Check out this excellent video and article put together by Northwestern University. I did the interview in May just after returning from the ice. NU used the video to help launch a new version of their website, www.northwestern.edu. The video was produced by Matt Paolelli and the interview was conducted by Sean Hargadon of Northwestern Magazine.
Here's the inteview and video. -- John
Northwestern News
Northwestern Alum Recounts North Pole Adventure John Huston overcame polar obstacles to become first American to ski unsupported to the North Pole. By Sean Hargadon
John Huston thought he had failed.
Fifty-one days into the “hardest trek on the planet,” Huston and his arctic-expedition partner Tyler Fish realized they might not make it to the North Pole after all.
After three years of planning and preparation, “that was a really dark night in the tent,” Huston recalls. “We just thought, ‘What have we done wrong?’”
With an April 26 deadline looming, Huston (WCAS99) and Fish had less than four days to travel 60 miles to the pole before a Russian helicopter would come to retrieve them.
Near the end of the 480-mile journey across the Arctic Ocean, Huston and Fish realized that wind and ocean currents were causing the ice sheets to drift to the southeast at eight to 10 miles every 24 hours. “It became really stressful to figure out how we were going to travel fast enough to overcome this treadmill of drift that we were on the wrong end of,” Huston says. “Basically we ran out of time.”
They committed to one intense final push, skiing almost nonstop for 3 1⁄2 days. They paused every 12 hours to eat and sleep for an hour.
“We decided that if we slept we would lose,” says Huston, who napped for just three out of 66 hours in those final days. They finally reached the pole — with 10 hours to spare — and celebrated with a single-malt scotch and some leftover fudge before collapsing in exhaustion.
“It was a big achievement and a really blurry time as well,” says Huston. “We were sleepwalking sometimes, for sure.”
During the 2009 Arctic ski season John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to ski unsupported, unassisted to the North Pole.
This was John’s second Pole after the South Pole. In an interview he compared the two Poles, the different clothes he was wearing and the strategies he applied to beat the cut off times at the end of the expeditions. He talked about these and more to ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer.
ExplorersWeb: You bagged both South Pole and North Pole. How did they compare?
I thought the North Pole was a lot more fun, for the most part I really enjoyed route finding through the rubble and hopping over ridges. Days and marches pass much more quickly on the Arctic Ocean.
The South Pole is so much simpler and safer but windier, much more monotonous and with worse whiteouts. I definitely felt colder on the Arctic Ocean but did not miss the wind of Antarctica. The warm tent-life in Antarctica was luxurious compared to the humidity and deep cold of the Arctic Ocean.
ExplorersWeb: Both times you had to race against time at the end. What strategies did you use on the two expeditions to be at the specific Pole before the season’s end?
Antarctica 07/08: We rolled the clock and operated on a 30-hour day for the last 20 calendar days of the expedition. We took a mid-day 2-3 hour break in the tent, which allowed us to nurse a few injuries and rest.
Arctic Ocean 09: We rolled the clock to a 27-hour day, but quickly fell behind schedule due to a southerly drift of up to 6-8 nm per 24 hours. We realized that the southern drift incurred while sleeping was costing a chance at the pole.
For the last 66 hours we skied 12 hours, set up the tent for a meal and a 1-hour nap and then started another 12 hours on the march. During that last push we were a bit slower than we wanted to be in the tent, but we wanted to be patient and cautious because our minds were starting to lose focus a bit.
ExplorersWeb: In the interview before you left you said your biggest fear is, besides Tyler’s snoring, the first few days. Did Tyler snore? The first days were tough. How do you remember them?
Yes, Tyler did snore, but it did not cost me too much sleep. I think he felt worse about it than I did. The first days were tough, but I look back on them as relatively easy compared to the final push.
During the final few days we actually wore more layers even though it was 50°F warmer, our bodies had lost the ability to stay warm in the end. The first days were cold, but manageable. We slept a lot, took extra care to have safe comfortable routines and burned extra fuel.
ExplorersWeb: What kept you going?
Strong, patient, healthy routines were our engine. In the end we were fully committed to do whatever it took to reach the pole unsupported and unassisted. In the short term, the chance to eat another fudge bar at the next break was a big incentive.
Rune Gjeldnes has said, “The body can do a lot if the mind will let it.” I totally believe in that statement.
ExplorersWeb: Did your clothes differ from what you were wearing on the South Pole expedition?
Yes, a little bit. On both expeditions I wore Bergans of Norway outerwear very similar to what Rune Gjeldnes and Torry Larsen designed when they crossed the Arctic Ocean in 2000. It breathed well, had excellent fit and function and was very versatile.
In Antarctica I wore my goggles every day, on the Arctic Ocean I only wore sunglasses. On the Arctic Ocean we brought more layers of fleece because we did not wear our down layers inside the tent. On both expeditions I wore Bryjne long underwear, warm, versatile, durable and expedition worthy.
ExplorersWeb: You and Tyler worked well as a team. What was your secret?
Our secret is: no secrets, no complaining! We’ve worked together for years, respect each other’s motivations, have similar values and are honest with each other. We’ve had our disagreements, but we were always moving forward interpersonally.
We ended the trip closer than we began. Skiing-wise our pace and flow matched perfectly. We really focused on self-care the whole way, we never hesitated to change a layer or adjust a boot if needed.
ExplorersWeb: You had a great reception in Norway when you got off the ice. How was your reception in the USA where skiing to the North Pole is not so well known as in Norway?
Our reception in Norway was a product of our friends and family coming together. We named our expedition company Forward Expeditions after the Fram, so it was the perfect place to celebrate. We’ve had quite a bit of media attention in the states. In the States we get a lot more of the ‘why’ and the ‘huh?’ questions. We’ll have celebrations in the U.S. in the coming months.
ExplorersWeb: What advice would you give to future polar skiers?
Plan and prepare like Amundsen did…with humility, attention to detail, learning from those who went before and with a self-critical mind.
ExplorersWeb: Did this change/enrich your life? How?
From the expedition I feel I have a new identification with patience and perseverance. I found the unrelenting power of the Arctic Ocean to be very humbling. Even though there is very little life on the ice, the Arctic Ocean is the most ‘alive’ force of nature I have ever encountered.
ExplorersWeb: Any future plans?
Write our book this summer. Public speaking. I’m thinking about trying the Norseman Ironman triathlon. I’ll likely do fun trips for a while. Who knows after that…?
ExplorersWeb: Anything you want to add?
Thanks to all who followed along and sent us supportive messages!
(Ed note: Check in tomorrow for an interview with Tyler Fish looking back at the experience and talking about the food, his scariest moment, team work, not having a rest day, what kept him going and advice to adventurers who wants to ski to the North pole.)
John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to ski unsupported, unassisted to the North Pole. They arrived at the Pole on 25 April 2009 after sledge-hauling 54 days from Ward Hunt Island, Canada.
In 2007-08 John guided an expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and is also an experienced sled-dog handler. He was born on August 14, 1976 and lives in Chicago, IL. John is running our expedition company, Forward Expeditions, and does public speaking. He said he comes from a very close family of 5 and “have a lovely girl friend at home in Chicago”.
His favorite book is “War and Peace”, by Leo Tolstoy. When he was skiing to the South Pole he read “Anna Karinina” again (which he cut in half for resupplies). This time, with no resupplies he took a lightweight book of Tolstoy short stories. John’s favorite movie is “Godfather I and II” and he said his favorite food is “Mexican, Indian, Italian, Steaks, just about anything ethnic, I really miss guacamole.” As for music, “I’m an old time Blues fan, also some jazz, rock, anything with a groove.”
During the 2009 Arctic ski season John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to ski unassisted, unsupported to the North Pole.
In the interview Tyler gives valuable North Pole advice, he talks about their food and fuel, not having a rest day, his scariest and best moments, and what kept him going. ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer caught up with Tyler while he enjoys his nine-month-old son.
ExplorersWeb: Did the expedition work out like you planned it to be? Did you get any surprises?
Well, we made it to the pole, so of course I think it worked out, and there were a few surprises. The drift caught us by surprise a little bit, which over time resulting in our last dash to the North Pole.
While we were happy with 97% of our equipment choices, I don’t think you’re ever really sure how all the pieces are going to function together until you’re putting everything together. The Arctic Ocean can be beautiful at any moment.
ExplorersWeb: How did your food and fuel work out?
We had enough food for a meal at the pole, and we ended the expedition with an extra liter of fuel (at least 2 days worth), which is remarkable considering how worried we were about our fuel consumption in the middle of the expedition. It’s really hard to judge some things on a long expedition - you have to constantly assess, try, trust and then repeat that again and again.
ExplorersWeb: We know you craved among other food a Fat Boy Burger. What was the best on your menu on the ice?
Our menu did not have a lot of variety to it, although it’s amazing how far four flavors of fudge will take you! I grew tired of the nuts we had with us for lunch snacks, but the biggest surprise was that we always liked our dinner and breakfast. Our pemmican never failed us, and I would recommend it for taste, effectiveness, simplicity and flexibility.
ExplorersWeb: You didn’t have a rest day. How did that affect you?
The two of us are used to long hours, day after day, but really it’s hard to say. Would we not have reached the pole had we taken a rest day, or would the rest and reflection have energized us? You never really know. In the future I’d try to make myself rest early on at an opportune moment.
ExplorersWeb: What was your scariest moment?
The first open lead we encountered took a lot out of us. It was a cold, windy day. I was emotionally drained and wanted nothing to do with it as soon as we could get away.
I took some risks then that scared me; that’s when I went in the water to my knees and then clung to the icy wall of the side of the lead thinking, “Okay, that was dumb.” But I knew the ice a lot better after that. Risk has its rewards.
ExplorersWeb: What kept you going when things were tough?
In general I have a pretty consistent drive. I make small goals and stick to them. I distract myself with memories, songs and daydreams of the future. (Hard for me to imagine such an expedition without that ability.)
The big surprise was how supported we felt on this “unsupported” expedition. That was life changing. Family, friends and strangers all teamed up to be an amazing source of endurance.
ExplorersWeb: What was your best moment?
Reaching the pole was a proud moment. The last day was gorgeous, one of the best of the trip.
Day 25 sticks out, though, that was when the two of us reached the point in the expedition when we could really embrace being there, present and in the moment, almost play with it a bit. I wrote about it in the blog, “Who’s living better than us?”
ExplorersWeb: You worked well together as a team. Why, would you say?
Teamwork is not new to either of us. We trusted each other out there. That’s the most important thing. I owe that to our communication and general commitment to each other and to success.
Nothing is better than delayed gratification, and that’s what these expeditions are all about! You feel satisfied if you work hard knowing that at some point in your day you will be rewarded, however briefly.
ExplorersWeb: Do you and John plan any further expeditions and you perhaps the South Pole?
There will always be other expeditions of one type or another. It’s an ingrained part of who I am. Right now I will focus on fatherhood and being home. I also think it’s important to sit with this achievement for a bit and tease the meaning out of it.
ExplorersWeb: How do you feel at the moment if you look back at all the preparation and the expedition itself?
What a question! It took an immense amount of work to get the point of landing at Ward Hunt Island. Once on the ice we used completely different skills to reach the pole.
I’m so thankful for all of the kind words and encouraging actions of anyone and everyone who helped make this a reality.
ExplorersWeb: Any advice for anybody who wants to ski to the North Pole?
Our complimentary pace and our consistent routines were essential. Routines are important because they are something objective that you can focus on. They’re not personal.
It’s very important to know your own needs and systems. If they’re really well tested, trust them. Don’t panic and try a lot of new things.
The Arctic Ocean is unique, but all the normal concepts of expeditionary travel apply - as do the laws of physics. Be gentle with each other. Life gets tough.
ExplorersWeb: Anything you want to add?
I appreciate this opportunity to share my thoughts. I’ve benefited so much from others. Thank you.
Tyler Fish and John Huston became the first Americans to ski unsupported, unassisted to the North Pole. They arrived at the Pole on 25 April 2009 after sledge-hauling 54 days from Ward Hunt Island, Canada.
Tyler Fish, born in 1973, lives in Ely, Minnesota, about 10 miles from Canada. For work he spends most of his time with Outward Bound and coaching cross country skiing. Tyler said his wife is very understanding of his outdoor adventure interests, “as she is a canoeist and veteran of a 100-day dogsled expedition across Arctic Canada. My five-month old son doesn’t have a clue what I’m up to, but he will. I miss him already,” said Tyler before the North Pole expedition in February.
Hobbies… “of all my outdoor pursuits I reserve telemark skiing as a purely pleasurable pastime, not linked to work or expeditions in any way. As for music, I enjoy a variety of it, and the more I can sing with it the better. I can never remember the last good book or movie…but I know I saw or read something that felt good….”
Tyler Fish 5 miles from the pole, exhausted and nauseated.
Date: June 10, 2009 Location: United States of America
John and Tyler are commited to raising funds and awareness for CaringBridge.
By: John Huston
Audio Transcript:
"Despite muscles that are still a bit tired, Tyler and I are now pretty much fully re-acclimated to our normal lives at home. It took us about 2 1/2 weeks to gain back all the body weight we had lost on the expedition. Our stomachs are no longer complaining. We are sleeping fairly normally, although plenty of strange dreams about the expedition keep the emotions of our on-ice experience alive.
Following the media circus in early May, Tyler and I both took a few weeks away from the Victorinox North Pole '09 Expedition project to recuperate, rest, relax and reconnect fully with our loved ones.
Tyler is now back at work running the youth-at-risk (Intercept) program for Outward Bound in Ely, MN, where it is sometimes still 40°F during the daytime.
I am back in Chicago, where spring is also cooler than normal and where the play of my favorite baseball team the White Sox seems to be copying the weather.
This summer Tyler and I will write a book about the expedition, pursue a documentary film and do a lot of public speaking. Since our post-expedition lives will not be nearly as interesting as our lives on way to the North Pole, we will not be blogging very often.
In a few weeks we'll post a photo gallery and a few videos from the expedition. We will also redesign the web site a little bit. In the mean time we will post a few news stories and news clips about the expedition. Most of the media coverage has done a pretty good job telling our story. Click on the 'News' button in the menu bar above to see a full list of media coverage.
Date: May 21st, 2009 Location: United States of America
John and Tyler are commited to raising funds and awareness for CaringBridge.
By: Tyler Fish
Audio Transcript:
"Good evening. This is Tyler calling in from Ely, Minnesota. I believe it is the 20th of May. I think so. Anyway, I wanted to title this blog, "The Long Road Home".
I thought I would fill people in on what it's like, actually, trying to get home and getting home after the North Pole expedition.
Well, coming home is not as easy as one might think. In fact getting there can take a long time, sometimes by design. It'd be easy to fly from the pole to Oslo and then the next day to Minneapolis. But thank goodness we didn't do that. That would have been shocking amongst other things. Well after the Fram event, John spent time with his family in Oslo and then he was off to Chicago for 8 hours before flying east again to New York. I journeyed over the border to Sweden, in the meantime, spending time with friends, family. And then eventually I flew to New York. And there we rendezvoused.
And then there were two exciting events. The TODAY Show with Kathy Lee and Hoda. and some, well the second event would be the really great food. It's pretty fun to eat anything you want when you can use the expedition and being in New York City as an excuse. We ate a variety: from stops in the Italian district to gourmet cupcakes to street vendor hotdogs. It was pretty fun. It was kind of like just fulfilling parts of the expedition that we weren't able to do. We talked about it a lot but all of a sudden there we could do it.
Well eventually John flew home to Chicago and I went off to upstate New York to be with family. About 3 days later I flew to Minnesota, spent an overnight with family, drove north, spent a day with friends along the way, and finally I was home in my house, in my bed for 24 hours before driving south again to Minneapolis for media and business for about three days. John and I were in the Twin Cities together. Interviews with the University of Minnesota for the Psychological research component of our expedition and there were TV appearances, yet to air, radio, and not to be overlooked, throwing out the first pitch for the Twins game. John is warming up for the White Sox - I believe that is this week.
John and I said good bye again in his car and he sped off to Chicago where, for all I know, he'll be for the foreseeable future. We meet again on occasional phone interviews and of course on the internet or when we call each other to see how we're doing.
So I'm back home. I went straight into work the next day for 6 days straight and now I've come out the other end and this is my first official day off and I can tell you it's not easy coming home. Expeditioners that go on long trips like we did; we are the sailors, soldiers or maybe the study abroad students. We leave home but the world continues without us. We return and we need to fit in to that world. In the meantime no one understands what we've done and I guess it would be wrong to expect that of them. Yet here we all are together trying to relate, both sides wanting to understand.
John and I left home in early February. So in some ways we've only been gone for a number of months but, considering each of our lives for the past 2 or 3years, we have been partially gone for much longer than that. People ask, "How does it feel to be home? Is it good to see your family? What did it feel like at pole? What's next? How do you top that? Are you gonna pull any tires this summer?" Well, the answer to the last question is easy: no. If you want any real answers to the rest of the questions, well those are difficult.
So, John and I are in transition. I think it's good it took us while to get home rather than taking the easy, quick flight home. We need to honor the experience by giving it space and by giving it time. We will continue to do this as we unpack, journal, answer questions, and figure out how to be in this new place called home. If the Arctic Ocean taught us anything it is, yes, to be optimistic but also to be patient and to be good to the people around us. And if we do this now, in the last steps of this journey, then we will feel as positive about this part of the expedition as we did in the first days, in the middle, and now at the end."
