Apart from thecompetitiveaspect, Iwasalsodrivenbyasense
of adventureand thedesire to just takeoff and leave thesafety
net of normal lifebehind. Thishas changedover theyears. These
days, recordsarenot important tomeanymore. I’m interested in
other thingsnow compared towhen Iwas25or 35. I no longer
need toprove tomyself and theworld that I cansail or ski. This
serenityhasgivenme the freedom topursueother interests
suchaspolar history,whichhasalways fascinatedme. As the
yearshaveprogressed, I havebecomemore involved innature
conservation. Inaddition tomakingdocumentariesshowinghow
thepolar regionsare changing,wealso runclimatecamps for
students. Theseprojectsarevery important tome.
What didyou learn inyour earlyexpeditions?
Fuchs:
Toquestioneverything.Not to takeanythingat facevalue.
Tomakedecisionsmyself and tofigureouthowbest toprepare
for challengesand to learn from them.
What qualitiesmust anexpedition leader have tomanage
a teamsuccessfully?
Fuchs:
Asexpedition leader, youare thepersonwho initiates the
project, the logisticsexpertwhoplansandmanages it andon
theshipyouare thecaptain. In thisposition, youaren’tmotivated
simplyby thedesire to claimsomething for yourself.When
you’reonanexpedition it’s likehavingamirror heldup in front
of you. You can't put onanact, becausewithin threedays
everyonewill see through it and recogniseyou forwhoyou really
are. All teammembers takea leapof faithbyputting their trust
inmeasexpedition leader. I have toearn this trust everysingle
day. That is the challenge that I set formyself. Anyonewhohas
ever lost someone’s trustwill knowhow incrediblydifficult it is
towin it back. The trust ofmy team isveryprecious tome.When
I findmyself standingondeck in theDenmarkStrait in the
middleofNovember battling forceelevenwindsandhighseas,
I have tomake the right decision for everyone. This isbyno
meanseasyand it doesn't always turnoutwell.Nevertheless, all
theexpedition teammembersexpectme to tell themwhat todo.
The team thenputs theplan intoaction. It’smaking these
decisionsand implementing them that creates trust –not
because I ask for it, but becauseof theactionand the combined
effort of everyone involved.
What kindof teamdoyouneed tosuccessfullydealwith the
enormousmental andphysical hardshipof theArctic?
Fuchs:
Inaddition to their expertise, the teammembersmust
haveexcellent social skills. This canbedifficult to identify in
advance. Iwant a team that isheterogeneous, yet has certain
“Safety ismymainpriority.”
First handaccount:
Arved Fuchs talks
about hisexperiences
asanexpedition leader.
