junkie, Outside Online, National Geographic, Digital Trends, Business Insider, TripSavvy, about.com, and of course The Adventure Blog.