Fjällräven Polar 2019
Fjällräven Polar is here again, the famous outdoor winter event that every year, in April, brings together 20 ordinary people from all over the world to live a unique experience: travelling 300 km on a sled pulled by dogs, discovering the wildest and most unspoiled nature of the Arctic Circle. Fjällräven has been promoting and organizing it since 1997: the historic Swedish company of outdoor clothing and gears is known not only for its iconic and functional products (including the unmistakable Kånken backpack) but also for to its careful policy of respect and environmental awareness.
Fjällräven Polar is precisely born to encourage and support outdoor activities in contact with nature, and its goal is to show that anyone, with the right preparation and the right equipment, can take part in a winter adventure in extreme environmental conditions.
The Fjällräven Polar 2019 edition has seen for the first time in the history of the competition an Italian guy: his name is Lorenzo Bertolotto, 29 years old from Torino. After graduating in architecture at the Cooper Union in New York and a real cowboy experience in a Montana ranch, Lorenzo moved to Rotterdam, where he currently works for a landscape and urban architecture studio. His video-candidacy defeated more than 2,180 aspiring participants, and the jury of the competition chose him to take part in the expedition.
It has been not the first attempt for Lorenzo. “I already tried last year – he told – but with no success. I learned about Fjällräven Polar by looking through the pages of an Italian newspaper and, determined to get involved, I created a short video presentation without getting many votes. Nevertheless, after a few days, I found myself thinking that that video was the most creative thing I had done in the last year. It was like a breath of fresh air. I looked inside of me and realized that I had to change direction and start investing more in what I really loved. So I decided to send that same video, instead of the classic cover letter, to a landscape architecture studio specialized in resilience and climate change in Rotterdam that I liked very much. A gamble, perhaps, a little madness. Still, it worked: a little later they contacted me from the studio for a job offer.”
After moving to Rotterdam, Lorenzo never stopped thinking about Polar and so he decided to apply for the 2019 edition too. This time with a new video, which partly takes up the story of the first attempt and tells what Lorenzo is doing today. “Selection is done by geographical area. – explained Bertolotto – All countries are grouped into 10 different Regions (Italy is part of the Mediterranean) and, for each of these, 2 competitors are selected: the first is elected by a public vote, the second by the Competition Jury. To get some more votes, I went to Rotterdam and Amsterdam’s pubs. I started speaking with everyone and distributed my flyers with the QR code. I collected a total of 1,754 votes! A nice goal, but not enough to beat the over 17 thousand votes of the first one. However, my profile has attracted the attention of the Jury which, to my great happiness, has decided to give me second place.”
The aim of the expedition is to reach Väkkäräjärvi (Sweden). During the trip Lorenzo will have to drive his sled, take care of the dogs, get food and set up his camp, supported by the valuable advice of a team of experts and equipped with the Fjällräven gears. “I am very excited at the idea of leaving and being able to immerse myself in the wonders of the subarctic tundra. It will be interesting to test myself in a completely new natural environment and redefine my limits. – declared the young man from Torino – Regardless of how it goes, I am sure that Fjällräven Polar will be able to change my life once again”.
Photos by Niklas Blom Photography and Fjällräven