The heart of Adventuring
Close to twenty years ago, Ponant’s Head of Expeditions, Nicolas Dubreuil, was adventuring on the north coast of Greenland near the remote town of Upernavik, when the ice underneath him suddenly gave way. He plunged into the freezing water below. Gasping for oxygen and his body frosting over rapidly, Dubreuil managed against the odds to climb out onto a snow shelf, an effort made even harder by an injured hand which was cut open by a ski edge. Rescued by two local Greenlanders, he is loaded onto a snowmobile to be transported to the next village, only for the ice to give way for a second time, and he once again finds himself in battling Greenland’s glacial waters.
Dubreuil not only survives the experience, but the incident ends up opening his eyes even wider to the mysterious and beautiful Greenland. His epiphany was helped by the residents of Upernavik, who welcomed him into their community, and it was there he learned how to fish for halibut, the intricacies of harnessing dogs, and developed an even greater understanding of the how the region’s austere environment works, from the winds, tides and snow, to the often perilous ice conditions. He even learns to speak Inuit, and after surviving the fall into the territory’s icy waters twice, he has since adopted the locals’ most profound proverbs, ‘Only time and ice are masters’.
It is this experience among countless others that make Dubreuil a fantastic ambassador for Ponant’s expedition adventures, a cruise line that is a world leader in the luxury expedition space. The French-born polar adventurer helps to craft its polar itineraries to some of the most remote destinations on the planet, an undertaking that Dubreuil admits is no easy feat. “Promising to take passengers to places
This editorial was produced in collaboration with Ponant.
where nobody goes means you have to find out first why nobody goes there,” he cautiously explains.
Ponant consults extensively with the local providers and people on the ground who can support its exploratory ambitions, providing essential insight into what nuance should be added to its itineraries, as well as how the region can be explored in the most sustainable way possible.
The results of these fact-finding missions, Dubreuil says, often reveal a picture of what is possible that weren’t initially conceived of from the outside.
“We meet with the local people and ask them about what they want to show, and the reality of local people’s daily lives in remote areas is sometimes the opposite of your preconceived notions,” he admits. “I remember one village in Alaska where they were very proud to give me a demonstration of hip hop – it was a far cry from the beating of drums I was expecting,” Dubreuil quips.
“We then speak to ambassadors and associations to learn about the potential risks to the wildlife, plant life or local populace”. Another important part of Ponant’s luxury
expedition proposition is that itineraries should do more than simply take passengers from one place to the next, it should tell its guests a story.
“Cruises first develop from an initial concept, they may be inspired by the pages from a 17th century naturalist’s notebook which has me wanting to follow in their footsteps,” Dubreuil says.
“We carefully construct our cruises like a film, with intrigue, plot twists, challenges, and joyful moments…then before proceeding any further, we check the feasibility of an initial concept from a nautical point of view,” he adds.
Ponant’s pursuit to lead the world in luxury adventure, however, never comes at the price of the environments and remote destinations the cruise line visits. Ensuring local communities are on board with their visitation plans is an indispensable element of the company’s travel ethos.
“Our first rule is respect,” Dubreuil says. That embodies a respect for local rules and for making sure the benefits of the exploration are symbiotic for the cruise line and the community.
“One set of naturalists will disembark and check with the local community that they are ready to receive us, and if it is okay, we will do the encounters.
“Afterwards, if they want to, we will invite them on board to enjoy our ship,” he adds. Ultimately, what sets Ponant apart from other expedition cruise lines is its ability to provide high-end travel experiences while also enjoying some of the most far-flung destination on Earth.
Some of these amazing destinations include the other-worldly landscapes of the poles, as well as remote tropical wonderland such as the pristine waters of the Seychelles, and the dense, wildlife-rich jungles of Central America.
Evidence of this luxurious and adventurous fusion is also embodied perfectly in the line’s upcoming Le Commandant Charcot hybridelectric polar exploration ship.
Launching next year, the vessel is designed to minimise the impact on the delicate ecosystems it visits, while at the same time, providing amazing top-class amenities on board such as a theatre, spa, fitness centre and panoramic bars.
But perhaps what Ponant truly offers passengers is summed up best as an opportunity to break from the ordinary, to challenge one’s self culturally, environmentally and emotionally.