Acclaimed polar explorer Eric Larsen will visit the Lutcher Theater Tuesday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. to give a free presentation on his experiences trekking the world’s harshest environments and what those trips have taught him about global warming.

 

In 2006 Larsen and his partner Lonnie Dupre became the first explorers to reach the North Pole during the summer, hoping to learn more about the recent decline of polar ice and bring attention to global warming. Through a combination of kayaking, skiing and snowshoeing, Larsen and Dupre reached the North Pole and teamed with scientists from the University of Washington to measure sea ice changes and composition, shedding new light on the current plight of the Arctic Circle and its inhabitants. He is currently working on his “One World Expedition,” during which he hopes to become the first person to visit the world’s three “poles” (North Pole, South Pole, and Mount Everest) in a consecutive 365-day period.

 

Larsen’s energetic presentation covers the rigors associated with polar expeditions and the teamwork required to persevere in such trying conditions, and the captivating videos and photographs from his explorations offer a fresh new perspective on the familiar topic of climate change.

 

At just 38 years of age, Eric Larsen is an experienced public speaker and educator, and he has spent the last 12 years of his life adventuring in some of the harshest and most remote places on Earth. Larsen’s list of talents includes explorer, dog musher, adventure racer and educator, and he has traveled enough wilderness to circle the globe nearly two and-a-half times. Only the third American to reach both poles, Larsen spends most of his time in Grand Marais, Minnesota, when he isn’t training for explorations or traveling on adventures and speaking tours.