Safely through the ice
ArvedFuchs isoneof themost famousandsuccessful expedition leaders
of recentdecades.
His journeys to theearth’spolar regionsare trulyamazingand fascinating. In this interview
with trends inautomationhe talksaboutwhatmakeshimcontinually leave thesecurityof
home lifebehind,whyhesetsboundaries forhimself,whatmakesasuccessful teamand
howhismotivationandhisexpectationsof himself havechangedover theyears.
Interview
trends inautomation:
Youhavebeenstudyingand travelling
theearth’spolar regions formore than35years.Whatmadeyou
do it,whatwas the trigger?
ArvedFuchs:
I’vealwaysbeen fascinatedbyoutdoor life.
I grewup in the countryside; our familyhomewassurrounded
by forest and lushgreenmeadowsand I spentmost ofmy time
outside.Wehadno televisionbut didhave lotsof booksand
I readagreat deal about theworld thatwasbeyondmyown
experience. These includedadventurebooksbyKarlMay, “The
LeatherstockingTales”by James FenimoreCooper andeven
expedition reportsby FridtjofNansen. Itwasall utterly
captivatingand Iwouldoften imaginemyself asanadventurer.
I longed todiscover distant lands, experiencenewsituationsand
testmy limits.
Sowhat happenedwhenyougot older?
Fuchs:
Whenyouarenot yet anadult, suchdreamsare tolerated
as thecrazynotionsof youth.When I left school, however, I began
togive the ideasomeserious consideration. Everyone toldme to
besensible.Nowwas the time tostart acting likeaproper adult,
forget thisnonsense, buildahouseandstart a family.But I didn’t
want to. I joined themerchant navyand completedmy training,
but even then I couldn’t get the ideaof travellingandbeing
completely freeoutofmyhead.
Iwas then facedwith thedecisionas towhat Iwanted todowith
my life.Havingacareer andgoingonexpeditionswasn’t going to
bepossible in the long term. So I toldmyself “If youdon't do it
now, you’ll never do it. You’reayoungman, youneed togoyour
ownway, youneed togoanddiscover theworldnow!” Inmymid
twentiescame thecritical pointwhere I toldmyself to justgo for it.
What drivesyouon today?Curiosity?Thedesire toexplore the
unknown?Hasyourmotivation changedover theyears?
About theperson
ArvedFuchs
Arved Fuchswasbornon26April 1953 inBadBramstedt,
Germany. After leavingschool, he trainedwith themerchant
navyandstudiedmarineengineering.Hisfirst expeditionwas
toCanada in1977. Since then, hehas returnedmany times to
the coldest cornersof theworld–on foot,withskis, dog
sledsandonhisownpolar sailingboat, theDagmarAaen. In
1989, hewas thefirst person to reachboth theNorthPole
and theSouthPole inoneyear. In the1990s, hisexpeditions
includedSpitsbergen, theSiberianArcticand crossing the
Northwest Passage. Another spectacular achievementwas
the roundingof the legendaryCapeHorn inakayak inwinter.
In2000, hisexpeditions tookhim to theAntarcticOcean, the
Northeast Passageand theAleutian Islands. Inspring2012,
FuchsembarkedonadogsledexpeditionalongGreenland’s
northwest coast to research theeffectsof climate change
around theHumboldtGlacier. In2013, theexpedition team
followed thepathof theLofotenfishermen. Fuchshaswritten
16books.Hisexpeditionshavebeen thesubject of numerous
TVdocumentariesandarticles inmagazinessuchas“National
Geographic”and“GEO”.
Fuchs:
In theearlydays therewasaverystrong competitive
element. In thesameway that amarathon runnerwants to reach
thefinish line in the fastest timepossibleand therefore
undergoes rigorous training for a race, Iwanted to takemy
expeditions toplaces that noonehadeverbeen tobeforeand
where I had tobebothphysicallyandmentallyfit.
