ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
Ever thought about biking across Antarctica? Ian Andersen has. The Minneapolis resident has biked across six of the seven continents. He’s gotten in trouble, seen beautiful vistas and documented his voyages for a loyal audience of social media fans. And now he’s set his sights across the Southern Ocean, where he’s trying to cycle next, training in part by building a shipping container that imitates Antarctic conditions. Ian Andersen, welcome.
IAN ANDERSEN: Yeah, thanks for having me. It’s going to be fun.
SCHMITZ: So, Ian, I just got to ask you about this shipping container. How do you transform a steel box into the frozen abyss that is Antarctica? And where do you get the penguins?
ANDERSEN: Well, the penguins are actually goats. So the container is located on a farm, and it’s about 30 miles north of Minneapolis. You got to insulate it. I bolted a diesel-powered refrigerator onto the back of it.
SCHMITZ: Wow.
ANDERSEN: And I mean, those are kind of the two primary steps. The refrigerator’s capable of going down to minus 20, but my container is a little bit leaky, and I want it that way for oxygen reasons, not to suffocate inside of there. But…
SCHMITZ: (Laughter) But Ian, you’re already in Minnesota. Just wait for the winter.
ANDERSEN: Yeah, I know. That’s – I mean, I want to have – it’s summertime right now. I’m trying to do as much as I can to get ahead of it just for the – to maximize the chances of success, you know? It’s like, more training is better. But yeah, could just wait. That’s definitely part of the plan.
SCHMITZ: And obviously, you are training for this. I mean, are you doing anything beyond building this shipping container?
ANDERSEN: Yeah, so the container – like, trying to simulate the environment as accurately as possible, but it’s not going to be perfect, obviously, right? Like, it’s a shipping container in rural Minnesota. But there are other, like, bureaucracy to get down to Antarctica. It’s much different than other continents I’ve been across just as far as, like, the rules, regulations to do this sort of trip, expedition. They want you to be safety-ready, is how they put it. It’s not so much bureaucracy but, like, safety readiness.
SCHMITZ: Right.
ANDERSEN: They want me to get onto a – on an ice cap to practice rescuing myself out of a crevice, like mountaineering skills, that sort of thing.
SCHMITZ: So who is they? You said that they have asked you to do this?
ANDERSEN: There’s basically one company that, like, 90% of private expeditions have to go through in Antarctica. It’s called ALE, Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions. And yeah, they control access to the – they do the visa, the logistics, like, transportation on the continent, like, drop you off, pick you up. And then they, like, get to say, you can go, you’re ready. You fulfill – check the boxes to be safety-ready, right? Or you can’t go.
SCHMITZ: Right.
ANDERSEN: So then they have, like, different steps that they’re wanting me to do. They’re not – they’re obviously not comfortable with just – the shipping container is not accurate enough.
SCHMITZ: So, Ian, you’ve been on many continents biking across the world, really. What type of restrictions are there when you do this kind of thing in Antarctica?
ANDERSEN: That’s a really good question ’cause Antarctica really challenges, like, the whole premise of the project. Like, up till now, it’s been pretty straightforward, like, biking in places with hotels, restaurants, people. The bike that – ALE is telling me that it’s just not a good idea.
SCHMITZ: Really?
ANDERSEN: Yeah, because, like, it’s to do with, like, the physics of pulling all the weight on the…
SCHMITZ: Yeah.
ANDERSEN: …Like, behind you on a sled. Like, the crust of the snow – like, the tires tend to break through the crust. Then you’re falling off the bike, crashing, maybe landing on your feet if you’re lucky, and then just pushing the bike potentially for hundreds of miles. So it’s like – there’s definitely a tension there for me – is, like, what’s – yeah, am I doing this just for the challenge, like, or – yeah.
SCHMITZ: Well, why are you doing this?
ANDERSEN: I’m doing it for the learnings. I follow – I tend to follow my curiosity. I’m really curious about people in the world, experiencing different cultures. And yeah, Antarctica is – there’s a tension there, you know? It’s like, am I doing it just to complete the mission, or…
SCHMITZ: Right. I mean…
ANDERSEN: Yeah.
SCHMITZ: I mean, you’re just talking about meeting people. I mean, there are not that many people in Antarctica, obviously. I mean, there’s just research scientists, correct? So you’re going out there, and it’s you and the penguins – if there are penguins – and a very, very difficult landscape.
ANDERSEN: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I guess I think Antarctica is the place where the journey stops being romantic. There’s nowhere – you can’t hide from the cold, isolation, your own thoughts, loneliness, all that stuff. So…
SCHMITZ: I’ve got to say, you sound a little nervous about it, am I right?
ANDERSEN: Yeah. Yes. Yeah, it’s the first time where I don’t quite know. I’m generally pretty – kind of a cocky bastard when it comes to this stuff, confident in myself to get – dealing with uncertainty is one thing I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with over the last few years, biking through these places – Iran, Afghanistan, Russia.
But Antarctica is a whole different animal, right? There’s no people. There’s no hotels to duck into. Like you said, just a few research bases on the coast. So once you leave the coast, you’re on your own. I guess it’s a different type of challenge, really. Yeah, and I don’t know if – just in case, if you want to – if this is possible to put in, but just in case my parents are listening or something, like, you can get extracted. Like, I’ll have a – at minimum, like, a little satellite radio, so if something goes catastrophically wrong – could call and get extracted.
SCHMITZ: That makes me a lot more relieved.
ANDERSEN: Sorry. It’s like a…
SCHMITZ: …To hear that after talking to you.
ANDERSEN: Cool. Yeah. Yeah. Worst case, if I fail, if the worst happens, if it’s not possible to complete, call – make a phone call and get rescued. So…
SCHMITZ: OK, good.
ANDERSEN: I’m not going to die, Mom and Dad, I promise. Yeah.
SCHMITZ: (Laughter) I’m really happy to hear that.
ANDERSEN: Yeah. Yeah.
SCHMITZ: That is cyclist Ian Andersen. Ian, thank you so much, and best of luck to you.
ANDERSEN: Cool. Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.
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