Love Cold? 'Polar Training Scholarship' Up for Grabs

One lucky polar-minded person will receive an $8,000 hands-on education from renowned explorer Eric Larsen. Best of all: Gear is included.

Do you long for perpetual night or ice-cold daylight, blistering winds, and the thunderous crack of a splintering iceberg? If so, you might be crazy enough to tackle Eric Larsen’s “Polar Training Course,” covering everything from meal prep and navigation to proper sledding and sleeping techniques.

And before you file it away for later consideration, now is the perfect time. That’s because this month Helly Hansen and Allied Feather and Down are offering an $8,000 scholarship and gear package for Larsen’s Level 1 classes.

One lucky applicant will receive travel to the Lake Winnipeg training grounds, a four-day traverse through polar conditions with Larsen himself, and all necessary gear from Helly Hansen, Stanley, MSR, and more.

Eric Larsen Polar Training Scholarship

Applications are open now. The only requirement to enter is availability for the 10-day adventure – with travel days – spanning Jan. 11–22. The deadline to enter is Dec. 22.

According to the scholarship page, the lucky recipient will be “someone who will be positively transformed by this experience.” And though the application is short, it asks a handful of qualitative questions to vet would-be explorers.

“What are your future expedition/adventure goals?” “Why is this experience going to change your life?” and “How do you embody or embrace a ‘Cold Culture’?” are a few questions where applicants can stand out.

The winner will fly to a “remote cabin on Lake Winnipeg,” which will serve as base for a mini-expedition. Indoor classes take place on the first three days before a four-day traverse of the frozen lake. And the itinerary promises below-zero temperatures and “conditions nearly identical to the poles.”

In addition to meeting a famed polar explorer and receiving a polar gear package, participants will learn key preparation and survival tactics.