Who is Ramon Larramendi? Biography of a polar explorer!

Speaking of “polar exploration” instantly leads us to think of Ramón Larramendi, one of the greatest explorers of polar territories today, and of the history of Spain and of world scale. Born on November 6, 1965, Ramón Larramendi has become over the years an iconic character in the world of polar exploration, internationally known for traveling more than 30km in expeditions without motorized means in the last 30 years, with which he has added a large amount of extraordinary experiences and knowledge in the polar world. And it is also credited with the creation of the famous Wind Sled ! The only vehicle in its class powered by wind energy with the ability to traverse vast expanses of polar terrain with zero emissions, at the disposal of science and the discovery of new knowledge.

Without a doubt, Ramón Larramendi is one of the most knowledgeable and expert explorers in these territories, and for this reason he is recognized worldwide as a born entrepreneur and adventurer, dedicated to promoting the exploration and protection of polar ecosystems, which have proven to be so interesting and at the same time so fragile in the face of socio-climatic change. Continue reading and discover a little more about the story of Ramón Hernando de Larramendi and his love for polar terrains!

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

The unparalleled passion and attraction for exploration and adventure was a defining factor in the life of Ramón Larramendi from a very young age. At nineteen years old, the man from Madrid made his first expeditions on skis from east to west in the Pyrenees. It was thus that 1985 would become a key year in the life of this great adventurer, who since then continued to be fully involved in multiple pioneering expeditions, focused especially on the polar terrain.

Larramendi became the first Spaniard to cross the giant glaciers of Iceland, the first to travel the entire Norwegian coast from north to south in a kayak, and was also the protagonist of The TransGreenland Expedition: the first Spanish crossing of the Greenland polar caps with skis (1986). On that expedition, Ramón Larramendi discovered and fell in love with the world of polar nature, whose passion he has maintained over time for more than 30 years and which has also revolutionized with historical milestones, worthy of admiration.

What was the Mapfre Circumpolar Expedition?

If we had to give a date to the beginning of Ramón Larramendi in the world of polar exploration we would talk about the Mapfre Circumpolar Expedition, his most relevant exploration trip, and also the trip most important geographical exploration in Spain of the 20th century. At the age of 25, the polar explorer joined the Mapfre Circumpolar Expedition which lasted about three years between 1990 and 1993, where he undertook a journey from Greenland to Alaska accompanied by Manuel Olivera, Antonio Martínez and Rafael Peche, covering a total of 14.000 km using only a dog sled and a kayak, and in which he had the opportunity to live together and experience closely for the first time the traditional life of the Inuit peoples, with whom he currently communicates in his own language.

This feat not only marked an international milestone, it also marked the origin of his agency Tierras Polares Viajes y Expediciones , of which he is founder and director. In addition, this exploration allowed Ramón Larramendi to be the first Spaniard to star in a complete article in the English version of National Geographic, echoing such an extraordinary adventure.

STORY OF AN EXPLORER

His initial passion for exploration led Ramón Larramendi to become a regular contributor to the Al Filo de lo Imposible program in 1998 on expeditions to the poles, a team with which he had the opportunity to star in those first Spanish expeditions to Greenland that would go down in history. Thanks to this, he was one of the first Spanish explorers to reach the North Pole (geographical and magnetic) on skis. Quite a feat! The impetus of leadership and spirit of adventure of the polar explorer from Madrid led him to add initiatives to the world of exploration through innovation, being able to develop his project of the Wind Sled , originally intended for exploration and refocused on science, research and the sustainability of the planet, due to the fragility of the ecosystems in which it operates.

With this invention, Ramón Larramendi has made a large number of expeditions between ice deserts in Antarctica and Greenland, since it is the first polar vehicle in the world to be based on renewable energy, and also the first in history to access the most difficult point of the Antarctic continent (the South Pole of Inaccessibility between 2005-2006) during the TransAntarctic Expedition; place to which he returned in 2012 for the Acciona Windpowered Antarctic Expedition.

“I am attracted to discovering, exploring the unknown, delving into the most mysterious and inaccessible regions of our planet and collaborating in their conservation”, stated the polar explorer, who has always made it very clear that his passion for everything that comes from deep within him."

And it is that Ramón Larramendi is known as the Spaniard with the greatest knowledge of the Arctic and also as the explorer who has traveled the Antarctic continent the most. He has dedicated himself especially to translating his discoveries and knowledge into books, as well as participating in numerous conferences and interviews in which he has been able to present his ideas, explorations, revolutionary projects, and also his exciting excursions. In addition, he has dedicated himself to defending the interest in travel, knowledge and adventure, which is why he founded his Agency Viajes Tierras Polares in 1997, with the aim of proposing, designing and offering trips, routes and expeditions to polar regions for organizations and individuals, which he has classified as the "forgotten paradises" of our planet.

In 2007, Ramón Larramendi took over the management of the International Polar Foundation in Spain, and in 2009 he led the "South Pole Without Limits", an expedition to Antarctica in which for the first time people with disabilities reached the South Pole. He currently participates in the Board of Directors of the Spanish Geographical Society. Today, Ramón Larramendi adds to his portfolio of projects the Inuit Climate Patrol, with which he collaborates, promotes and defends the Inuit cultural traditions in Thule (Greenland) with which he has established and maintained close contact throughout his career as polar explorer.

EXPEDITIONS AND EXPLORATION TRIPS OF RAMÓN LARRAMENDI

• Greenland crossing. 600 km. Wind Sled (2000).
• Trans-Greenland Expedition 2001. 2225 km. WIND SLED (2001). It breaks the record for the distance traveled in a single day in the entire history of polar exploration.
• South-North Greenland. 2300 km. 33 days. WIND SLED (2002).
• East-West Greenland. 700 km. 18 days. WIND SLED (2003).
• TransAntarctic Expedition 2005-2006. 4.500 km. 62 days. Wind Sled (2005-06).
• Activa Antarctica Windpowered. 3500 km. 32 days. Wind Sled (2011-12).
• First circumnavigation of Greenland. 4.300 km in 49 days. Wind Sled (2014).
• Greenland Ice Summit Expedition. 2000 km. Wind Sled (2016).
• First Expedition (100% scientific) to the Ice River Greenland (2017).

AWARDS AND MENTIONS OF RAMÓN LARRAMENDI

• Nescafé Award “Your trip is worth a million” (1986).
• “Best Trip of the Year” Award from the Spanish Geographical Society for his South-North Trans-Greenland crossing on a polar catamaran (2001).
• Company Award from the Spanish Geographical Society granted to Acciona for the Acciona Windpowered expedition (2012).
• International Sports Achievement Award from the sports newspaper MARCA (2006).
• Honorary Member Award of the Astronomical and Geographical Society of Ciudad Real (SAGCR) (2008).
• Award from the Community of Madrid Adventure and Mountain Days (2010).

BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

• Transantarctic Expedition 2005 – 2006: First navigation across the frozen continent with the WindSled. Authors: Ramón Larramendi, Juan Manuel Viu, Ignacio Oficialdegui.
• Three years across the Arctic: The story of the Mapfre Circumpolar Expedition. 14,000 km. dog sled and kayak from Greenland to Alaska. Authors: Ramón Larramendi, Manuel Olivera, Antonio Martínez, Rafael Peche.
• Eskimos: Anthropological study of the Eskimo world, prehistory, life prior to European contact, history of contact and current situation in Alaska, Greenland and Canada.
• Reissue of “Three years in the Arctic” (2015).

Living part of the year in southern Greenland, and being an active participant in the Board of Directors of the Spanish Geographical Society, it is clear that Ramón Hernando de Larramendi has become the adventurer and Spanish polar explorer par excellence in the history of the country, and the most recognized in recent decades. Larramendi has undoubtedly proven to be a benchmark for polar exploration, knowledge and care for the environment, which today continues to be highly focused on leading projects associated with this, his true passion. Such an inspiration to us here at the The Indian Face team!