Talk about “polar exploration” makes us instantly think of Ramon Larramendi, one of the greatest explorers of polar territories today, and of the history of Spain and on a global scale. Born on November 6, 1965, Ramon Larramendi Over the years, he has become an iconic character in the world of polar exploration, internationally known for traveling more than 30km on expeditions without motorized means in the last 30 years, with which he has accumulated a great amount of extraordinary experiences and knowledge in the polar world. And he is also credited with the creation of the famous Wind SledThe only wind-powered vehicle of its kind capable of traversing vast expanses of polar terrain with zero emissions, serving science and the discovery of new knowledge.
Definitely, Ramon Larramendi He 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 history of Ramon Hernando de Larramendi and his love for the polar terrains!
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The unparalleled passion and attraction for exploration and adventure was a defining factor in the life of Ramon Larramendi from a very young age. At the age of nineteen, the Madrid native made his first ski expeditions from east to west in the Pyrenees. Thus, 1985 would become a key year in the life of this great adventurer, who since then continued to get fully involved in many of the most exciting adventures. pioneer 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 coast of Norway from north to south by kayak, and was also the protagonist of The Trans-Greenland Expedition: the first Spanish crossing of the Greenland ice caps on skis (1986). On that expedition, Ramon Larramendi He discovered and fell in love with the world of polar nature, a passion that he has maintained over time for more than 30 years and which he 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 Ramon Larramendi In the world of polar exploration we would talk about the Mapfre Circumpolar Expedition, his most important exploration trip, and also the most important geographical exploration trip in Spain in the 20th century. At 25 years old, polar explorer was introduced into 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, travelling a total of 14,000km using only a dog sled and a kayak, and in which he had the opportunity to live and experience up close for the first time the traditional life of the Inuit people, with whom he now communicates in their own language.
This feat not only marked a milestone at an international level, it also marked the origin of his agency. Polar Lands Travel and Expeditions, of which he is founder and director.In addition, this exploration allowed him to Ramon Larramendi being the first Spaniard to star in a full article in the English version of National Geographic, which echoed 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 programme in 1998 on expeditions to the poles, a team with which he had the opportunity to take part 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 (geographic and magnetic) on skis. Quite a feat! The impetus of leadership and spirit of adventure of the polar explorer Madrid led him to add initiatives to the world of exploration through innovation, being able to develop his project of the Wind Sled, originally designed 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, Ramon Larramendi has carried out a large number of expeditions between ice deserts in Antarctica and Greenland, as 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 Trans-Antarctic Expedition; a place to which it returns in 2012 for the Acciona Windpowered Antarctic Expedition.
"I am drawn to discovery, to exploring the unknown, to delve into the most mysterious and inaccessible regions of our planet and to collaborate in its conservation," said the polar explorer, who has always made it very clear that his passion for all of this comes from deep within him."
And it is that Ramon Larramendi He is known as the Spaniard with the greatest knowledge of the Arctic and also as the explorer who has travelled the most around the Antarctic continent. He has dedicated himself especially to writing down his discoveries and knowledge in 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 Polar Lands Travel Agency in 1997, with the aim of proposing, designing and offering trips, routes and expeditions to polar regions for organizations and individuals, which it has classified as the “forgotten paradises” of our planet.
In 2007, Ramon Larramendi He 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 serves on the Board of Directors of the Spanish Geographical Society. Today, Ramon Larramendi adds to its 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 a polar explorer.
EXPEDITIONS AND EXPLORATION TRIPS BY RAMÓN LARRAMENDI
- Greenland crossing. 600 kms. Wind sled (2000).
- Trans-Greenland Expedition 2001. 2,225 kms. Windsled (2001).It breaks the record for the distance traveled in a single day in the entire history of polar exploration.
- Greenland South-North. 2,300 kms. 33 days. Windsled (2002).
- East-West Greenland. 700 kms. 18 days. Windsled (2003).
- Trans-Antarctic Expedition 2005-2006. 4,500 km. 62 days. Windsled (2005-06).
- Acciona Antarctica Windpowered. 3,500 kms. 32 days. Wind Sled (2011-12).
- First circumnavigation of Greenland. 4,300 km in 49 days. Windsled (2014).
- Greenland Ice Summit Expedition. 2,000 kms. Wind Sled (2016).
- First Expedition (100% scientific) to the Greenland Ice River (2017).
RAMÓN LARRAMENDI'S AWARDS AND MENTIONS
- 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).
- Business Award from the Spanish Geographical Society granted to Acciona for the Acciona Windpowered expedition (2012).
- International Sporting Achievement Award from the sports newspaper MARCA (2006).
- Honorary Member Award of the Astronomical and Geographical Society of Ciudad Real (SAGCR) (2008).
- Prize of the Adventure and Mountain Days of the Community of Madrid (2010).
BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS
- Transantarctic Expedition 2005 – 2006: First navigation across the frozen continent with the Wind Sled. Authors: Ramón Larramendi, Juan Manuel Viu, Ignacio Oficialdegui.
- Three years across the Arctic: The story of the Mapfre Circumpolar Expedition. 14,000 km by 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 before 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 member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Geographical Society, it is clear that Ramon Hernando de Larramendi has become the adventurer and Spanish polar explorer par excellence in the history of the country, and the most recognized of the last decades. Larramendi has undoubtedly proven to be a reference for the polar exploration, knowledge and care for the environment, which today continues to be very focused on leading projects associated with this, his true passion. A real inspiration for us, here in the team of
