The Pittarak Expedition in an expedition set on inspiring youth to peruse their dreams. In the summer of 2007 this team of three competent adventures will embark on an unsupported South to North crossing of the Greenland ice cap, a 2300 km journey using only skis and kites.The Expedition starts from the southern tip of Greenland, near the community of Narsarsuaq. After three days of navigating crevasse and melt ponds, the team will unfurl their kites and sail north, until they arrive at the village of Qaanaaq on the northwest coast, some 45 days later.
The team consists of a brother and sister; Sarah (21) and Eric McNair-Landry (22) and their good friend Curtis Jones (29). Eric and Sarah grew up in Canada’s north and have been into outdoor activities for as long as they can remember. They learnt how to dog sled at the early age of 10 and soon after started organizing their own camping trips. Eric was the first to pick up kiting and quickly inspired the rest of the family to join in. Soon after discovering this marvelous way of traveling, the family looked into doing polar kiting adventures, testing the idea with the Greenland 2003 “Kites on Ice” expedition. During the winter of 2004/05, Sarah and Eric took their skills to the next level during the Antarctic “Kites on Ice” expedition, a 2000 km expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back. Shortly after this expedition Sarah and Eric returned to Greenland to set the world record for the fastest ice cap crossing at 7 days. In 2006, Sarah joined the Adventure Ecology Mission 1 Top of the World expedition, successfully reaching the North Pole.
In January 2007 Eric and Sarah won the Outdoor Industries’ Youth Outdoor Idols Award, which recognized their amazing achievements in the field of youth adventures. It was here they discovered their full potential as inspirational youth role models and decided to dedicate the Pittarak Expedition to the cause of inspiring young people to pursue their dreams.
The Pittarak Expedition will reach youth through the expedition web site’s live updates and afterwards through schools, public presentations and workshops. During the live updates and school presentations, the team will share their day-to-day experiences, discuss their views on modern exploration, describe the beauty of the Polar Regions as well as discuss a “think for yourself” perspective on climate change.
The Pittarak Expedition is only the start of something much larger. Will Steiger has asked Eric and Sarah to organize a climate change youth expedition to northern Ellesmere Island for 2008. Another Antarctic expedition looms on the horizon. And Eric and Sarah’s dream is to create the Youth Adventure Club, an online resource center to assist youth to pursue their dreams in the world of adventure.