A Multi Sport Arctic Expedition Fueled by Ægir Organics

By: Shira Biner, July 2 2025

I’m sitting here in my tent. The wind is howling outside. It’s been a mix of on-and-off snow and rain today. This is rest day two of three before we hopefully get in a bit more climbing on a sunny day, then start our journey down the Kugalu River. It’s maybe just four or five more days of paddling and hiking back to Clyde River. The end of this journey is near.

We’re tired of dehydrated meals. We miss luxuries like hot showers. We miss our friends and family back home. This is day 24 of being out here, disconnected from mainstream society and the normal rhythms of daily life. Instead, our days are shaped by figuring out how best to travel across this wild Arctic landscape.

We’ve already skied well over 150 km across the sea ice, past icebergs frozen in place until the thaw sets them free. We skied past polar bear tracks but, luckily, never saw a bear. We made basecamp at the end of the fjord, surrounded by stunning peaks.

There, we climbed and completed a fully female+ first ascent on the tower above our camp. On the first day, we climbed until 2 or 3 a.m. The sun never sets here, so the only real limit is your own fatigue. We bivied on a small ledge, then finished climbing through the headwall to our summit, the subpeak of Eglinton Tower, which sits 950 meters above basecamp. It was snowing lightly on the summit and we still had a long descent ahead. Forty-nine hours after leaving, we finally returned to our tents.

After some rest, we skied to Ayr Pass and slogged heavy loads over the mountains. To our good fortune, the lake leading to the Kugalu River was still frozen, which made for an easy crossing. Now I sit here at the end of that lake and the start of the river. We still need to paddle a section of the Kugalu, then hike over tundra back to the small Inuit village of Clyde River. We’ve come a long way since we left what now feels like so long ago.

Our team of four hasn’t seen another human in over three weeks. Other than a few birds, seals and lemmings, we haven’t seen much wildlife either. It’s silent out here, except on the windier days. The solitude feels special. We’re out of reach of the endless chatter of the rest of the world. This is one of the reasons I seek out these big adventures. Away from it all, I feel so free.

We’ve learned a lot. About the Arctic, about each other, and about how to be better prepared for the next expedition. I need to pack Vaseline for my face next time to protect my skin from the frigid headwinds on the sea ice. My down booties are a waste of space and totally unnecessary out here. I need to advocate more strongly with my team next time for lighter, less bulky gear. We have way too much stuff. It infuriates me. Frequently.

I’ve learned which dehydrated dinner brands I prefer. And I’ve learned that Ægir Organics bars are now an essential food staple for any future expedition or big mountain objective back home.

Here’s why:

They actually taste good. Really good. The chocolate seaweed with peanut butter is definitely my favourite. Out here, you get tired of eating the same things over and over, but I always look forward to my Ægir bars.

On long days of skiing, carrying heavy loads across Ayr Pass or putting up a first ascent on Eglinton Tower, I need calories. Lots of them. I need real, nutritious food to keep me going, and these bars do the job. They’re packed with calories and protein, and made with ingredients I trust.

Ægir Organics is a small business local to coastal British Columbia, and their product is so much better than the usual bars I find at the grocery store. I see myself eating these in Squamish on big activity days, whether I’m climbing, doing alpine traverses, or out on some other rad adventure. On my fast and light mountain missions, I need to fuel properly. And I need food that I actually want to eat 15 hours in when I’m still pushing hard.

Here on Baffin Island, my teammates and I have been so grateful to have high-quality, nutritious Ægir bars fuelling us through this human-powered Arctic expedition. We don’t all agree on dinners—or much else when it comes to food—but we all agree these bars are awesome. We’ve still got another week out here, with more adventure ahead, and only a few bars left between us. But we’re hooked.

Thank you, Ægir Organics, for being a part of the success of this expedition.