Whole Education

Ben Saunders has the unusual distinction of being the youngest individual to ski solo to the North Pole – ‘conventional’ is not in his vocabulary. “I went to seven different schools and saw the whole spectrum of education, from a tiny village school to a huge inner city comprehensive,” he says. “I wasn’t inspired academically and didn't go on to higher education. The important stuff like goal-setting, leadership and decision- making I learnt outside school.”

A keen athlete, Ben found his passion and interest lay in outdoor activities such as mountaineering and skiing, which led to him undertaking his first expedition in 2001. Explorers learn by doing, out of necessity. “There isn't a manual you can read on how to explore the Arctic, you have to learn from experience,” says Ben.

Edge took advantage of Ben’s experience and asked him to mentor young people taking part in Edge's 2007 schools competition, Ice Edge, which Ben described at the time as “a great competition”. He added: “It allows teachers and students to actually try stuff out and also to raise awareness on how climate change and pollution are decimating the Arctic’s fragile environment. I wish they had something like that when I was at school.”

Ben does a lot of work with young people in schools. He believes in the importance of each young person being able to learn in a way that suits them.

“For me the importance of having a mentor was paramount to becoming an explorer,” he says. “Mine was the explorer Pen Haddow, who passed on all the essential information and skills I needed to negotiate such an extreme and unique environment as the Arctic. Now, I get emails all the time asking me about my experiences. I’m more than happy to answer them to pass on my skills. Otherwise, how else is anyone supposed to learn?”

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