Wednesday night saw the last episode of the brilliant Frozen Planet. The BBC have taken nature documentaries to the next level over the last few years it's hard to choose which is my favourite between Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, Life, Madagascar, Human Planet and now Frozen Planet.
Which ever is your favourite, the amazing camera work really does show the wonder of the world that we live in, so often unrealised or hidden behind war, poverty or economic strife. The natural world IS beautiful, and exciting and waiting to be explored.
This year has been a tough one for arctic school expeditions following the tragedy in Svalbard and the future is uncertain as to whether the perceived risk will now stop others choosing destinations like Svalbard for their school expedition. What is also clear however is that the chance to see these places may not be around forever. David Attenborough said of the last episode of Frozen Planet that the purpose was not to preach, simply to deliver the facts on how the arctic environment was changing. He wanted the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
Arctic expeditions don't only offer amazing landscapes and wildlife (what would you give to see those stone stealing penguins up close) but also great adventures and challenges. Imagine travelling the traditional way with your own dog sled team or ski touring across the snow? All this is possible and perhaps it's not as far fetched as you might think. This year one of our school teams will helicopter in to a base camp in New Zealand and climb a remote peak, named after the school. Another team are heading to Slovakia with an itinerary full to bursting of icy adventures including snowshoeing, dog sledding and ice climbing.
These adventure based expeditions may be different to the traditional school expedition as we know it, but as Outlook grows and with the expertise that have been added from Adventureworks we are going in to an era where we can open up different types of expedition. The challenges may be different, from buying bus tickets when there is a language barrier to keeping your spirits up and encouraging those around you in arctic temperatures. The vision however, is still the same with every expedition focused on developing young people and giving them the opportunity to explore and experience our amazing world beyond their TV screens.
