Leading American polar explorer Eric Larsen, known for his expeditions to the North Pole, South Pole, and Mount Everest, held the book launch event for his memoir, ON THIN ICE: An Epic Final Quest into the Melting Artic at the Times Square Citizen Watch Flagship store. Accompanied by a slideshow featuring his photography, Larsen gave a presentation on his epic final quest to the North Pole that took place in 2014—likely the last unsupported, human-powered expedition of its kind due to melting ice from global climate.

The event was held at the Citizen flagship store to emphasize the importance of the perfect timepiece during the most extreme adventures.  Even if you don’t plan to climb Mount Everest, the Eco-Drive Avion is a stylish choice for challenging conditions. This is a vintage-inspired timepiece reminiscent of transatlantic flights from the 1950’s. Design cues taken from the golden age of travel include the rich brown leather strap with contrast stitching, luminous markers and classic day/date function.

Larsen has skied to both the geographic North Pole and South Pole, twice. He was also the first person to reach both poles under human power, and the summit of Mount Everest in a single calendar year. A filmmaker, Larsen created “Colder,” a documentary about his “Save the Poles” expedition, set to premiere on Animal Plane. Larsen travels widely giving motivational and educational lectures to schools, universities, non-profits, and corporations around the world.

In March 2014,  Larsen and Ryan Waters set out to traverse nearly 500 miles across the melting Arctic Ocean, unsupported, from Northern Ellesmere Island to the geographic North Pole. Despite being one of the most cold and hostile environments on the planet, the Arctic Ocean has seen a steady and significant reduction of sea ice over the past seven years due to climate change. Because of this, Larsen’s and Waters’ trip—dubbed the “Last North Expedition”—is expected to be the last human-powered trek to the North Pole, ever.

Filled with stunning, full-color photos and GPS maps plotting his progress, ON THIN ICE: AN EPIC FINAL QUEST INTO THE MELTING ARCTIC is Larsen’s first-person account of this historic two-man expedition. Traveling across the retreating sea ice on skis, snowshoes, and even swimming through semi-frozen arctic slush, Larsen and Waters each pulled over 320 pounds of gear behind them on sleds through temperatures that plummeted to nearly 70 degrees below zero. At times, they covered little over a mile a day. They were stalked by polar bears and ran out of food. It was, in Larsen’s words, “easily one of the most difficult expeditions in the world.”
More than just a heart-stopping adventure narrative, however, On Thin Ice offers an intimate and haunting look at the rapidly changing face of the Arctic due to global climate change.