Craig Mathieson set up Polar Academy to take shy and unaspiring children and turn them into role models. Each year he chooses ten teenagers, lacking in confidence and low on self-esteem, and takes them on a gruelling ten-day expedition to Greenland. Craig was inspired to travel to the South Pole after reading accounts of polar explorers as a boy. In 2006 he took a teenager to the North Pole and saw how his life was transformed. This year he is working with Bathgate Academy, where 200 pupils signed up for the chance to join the team. From the initial 200, 20 have been selected to be put through a tough training programme before being whittled down to the final ten who will go to Greenland. Craig is looking for the children who will benefit most from the experience, those who will come back with stories to inspire a whole generation of teenagers. He calls these children 'the invisibles'. Neither the high achievers nor the disrupters, they often pass through school unseen and never get the opportunity to shine. For a year these children undergo a tough training programme. High-intensity fitness training builds up their strength for the tough expedition ahead. Their next test is at Napier University where they are put into an environmental chamber to simulate the extreme cold temperatures they will face in Greenland. But there is concern for one of the team after she picks up an injury playing football, and doubts over whether she will be fit in time for the expedition. The teenagers return to Glenmore Lodge to learn navigation skills and camp craft and meet the team who will guide them in Greenland. Craig has picked some of the country's best mountain guides to keep his team safe. Nigel Williams is an expert on map reading, George MacHardy is a former Royal Marine and mountain expert, Naomi Dodds is the team doctor and an experienced expedition leader, while Mollie Hughes, Craig's newest recruit to the team, is the youngest woman to have climbed Mount Ever
The teenagers say goodbye to their families and set off for Greenland. It’s the starting point for expeditions across the Arctic and a world away from the teenagers’ homes in Bathgate. Emma is one of the youngsters on the team. Bullied at school, she suffers from low self-esteem and anxiety, but her inclusion on the expedition has given her a new confidence. As the team gets used to their Arctic surroundings, their first task is to master cross-country skiing, before they dig out their supplies from beneath months of Arctic snowfall. While on the ice they will drag everything they need for the expedition on sledges. On their last night before setting off, team leader Craig Mathieson describes the scale of their expedition: they are planning 10 days camping in the wild, covering hundreds of kilometres deep into the Arctic wilderness. Team member Adam looks a natural for the physical challenge ahead. Like all the team he has had to struggle with a lack of confidence. But now he feels ready for the task. On their first night on the ice, they pitch their tents before the temperature plummets to minus seven degrees. But before they can relax they need to protect themselves against the real and deadly threat of polar bears.
The Bathgate pupils are in Greenland thanks to the persistence of their teammate Alex Cochrane, who heard about the project from a previous participant. She convinced her head teacher to sign the school up for the expedition. Since being selected for the team, Alex's confidence and stamina have grown. The team also includes school staff member Ellis Mackay, who has gained a new understanding of the needs of this group of often-overlooked pupils since joining the project. These youngsters see their confidence and self-esteem boosted by their involvement. The transformation happens with each step the teenagers take in Greenland. Now they face five hours of hard skiing and their toughest challenge so far - a long, steep climb. The team has to work together, doubling up to push and pull their heavy sleds up the hill. Kimberley goes it alone, and with the summit in sight, Adam steps in to help. The teenagers reach the top, exhausted but elated. They will camp here for the next two days and explore the surrounding area. Day three begins with near-perfect conditions - clear and cold. The team leave their sleds at camp for a day's uphill skiing to their highest point so far. It's an energy-sapping climb and a test of the teenagers' stamina, and commitment, to get to the top. But after a tough three-hour climb they are rewarded with a spectacular view across the Arctic wilderness. The achievement raises everyone's spirits, especially Kimberley, who has pulled herself up from rock bottom to get here. The team skis back down the mountain to camp. However, on their arrival, Craig has some bad news - the weather has turned and unseasonal wind and rain are heading their way. Greenland has felt the effects of climate change strongly in recent years, with the warm season starting sooner and lasting longer. In 2019 scientists recorded the start of the thaw four weeks earlier than usual. The team must head back down to lower ground and take shelter. They could be sitting
Day four sees the team moving camp. Bad weather is approaching and they have just hours to reach the safety of lower slopes. Their route back forces them to descend the steep slopes they’ve climbed the days before. It’s a difficult and dangerous process lowering heavy sledges down the hills. A loose sledge can cause damage and injury and is one of the biggest hazards facing the team. Another danger is the dog sleds that cross the Arctic landscapes. The expedition team needs to give them a wide berth or face becoming entangled in their lines as they race past. The trek and the rising temperatures are taking their toll on the team’s feet. Many of the teenagers have multiple blisters, but there is no time to rest. It’s a tough physical test. Mathew Wood is just 14 but more than six feet tall. His strength and height give the impression of someone older, but right now he’s feeling homesick. As the team pushes on, the snow cover becomes thinner, making it harder to find a route through for sledges and a safe place to camp. With wind and rain forecast, the expedition could be stranded without enough snow cover to move. Their options for a safe route through are running out, but after eight hours they make it to the edge of the sea ice and pitch a new camp. Overnight the storm sweeps in with gale force winds and torrential rain. The snow anchoring the tents has melted, leaving them vulnerable to the elements. Craig is left with no choice but to abandon the expedition and head for the safety of the nearest settlement while they still can. The team is disappointed, but the conditions are starting to get dangerous. Craig calls a dog sled team to help evacuate the teenagers struggling with blisters while the rest of the team skis across the melting sea ice back to Tasiilaq. It’s a sudden and dramatic end to the expedition. Back in the safety of their Tasiilaq base camp, the pupils have a chance to reflect on their experiences. They have had a unique opportunity