The Arctic has long been recognized as a barometer of what is going on with the climate and International Polar Year has focused people’s attentions on watching it.

From Feb 16^th to May 08^th  2010, Jim McNeill and his team of bold ice warriors will embark on an expedition that tries a premiere: to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility (85 47’N, 176 9’ E / 84°03′N 174°51′W / 84.05°N 174.85°W / 84.05; -174.85). There are 17 so far – British, Americans, an Indian and a Romanian and they need at least 3 more to form a viable team.

I’ve found Radu Buema (content in Romanian), the only Romanian chosen to take part in the hardest expedition Ice Warriors currently organize, waiting for me in a local coffee house. Although shadowed by a bit of anxiety born from the short timeframe within he needs to find sponsors for the Arctic trip, the 21 years old young photographer is happy to share his sheer excitement.  He tells me about the admission process (becoming an ice warrior requires intuition, creativity, tenacity, leadership, great physical shape and a giant heart), about the upcoming training camp in Svalbard in January (that will help the individuals accommodate to the Arctic and the team grow cohesively while counting the polar bear population), and about how inspiring Jim McNeill is.

He is aware the Arctic is a changing environment that can treat you as a friend, only to prove your worst enemy in the following minute, but regardless of any problems that might occur at any moment, Radu is full of hope and eager to succeed.

As he repeats over and over again, this journey is not just another polar trip. It’s important for the ice warriors as individuals – they plan to break a World record and grow as human beings, but it’s vital for humanity, as the whole team is led by a higher goal: to pass on global climate facts with unprecedented reporting directly from the Arctic Ocean.

Therefore, what starts as an initiatic endeavor that pushes the boundaries of individual endurance and extends the levels of the human spirit in the coldest and most remote regions of our planet, quickly changes focus to become a team work and slides towards scientific measurements that deal with the reality of global climate change, modifications of the Arctic flora, fauna and topography.

Hence, an incredible act of survival lasting 75 days and 750 miles that will gather crucial data for the scientific community and for the whole world. Throughout the journey, Radu and the other ice warriors, guided by Mr McNeill, an experienced explorer with a 20 years long & close relationship with the Arctic, will be measuring the thickness, density and roughness of the sea ice, providing datasets to validate the measurements taken by NASA’s Icesat satellite.

The ice warriors will also be counting polar bears for the Norwegian Polar Institute and further missions may appear, depending of what other collaborations Ice Warrior Ltd. will set.

I wanted to film Radu for a couple of minutes, but the lights were not proper and he also squinted when I asked him about it. It’s not media spotlight what he wants. He’s in pursue of a personal dream while doing the greater good. Follow his story while it’s being written.