Translations available

There Is No Tomorrow

A small team of Alaskan adventurers undertakes a fat-bike and packraft expedition entirely above the Arctic Circle. Three weeks and 450 miles later, they reach the summit of Alaska, Utqiagvik, (formerly Barrow). Along their journey, the team gathers insights about the effects of anthropogenic climate change, Inupiaq culture, their own strengths and weaknesses, and the remarkable capability of their equipment—the fat-bike and packraft—under extreme conditions.

Bjorn Olson

The sting of pebbles peppering the back of my legs reminded me to be grateful that the wind is at our back. In front of me, my three companions clamp down on their brakes and fight to retain control of their expedition-loaded fat-bikes as a powerful gust slams into us. We are three days into our Arctic expedition, riding over a lichen-encrusted mountain pass in the western Brooks Range when the wind from a nightmare dream begins to blow. The next even more powerful gust flings us from our bikes, and we tumble to the ground like rag dolls.

“This is incredible!” I yell as I heft my loaded bike upright and lean hard into the wind. Wide-eyed smiles and nervous laughter greet my comment. 

The Beaufort Wind Scale labels wind speeds between 56 and 63 knots as a violent storm. Anything above 64 knots is a hurricane. For the next three days, the winds hovered between these two classifications. Simple tasks like adding or removing a jacket require methodical intention. To let go of a strap or sleeping pad, even for a second, means risking it being blown out of reach, most likely never to be seen again. 

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