The Outdoor Adventure: Train For A Polar Adventure With Ice Warrior

The 2011 Antarctic season is just a few weeks away, and soon we'll see a number of intrepid explorers setting out for the South Pole or other locations on the frozen continent. If you have your own dreams of visiting polar destinations, you may want to consider taking a course from Ice Warrior, a company that not only organizes expeditions of their own, but provides crucial training for adventurers traveling in the extreme polar regions of our planet.

Ice Warrior is preparing a full slate of Polar Training courses for this October, offering excellent opportunities to learn new skills and discover just what it takes to survive on a journey to the North or South Pole. The courses are held in Dartmoor, in the U.K., and offer training on navigation, first aid, ropes work, and more. Most of the training modules are broken down into two day sessions and they can be taken independently or back-to-back in one comprehensive learning experience.

Of particular interest to me is their first course in October which focuses on the core skills of expedition planning, finding funding, and overall fitness. Those are key skills that are important for anyone hoping to make an expedition, whether in an arctic setting or elsewhere. And since these courses are instructed by polar veteran Jim McNeill, you can bet you'll come away with some excellent practical knowledge that can be applied to your next adventure.

For a complete list of courses, including dates and pricing, click here. On that same page, you'll also find information on two polar training expeditions which will be coming up in January as well.

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The Outdoor Adventure: A Pair Of Adventure Interviews

We have a couple of good interviews this morning of two very interesting adventurers who have spent a lot of time on mountains and in very cold places.

First up, my friends at CheapTents.com are making it a habit of posting excellent interviews with some fascinating subjects. This week they put polar explorer Lonnie Dupre under their microscope, discussing such topics as what inspires him to go on his adventures, what his biggest weakness is, and why he decided to attempt Denali in January. Even for a guy who has been to the North Pole twice and circumnavigated Greenland, that was a tough expedition.

Once you're done getting to know Lonnie better, head over to Adventeer to check out their interview with  mountaineer Meagan McGrath. I've written about Meagan's adventures a few times, most notably when she went to the South Pole, but also on her Seven Summits climbs as well. In her interview, Meagan discusses her motivations for climbing, what it was like going to the South Pole alone, and how she manages to self-fund her adventures. She also goes into detail on the Seven Summits and shares which of those peaks was her favorite as well.

Both are good reads and highly motivational. If you're finding it difficult to get your energy going this morning, both Lonnie and Meagan may provide some inspiration. At the very least, they'll give you something to think about heading into the weekend.

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