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EYES ON ICE Alaska

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Alaska is the fastest-warming American state

Due to its location and its vulnerability to climate change, we can say that it is a sentinel of Arctic climate change and demonstrates how connected the Arctic is to the subarctic and to the global system.

Starting from February 12th, Alex will undertake a 1800 km bike journey across the vast territory of Alaska, where temperatures can vary from +10°C to -35°C, from the city of Anchorage to the village of Nome.

The mountain bike we will use in Alaska is an innovative fat bike

a bicycle with oversized tyres designed for riding off-road, particularly on soft terrain such as snow or sand, created by a team of engineers and designers. The distinctive trait of the “IMPACT” bike (this is its name) is the fact that the frame is produced with post-industrial plastic (polycarbonate). This makes the bike the first of its kind!

The rounte si the same I took 21 years ago, on foot dragging a sled

It follows the route of the famous Iditarod sled dog race held every year in March. The road that connects Ancorage to Nome has been known and used since ancient times by Alaska’s indigenous people, who usually travelled on sleds pulled by dogs, but it became famous during the gold rush in the nineteenth century when many gold seekers flocked to these areas in search of fortune, and with the subsequent mining exploitation of Alaska.

Iditarod is a term used by the native populations of Alaska which means “very far away place”.

In my early twenties, between 2002 and 2003, I crossed Alaska on foot dragging a sled. They were two experiences that deeply changed my life. Not only did they make me mature as a person, but they encouraged me to continue on the path that brought me this far.