Timo and Audun
have long been fascinated by the Arctic and share the same passion in skiing
and outdoor enthusiasm.
They met on the Arctic Ocean, during the drift of Tara and became friends. They could hardly imagine better place to meet each other. They crossed later Greenland icecap together and have been done several shorter ski trips in Svalbard.
The well known question what one might ask, is “Why we do this!” As simple as it seems to answer that question, there is actually no short answer. This is longer story which runs back into our childhood – but may be even further back to our routes and ancestors. The shortest would be say: “We just like the thing we do...” We really do share the great passion for polar regions, life at the edge and outdoor activity. We sometimes feel a need to push little more than we do in every day life, seek for unknown horizons, measure ourselves and broaden limits, what only exist in our minds. With a same passion we appreciate polar history and have been fascianted by the epic stories of the search of unknown territories and white horizons. Even there is no unknown territories left nowadays, there are always white patches inside man himself. No one can take these away, but only man himself can discover them.
“When you went so far that you feel you can’t take one more step, you’ve gone only half way as you’re really able to.”
Greenland proverb
They met on the Arctic Ocean, during the drift of Tara and became friends. They could hardly imagine better place to meet each other. They crossed later Greenland icecap together and have been done several shorter ski trips in Svalbard.
The well known question what one might ask, is “Why we do this!” As simple as it seems to answer that question, there is actually no short answer. This is longer story which runs back into our childhood – but may be even further back to our routes and ancestors. The shortest would be say: “We just like the thing we do...” We really do share the great passion for polar regions, life at the edge and outdoor activity. We sometimes feel a need to push little more than we do in every day life, seek for unknown horizons, measure ourselves and broaden limits, what only exist in our minds. With a same passion we appreciate polar history and have been fascianted by the epic stories of the search of unknown territories and white horizons. Even there is no unknown territories left nowadays, there are always white patches inside man himself. No one can take these away, but only man himself can discover them.
“When you went so far that you feel you can’t take one more step, you’ve gone only half way as you’re really able to.”
Greenland proverb
Audun Tholfsen
He is a
Norwegian, who is born in Lillehammer 1972. Since the time of teenager he has immersed
himself in the outdoors. Worked as a white water river guide and photographer
for several years. After that Audun moved further north to Spitsbergen, where
worked as snowmobile guide and dog musher. Previously he has done several ski
trips in Svalbard and Norway. Together with Timo, they crossed Greenland icecap
on skies. Audun spent ten months as crewmember on French sailing
vessel Tara. She froze into the Arctic pack ice close to New Siberian
Islands and drifted across the entire Arctic Ocean. Currently, Audun
works in Longyearbyen to provide logistic solutions and field support in
Arctic regions.
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Timo Palo
Timo is an
Estonian, born in Võru 1979. He is from the scenic southern-east part of Estonia. Skiing became his
passion in early days already. After years of practicing biathlon and tasting
of adventure sport, he is now fully concentrated to the polar regions. Working and
studying in polar meteorology as a PhD student in University of Tartu, he has
been participated on several scientific cruises and field work campaigns in the
Arctic and lately also in Antarctica. Timo has
previously done several ski trips in Svalbard, Norway
and Khibiny
mountains. In 2008 he and Audun crossed Greenland ice cap. Before Timo had crossed Estonia and Hardangervidda mountain plateau in Norway.
He also worked as a
crewmember on board of schooner Tara during her transpolar drift.
Seasonally
Timo has been working in Spitsbergen on the logistic and and field
support in
the same company as Audun do. Some years for now Timo has had a passion in outdoor photography, focusing on polar world.
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