A LIFE BEYOND THE INACCESSIBLE: SARAH McNAIR-LANDRY

Sarah McNair-Landry and her huskies glide across Arctic ice during a circumnavigation of Baffin Island with Erik Boomer. Their objective: to retrace her parent’s journey 25 years earlier, then a first in polar exploration.

Interview by Mary Anne Potts

Photographs by Erik Boomer

As we publish this interview, Sarah McNair-Landry has journeyed to Antarctica to guide a client to the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility, which might sound more like a place in a science fiction novel, rather than a very remote spot at the bottom of the world. For Sarah, 33, who is perhaps the world’s most accomplished female polar explorer, it’s simply a job she is very qualified to do. After all, she became the youngest person to reach both poles when she was 19.

Growing up on Baffin Island with polar explorer parents, Sarah has explored the ends of the Earth largely with her brother, Eric, and her life partner, Erik Boomer. Sarah shares with Exploration Connections a bit of what she’s learned and accomplished over years of exploring in the cold climes, the unique and invaluable mentorship in her life, and an array of expeditionary tips.

—Mary Anne Potts, Writer at Large

Mary Anne Potts: You are headed to the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility. Where is that? 

Sarah McNair-Landry: Basically it's the true center of the Antarctic continent, which would make it the most inaccessible point. And, yes, there is a statue of Lenin there. Not many teams have been there. The Russians went in by tractor expedition. My dad was the second to do an expedition there, my brother also did an expedition there, and a couple other teams did as well. Boomer and I will be guiding a client there. The expedition is planned to take 85 days.

Sarah McNair-Landry and brother, Eric, were primed early on for their polar exploits. Photo: McNair-Landry Collection.

MP: Your parents were both polar explorers and you grew up in the Arctic, on Baffin Island. How did exploration fit into your childhood?

SML: They say you’re a product of your environment. Baffin Island is the same place where people train to go to the North Pole. It was our backyard, where my brother and I would bundle up and go outside to play.

On top of that, we had parents who were guides who encouraged us to spend time outside. We always wanted to go skiing and dogsledding. And family camping trips were not optional.                                                                                              

MP: As kids, would you go along on guided trips with your parents and clients?

SML: Yes. My parents were always guiding. They moved from Thunder Bay, Ontario, up to Baffin Island when I was three, and that’s where they really started their own company and began guiding. We were always involved in the company, whether it was helping out on the pack-outs, or, as we got older, going along as assistant guides. Eventually we started doing more and more of the guiding. I actually bought the family company, Northwind Expeditions, about five years ago. My brother is still involved

MP: You and your partner, Erik Boomer, re-traced your parents’ circumnavigation of Baffin. Could you tell us about that trip? 

SML: In 1990, my parents dropped us off at my grandmother’s house and left to go do the expedition. I was three and my brother was four. They were the first to circumnavigate Baffin Island by dog team. It was about 4,000 kilometers in four months. They did that expedition, and then they stayed in Baffin to live there. I grew up hearing stories of their expedition and seeing their old slides.

Raised on Baffin Island by their polar explorer parents, Sarah and Eric—now longtime expedition partners—on one of their frequent family trips in the northern wilds of Canada. Photo: McNair-Landry Collection

“When we started out, I had a lot of confidence. I thought, “I grew up in Baffin. I’ve been dog sledding all my life. It’s 25 years later. We have sat phones, GPSs, and all these modern pieces of equipment that they didn’t have. We’ve got this!”

On the 25th anniversary of the expedition, nobody had repeated it, so Boomer and I decided to take our dogs and go re-trace it. We had my parents’ old maps and old journals. When we started out, I had a lot of confidence. I thought, “I grew up in Baffin. I’ve been dog sledding all my life. It’s 25 years later. We have sat phones, GPSs, and all these modern pieces of equipment that they didn’t have. We’ve got this!”

But it definitely pushed us. The funny thing is, we ironically finished the expedition in 120 days, which was the same amount of time it took my parents to do it. And not on purpose. I definitely have a little competitive streak, so if we could have beaten them by one day, we would have.

MP: What are some of the challenges you encountered on the trip?

SML: I think the biggest challenge was the length of time. It was 4,000 kilometers, and we had to pack it into one season. We were out for 120 days. We did pull through several small Inuit communities, where we were able to rest the dogs, feed them up, restock, and then head back out.

Another challenge was the amount of distance we needed to cover each day. We couldn’t start too early. We had to wait for the ice to be frozen and the snow to be good enough. That put us out in some of the coldest, darkest temperatures of the winter when we started our expedition. Then, on the flip side, we were really worried, especially 25 years later, that the snow would melt before we were done. That was probably our biggest worry, because you never know when spring is going to hit. We didn’t have a date when we had to be done. You just keep your fingers crossed and hope the rivers don’t start opening up and flowing, and that the snow isn’t too soon.

MP: What advice do you have for someone venturing into extreme cold?

SML: The best way to learn how to deal with the cold is by spending time in extreme cold conditions. Have the right clothing and equipment that works for you—everyone's body is different, so by spending time testing clothing and equipment in cold conditions you will learn what works best for you.  Eat and drink regularly—you need enough energy (food and water) so that your body can produce heat. Never stop moving—physical activity produces heat. In extreme cold conditions we are always constantly moving to stay warm. Also a good way to practice those dance moves. And finally, don't sweat. If you sweat, then you get your clothing wet. As soon as you stop moving, you'll freeze. 

“The best way to learn how to deal with the cold is by spending time in extreme cold conditions. Have the right clothing and equipment that works for you…”

MP: You grew up with parents who were both adventure partners and life partners. And you also have an adventure partner who is also a life partner. Do you have any insights on how to make that work?

SML: I’m lucky that I met Boomer, and he’s just as enthusiastic about dropping off the grid and spending time outside. He loves to do big trips and really prioritizes it. I’ve always been lucky in finding expedition partners, including my brother.

I find it easier to do these big, hard expeditions with somebody I know so well because, in some ways, there are no surprises. With Boomer, we know each other’s weaknesses and each other’s strengths. He knows when to give me support. I know when I should give him support. The same is true with my brother, too. There are just none of those surprises when you get in the field, and you’re like, “Oh, I didn’t know that about you.” I think in some ways, for me, it works better being super close and knowing my expedition partners really well.

MP: I first learned about you years ago from polar explorer Will Steger. I remember him saying, “There’s this really strong young polar explorer coming up…” And in return, I think you taught him how to kite ski? Was he a mentor to you?

SML: I was lucky enough to work for Will Steger for a year. We did two expeditions together. The big one was we spent two months in the Canadian Arctic doing a big dog sledding expedition together. The whole focus on was the next generation and climate change, which has long been a big message for Will. I definitely had grown up hearing stories about Will Steger and being inspired by his stories. It was really cool to work with him. He was a really good mentor, in a lot of ways. 

In turn, he really trusted us, too. He got me and Eric to put the three teams together, to train the dog teams, and to do a lot of the logistics and planning. I felt like Will really trusted our opinions and gave us a lot of liberty to do our work, which brings the best out of people.

And then, the second trip, Will decided he wanted to learn how to kite-ski, so the four of us crossed the Greenland ice sheet. Toby Thorleiffson, my brother, and I all knew how to kite-ski, so it was a cool reversal of roles. We were taking Will under our wing and showing him how to kite, a newer-generation skill that was just coming up. 

When winds whip up, kite-skiing hastens a journey at up to 70 mph, and aids in hauling 220-plus pound sleds.

MP: How did he do?

SML: He did awesome. I think he might have been 63 or 64 at the time. For somebody who has done so many cool expeditions, I think it’s so great that he embraced new ways to travel even in his 60s.

MP: You may be young, but you’ve been going to the Poles for nearly two decades. How have you experienced climate change so far in your expeditions?

“I think the biggest one for me, and where I see [climate change] the most, is the North Pole. Just looking at my parents when they started guiding in the late 90s, versus when I went up there in the 2000s, the methods of traveling and dealing with open water were totally different.”

SML: For Baffin, we’ve been getting a lot more erratic weather. It’s not necessarily warmer. A lot of times, we’ll get these summer climate predictions that show it’s becoming colder. 

I think the biggest one for me, and where I see [climate change] the most, is the North Pole. Just looking at my parents when they started guiding in the late 90s, versus when I went up there in the 2000s, the methods of traveling and dealing with open water were totally different.

Now, full-length expeditions are pretty much shut down. Nobody has done them for several years. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s becoming more and more challenging, which is both really sad to see because it’s such an amazing area and sad for someone who has a company in guiding to both Poles. It definitely limits the options.

MP: Do you know how to sail? I’m kind of joking, but kind of not...

SML: Børge [Ousland] is doing one now.

MP: Maybe Børge and Mike Horn will get it done. I guess we’ll see.

SML: Yeah, we’ll see. If someone could do it, it’s probably Børge.

MP: Speaking of Børge…at the end of 2018/start of 2019, when Colin O’Brady claimed to have made the first, “solo, unsupported crossing of Antarctica,” Børge and others were somewhat dismayed, because Colin completely dismissed the epic, and much longer, true exploratory crossing Børge did in 1996-97. What are your thoughts about that situation?

SML: I just think people need to be honest about their expeditions and what they do. It’s good to give props to the people who were there before, too. That’s what it comes down to. Just be honest about what you do and give respect to the people who did equally or bigger, more badass expeditions before you.

MP: How do you pick your expeditions?

SML: I kind of have this “I’m going” idea bank of expeditions I’d like to do. Sometimes, the time is just right. For example, that Baffin Island one—it was the 25th anniversary [of my parent’s expedition], and I was like, “Okay, we’ve got to do it this year.”

With other expeditions, it’s just what I’m more excited about. And they change. Like the last, the Into Twin Galaxies expedition [Iceland] was perfectly aligned with Boomer’s background and my background—water kayaking in polar regions and packaging it all into one big expedition.

I think it varies with what we’re excited about at the time, and what we’re doing. We’ve been spending a lot more time learning to climb, and we’d like to start incorporating that into some expeditions.

Meltwater atop sea ice makes for the frigid version of water skiing on Sarah and Boomer’s four-month Baffin Island expedition. Referred to as “melt ponds,” these soaking conditions generally arise in spring and summer.

MP: How do you find funding for your expeditions?

SML: That’s my least favorite part. Most of our funding has come from grants, similar to the Nat Geo Expeditions Council grants. We also find some funding through the outdoor industry, or through film projects, like Red Bull, when they jumped on for Into Twin Galaxies.

I’ve gotten pretty good at Arctic logistics and knowing how to make it really cheap. I try not to let funding dictate whether I’m going to do an expedition or not. For example, the Baffin Island dog sled expedition—we really struggled to get any funding for it, and we just decided to do it anyway. We sewed our own jackets and pants and built our own dog sled.

Being raised in Baffin is a huge advantage. We just made it happen as cheaply as possible, and saved up a bunch of money for it.

I have so much respect for people who just make it happen, versus listening to what the funders want, and trying to curate expeditions that you think have more funding opportunities.

MP: As you’ve gotten into filmmaking, what advice do you have on the types of expeditions that make for the best stories?

SML: It’s so hard to tell the story before you go on an expedition, because you don’t really know what’s going to happen. Of course, you know it’s cold, and it’s going to be hard, and there are going to be challenges, and it’s going to be dangerous. But I feel like so much of the story comes out on the expedition. I think the personalities are such a huge part of the expedition, too.

MP: It sounds like you’re saying you’ve got to put the trip together and then see what happens?

SML: Yeah. Of course, we try to figure out the story ahead of time, but I think you also need to be open to these storylines popping up that are totally unexpected.

MP: Like when you broke your back [kite skiing] on the Twin Galaxies expedition?

SML: Yeah, exactly. People seem to love injuries. Don’t plan on it, but that’s what the audience loves.

“…we spent 35 days walking icecaps, and the first “river” we got to was non-existent. We’d seen it on Google Earth, but then nothing was there. Those are parts of the story that you just can’t script. It just happens.”

MP: Oh, really?

SML: I think one of the best parts of the story, too, was that we spent 35 days walking icecaps, and the first “river” we got to was non-existent. We’d seen it on Google Earth, but then nothing was there. Those are parts of the story that you just can’t script. It just happens.

MP: That’s good advice. It always seems like you have everything completely under control on these expeditions. But could you tell us about some of the more challenging situations you’ve been in, and how you’ve dealt with them?

Sarah maneuvers through a precarious ice canyon on the Twin Galaxies expedition/Iceland.

SML: We always plan for the worst and the hardest, but I think the hardest moments to deal with are the ones that you don’t foresee. I think a good example is when my brother and I kite-skied the Northwest Passage. We were just coming up to our halfway mark in time and distance. We were a little delayed, but feeling good about the expedition.

We pulled up to this area where we knew there was going to be bad ice. It was about 100 kilometers. A big storm had hit it a couple of days before, and just opened it all up, and it was impassable, open water, bad ice. I remember getting there, and I remember all of us were  down. I was like, “Okay, let’s just camp. We’ll check the ice again tomorrow morning, and make a decision.”

Then, all of a sudden, this bear ripped through our tent…

It was obvious that we couldn’t cross, but we were keeping our hopes high. That night, a polar bear ripped through our tent. Two massive downers, one after another. Not only were we trying to mentally accept that we had to do this 550 kilometer detour—to get around this section of open water—but we didn’t have all of the maps for the detour.

Then, all of a sudden, this bear ripped through our tent. I think that was one of the hardest.

MP: Did the bear do any damage?

SML: He was looking for something to eat.

MP: Did he find anything?

SML: Well, he didn’t eat us!

MP: That’s good!

SML: But he wanted to. He definitely ripped through our tent. It’s a bit of a long story, but my brother jumped outside with a camp shovel and smacked him in the face. He tried to fend him off while I was able to grab the gun. Luckily, I put the bullets just over his head, and he was convinced to slowly wander away. Then, we saw five more bears in the next 12 hours. We definitely didn’t sleep much that night.

Pause for the dance of northern lights during Sarah and Eric’s grueling, three-month ski/kayak across the Northwest Passage. Photo: Sarah McNair-Landry

MP: Did you keep seeing bears, or was that just one day, when you saw all the bears?

SML: Then, it mellowed out. We would see tracks and signs of them, but it was just that day, where we saw a lot of bears, I guess.

MP: Instagram has changed the game, creating adventure influencers who stand on cliffs and looking beautiful and projecting this exploration lifestyle. And then, there’s someone like you, who truly does exploration. Does that whole Instagram influencer thing bug you?

SML: I don’t think it necessarily bugs me. I always wonder how they look so good, out in the outdoors, with perfect hair. It’s definitely not how I look when I’m outside.

MP: Would you say it is possible to make a living as a modern-day explorer?

SML: Like in any passion field, I make my living doing a lot of different things—through my own trips, through guiding, through film and photography, through some writing, which I think is true to most adventurers or explorers. A lot of people are doing talks, books, presentations, and film festivals. But yeah, I would say I’m still figuring it out.

MP: Do you still live in the tiny house?

SML: Yeah. The tiny house is in Idaho. Baffin is still my home, but we split our time. Boomer is from Idaho originally, so we split our time between Baffin and the Tetons.

“The tiny house is perfect. We can drag it anywhere and put it anywhere.”

MP: What the pros and cons are of living in a tiny house?

SML: For us, we just wanted something that we could afford and could build ourselves. And something that we never felt bad leaving. I don’t want to be tied down by a house and a mortgage, a lawn to mow, and all these responsibilities. So, the tiny house is perfect. We can drag it anywhere and put it anywhere. We can completely shut it down, when we leave, and then come back a couple months later.

It’s our perfect little base camp. We built it ourselves, so we don’t have a mortgage to pay. But you know, it’s tiny. At the moment, we have no running water. We just have solar power, so we’re totally off-grid. I call it a luxury house. Some people would call it “glamping.”

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Want to be guided on journeys in the polar regions? Check out Sarah McNair-Landry’s travel outfitter, Northwind Expeditions: www.northwindsexpeditions.com

Go to Instagram and Facebook to learn more about Erik Boomer’s award-winning documentation of his adventures.