People & Culture

Arctic Awe with Pascale Marceau

Episode 61

The accomplished winter and cold weather explorer discusses her latest High Arctic expedition covering 650 kilometres in seven weeks

Jun 06, 2023

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When Pascale Marceau came up with a name for her latest high Arctic expedition, “Arctic Awe,” she thought this would refer to the awe she felt looking at the stark beauty of the land and sea ice she encountered. It wound up being so much more than that, awe born from extreme external challenges and the need to dig deep within herself. We’re lucky to get Pascale, just weeks after finishing her ski expedition with partner Scott Cocks, in the depths of winter, across the sea ice from Ellesmere Island, over to the ice caps and glaciers of Devon Island and back again. In all, it took seven weeks, covering 650 kilometres.

There are many near misses and dangers encountered described in this conversation, including a birthday she won’t soon forget. And there is a lot about the spiritual impact of being in the vast, open beauty of a Canadian high arctic winter, the importance of adaptation to circumstances and environments, and why taking journeys on foot is a distinct part of who we are as a species.

As a mountaineer, Marceau has recorded a number of firsts:

The first recorded winter ascent of the 4800-metre-high Mount Wood in the Yukon, which was also the first female winter ascent of a major peak in the subarctic.
In 2021, she led the first all-woman ascent of the Yukon’s Mt.Lucania, Canada’s third-highest peak at 5200 metres.

Since then, she has focused on goals lower to the horizon, Arctic expeditions, including a 2022 crossing from Greenland to the Canadian High Arctic on sea ice. And the trip she is just back from skiing from Ellesmere to Devon Island this year. Her enthusiasm for exploration rings through here. Enjoy!

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Climbing duo completes first winter ascent of Yukon’s Mt. Wood

Canadian climber Pascale Marceau is believed to be the first woman to climb a major subarctic peak in winter

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Pascale Marceau and Lonnie Dupre on a previous expedition in Alaska

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