Polar explorer Eric Larsen to visit Western as part of Blister Speaker Series

On Feb. 28, Eric Larsen will visit Western Colorado University, giving a keynote address and meeting with various classes as part of the Blister Speaker Series.

The keynote address, free and open to the public, will be held at 6 p.m. in the University Center Theater.

Larsen is a polar adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher and educator who has spent the past 15 years traveling in some of the most remote and wild places on earth.

In 2006, Larsen and Lonnie Dupre completed the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole. During this journey, the duo pulled and paddled specially modified canoes across 550 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean.

In 2008, Larsen successfully led his first expedition to the South Pole, covering nearly 600 miles in 41 days. He is one of only a few Americans in to have skied to both the North and South Poles.

In November 2009, Larsen returned to Antarctica for the first leg of his world record “Save the Poles” expedition. He completed a 750-mile ski traverse to the geographic South Pole, arriving on January 2, 2010. Two months later, he was dropped off at northern Ellesmere Island for a winter-style North Pole journey. The international team reached the North Pole 51 days later on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. He completed the Save the Poles expedition by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest on October 15th, 2010, becoming the first person in history to reach the world’s three ‘poles’ within a year.

Larsen’s other expeditions include dog mushing in the Canadian Arctic, training trips to Hudson Bay and countless sled dog races. He has summited Denali, ridden his bike across the United States, been a backcountry ranger in Alaska and a whitewater canoe guide in Colorado.

Larsen has dedicated his adult life to sharing his love for the outdoors with others. As an educator, Eric strives to connect people to places and issues.

Larsen lives in Crested Butte with his partner, Maria Hennessey, and their son, Merritt.