Trip of a lifetime as Marske student Ben heads off on adventure in sub-Arctic Canadian wilderness

Former Prior Pursglove College student Ben Henderson is heading for the Kluane National Park for his BA (Hons) Outdoor Leadership course

A Teesside student is swapping the warmth of a lecture theatre for temperatures as low as -40C in the Canadian wilderness.

Ben Henderson, 20, from Marske, will spend 16 days enduring extreme sub-Arctic weather conditions in the Kluane National Park, in the extreme south-west corner of Yukon.

Ben is one of five second-year undergraduates from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston heading for Canada as part of their BA (Hons) Outdoor Leadership course.

Along with the physical and mental endurance needed for this epic snow shoe expedition, the experienced campers will be collecting data for their dissertation.

Throughout the trip, they will have to carry and drag their basic survival equipment, including camping gear and 16 days of dehydrated food supplies, in rucksacks and on sleds.

During part of the adventure, they will be four days away from civilisation in conditions which could get as cold as -40C.

Ben said: “It’s going to be a fantastic experience and one which will test us to our physical and mental limits.

“It’s mandatory for our course that we take part in an expedition of at least four nights, but we decided to go all out.

“We’ve done lots of research and training to make sure we’re as prepared as possible and have had great support from the university.”

Ben, a former pupil of Marske’s Bydales School and student of Guisborough’s Prior Pursglove College, said they have been getting a feel for hauling their sleds by pulling heavy tyres along at the Preston campus.

They have also been spending time on winter skills courses and mini expeditions in the Lake District.

He added: “We’ll have to melt a lot of snow to hydrate our main meals.

“Our snacks will be chocolate, jelly and biscuits so we’ve got enough energy to walk the eight to 10km a day through snow that could be three metres deep.

“Teamwork is going to be the most important skill when we’re out there.

“We’ve put in all the training so now we just have to enjoy it.

“It’s going to be a trip we’ll remember forever.”