Canada is the country with the longest latitudinal gradient: its north-south distance is unparalleled in the world. Only a strong, tightly woven team, ready to face the worst storms, will be able to cross Canada in this axis. AKOR’s crew is composed of 4 young adults in the prime of their lives who have been friends for more than 10 years. Their mutual trust is boundless.
Nicolas Roulx // Since obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Education, Nicolas has been teaching history, geography and outdoor activities in high school. During his studies in teaching, he accumulated several years of experience as a canoe expedition guide. Wilderness First Responder, he is eager for new northern experiences. In addition to his work, he is currently completing a master’s degree in geopolitics of Arctic resources. Nicolas recently noted the incredible potential of large-scale expeditions to act with young people as a lever for motivation, perseverance and self-confidence. This leads him to combine exploration and education on a large scale. Since 2018, he has given more than thirty talks on exploration and perseverance in various contexts, mainly in schools. Nicolas will do the entire AKOR expedition.
Guillaume Moreau // Guillaume has been specializing in long-distance expeditions to isolated regions for more than ten years now. In recent years, he has been actively involved as an adventure guide and in teaching young people about the outdoors. A forester by training, Guillaume will this year complete a doctorate in forest sciences (Ph.D.) at Laval university. For him, large-scale expeditions are now a unique opportunity to combine scientific research with wilderness exploration, two passions he enjoys sharing through conferences. Guillaume will do the entire AKOR expedition.
Philippe Voghel-Robert // Graduating from adventure tourism in Gaspé in 2010, Philippe has been working in outdoors with young people since 2008. First at the Kéno summer camp and for the cadets as an instructor, councillor, expedition guide, then, for the past 4 years, at the Mont Saint-Sacrement high school as an outdoor technician. He has introduced several hundred young people to the basics of the outdoors, canoeing, kayaking and expedition. He was first exposed to arctic landscapes during a bicycle crossing from Belgium to the North Cape in Norway. He has been dreaming of seeing them ever since. He did not want to miss this unique opportunity to dive into the depths of the Canadian North and the great Canadian open spaces. Philippe will do the canoe portion of the trip in Nunavut, before returning with his head full of stories educating his high school students.
Étienne Desbois // It was while working as an instructor at Camp vacances Kéno that Étienne was introduced to the art of canoeing. In 2015, he participated in the Caribou Heart Expedition. This adventure will have brought him to paddle more than 1000 km in the Canadian North, from a head lake in the Peel River watershed in the Yukon to Tuktoyaktuk on the edge of the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories. Since then, Étienne has been employed seasonally in reforestation in British Columbia and in the construction of ice and snow scenery. This allows him to travel and maintain a nomadic lifestyle year-round. Étienne will be part of the canoe portion of the AKOR expedition.
Jacob Racine // Fascinated by cinema and theatre, Jacob took an outdoor tangent 16 years ago to become a professional guide in adventure tourism. After participating in the TV show Destination Nor’Ouest 2 in 2008 (TVA), he was able to combine his passion for adventure and cinema. Since then, he has had the privilege of working on several film sets including the Gold Rush in 2010, Two Lovers and a Bear in 2015, La Grande traversée in 2016 and the television series Expédition Extrême from 2016 to today. While his expeditions have taken him to the ice floes of James Bay and Baffin Island, his greatest achievement is the crossing of Quebec on skis from Montreal to Kuujjuaq in the winter of 2014: The Karibu Project. 2,300 km by skis, sleeping under a tent, with only his own body as a source of heat for 131 days. Today, Jacob takes to the stage to tell his craziest anecdotes in a show where humour and adventure go hand in hand. Chances are he will have something to tell about his participation in the AKOR 2021 expedition, which he is joining for the skiing portion in Nunavut.
