OLA SKINNARMO

ADVENTURER

“I’m at my best when I’m a bit grimy and I smell of sweat.” The words are Ola Skinnarmo’s, the first Swede to have skied to the North and South Poles. Encounters with polar bears and temperatures down to minus 50°C are routine features in Ola’s expeditions.

His knowledge of how clothing works in extreme conditions is a great resource for us at Haglöfs when we’re developing new garments. Especially when it comes to shell garments in Gore-Tex®, a material Ola considers to be the very best of choices for tough conditions.

Ola’s latest big expedition was a sailing voyage from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Northeast Passage, 130 years after Swedish explorer Nordenskiöld and still a dangerous adventure.

“I wanted to repeat Nordenskiöld’s exploit, and at the same time draw attention to global warming and what is happening to the environment in the Arctic. From an overall perspective, this was my greatest challenge yet as an adventurer”, says Skinnarmo.

The carbon neutral expedition was a Swedish-Russian collaboration and the purpose was to document environmental changes, as well as the regions unique culture and sparse population.

Ola Skinnarmo also collaborates with the Swedish Vi agro-forestry Programme working to support Africa’s poorest areas in a sustainable manner. And naturally he is planning future exciting expeditions in colder regions.