Vietnamese athletes continue their foray into cold weather sports as local trekker Hoang Le Giang was selected to conquer the North Pole with a 300-kilometer sled trip this month.
The 28-year-old won a coveted spot in the Fjällräven Polar event along with 20 others after an international round of voting. Giang led all contestants with 113,000 votes for the trip that began on April 3 and ends on April 8, reports Voice of Vietnam.
Fjällräven Polar first took place in 1997 when it was inaugurated by two Swedish sled drivers.
Though Giang is accustomed to a warmer climate he, like the Vietnamese athletes heading to Sapporo for the 2017 Asian Winter Games, has taken steps to prep for such a climate shift with a training trip to Alaska in February and seven climbs in the Himalayas, according to Tuoi Tre.
The self-proclaimed rebel – whose favorite song is Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life – recently posted a video of the gear he brought on the trip:
[Photo via Thoi Bao]
