Onboard his boat ARKTIKA, Gilles will leave New Siberian Islands 121 years after Nansen’s expedition, adrift and unsupported, to reach the Svalbard Archipelago two years and a few months later, with no outside help.

 

When ARTIKA gets very close to the North Pole, Gilles will leave his boat to rally the northernmost pole of the planet with his sled dogs. Then, he will attempt to find his boat, still adrift. An expedition that has never been attempted before.

 

ARTIKA 2.0 is an expedition in an extreme environment, including eight months in the polar night, which could easily be compared to a long-duration space mission.

 

Never before had any man attempted to live alone on the polar pack for so long.  Never before had a sailboat reached such extreme latitudes in total self sufficiency.

 

And finally no man had ever crossed the Icy Arctic Ocean solo nor has he reached the North Pole unsupported and by dogsled.   However, these World Premiere challenges are only but the visible part of the ARKTIKA 2.0. iceberg!

 

A digital platform to raise awareness of the preservation of the Arctic.

 

ARKTICA 2.0 is an extremely ambitious project aiming at making each and every one of us a witness of the Pole.  Thanks to the innovative technological social media tools available, it will be one of the most “connected” arctic expeditions to date.

 

The project’s ambition: to bring together a community of 14 million fans worldwide, equivalent to the surface of the Arctic Ocean in square kilometers.

 

The digital tools:

→ Real time updates of the expedition, allowing anyone to share in the adventure.

→ Creation of a virtual ice block consisting of identified ice blocks, adopted by web visitors (1 fan= 1 ice block = 1 square kilometer) and connected to the Facebook profile of the website visitor.

→ Creation of a fun viral platform to maintain the ice blocks, encouraging people to research information and get involved in the preservation of the Arctic.

→ A platform of expression and exchanges for the general public and experts collecting and completing a large quantity of content.

 

At the end of the expedition, a worldwide high-traffic media will result that will become a major actor in the preservation of the Arctic and further environmental worldwide challenges.