"At -40°C you understand what really works.” Angiolino and the Arctic test preparing for Antarctica
We met him upon his return from Lapland. Ten days in temperatures between -30 and -40 degrees, skis and sleds, northern lights and sleepless nights to avoid hypothermia. Angiolino, athlete and explorer, ambassador of 75°06'S, told us everything from the first freeze in Kittilä to the last Finnish sunset shared with his partner.
Landing in Kittilä: “The cold hits you before you even open your suitcase”
When we ask him what his first impression of Lapland was like, Angiolino smiles with the calm of someone who has already made peace with discomfort.
“This wasn’t normal cold,” he explains. “An anomaly in Arctic currents had brought the entire region to temperatures between -30 and -40 degrees for weeks. A cutting cold.”
After landing in Kittilä, he wasted no time: a GPS reconnaissance of the routes, preparation of the sleds, and a quick stop at the supermarket for final supplies. At his side was local guide Stefano, @unitalianoinlapponia, a valuable presence in a land that does not forgive the unprepared.
Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park: fresh snow, ice, and the first obstacles
The first days in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park immediately put him to the test. The route toward Ylläs winds through constant elevation changes, fresh snow that punishes mistakes, treacherous ice beneath the skis, and descents that become real exercises in control with loaded sleds.
“The Arctic wind on those narrow trails was a constant opponent,” Angiolino recalls.
The first night is the one that changes everything. The low temperatures make sleep impossible. Continuing toward the village of Hetta, Angiolino finds an open emergency shelter equipped with a brazier and firewood. A necessary stop: sleeping in a tent in those conditions would have meant risking everything.
“I stayed awake to avoid hypothermia. It’s not heroism, it’s simply what you do.”
Off the track: why real training can’t have safety nets
The following day brings a decision that perhaps more than any other reveals Angiolino’s philosophy. He chooses to abandon the preset GPS track and open new routes.
“Anyone preparing for an Antarctic expedition cannot rely on the false security of a marked trail,” he says. “The tundra must become something you read and interpret, not something you follow.”
The next five days take place entirely within the national park: completely frozen lakes, endless silver birches, and kilometers of silent tundra, a landscape of rare beauty.
The test that matters: days in 7506°S technical clothing in extreme cold
It is in this context that 7506°S technical clothing is put to the test: continuous use over several days, intense physical effort, temperatures constantly below -30°C, with no real chance to stop.
“A real proving ground, with no margin for error,” says Angiolino. The verdict is clear:
- Consistent thermoregulation: body temperature remained stable even during critical transitions, from intense exertion to forced stops in the cold.
- Sweat management: “In extreme cold, sweating is as dangerous as freezing,” he explains. Ventilation worked even during the most intense effort, preventing moisture buildup.
- Harness compatibility: pulling sleds for hours while wearing a harness did not compromise mobility or comfort—a detail that makes all the difference in an expedition.
- External pockets: “At those temperatures, phones, GPS devices, and cameras stop working within minutes if exposed,” Angiolino says. The outer pockets proved essential for protecting and keeping equipment accessible.
The human machine: 800 kcal per hour, 5 liters of water, two sleds
An Arctic expedition is a system. Every variable nutrition, equipment, pace, must be calibrated with surgical precision.
Angiolino’s energy requirement while moving reaches around 800 kcal per hour, spread across three main meals and supported by 5 liters of water supplemented with mineral salts.
“In those conditions, the body is a high-revving engine. You can’t afford to let it run empty.”
Two sleds, two distinct functions: one carries clothing, tent, sleeping bag, and mat; the other food, cookware, stove, emergency kit, shovel, and snowshoes.
To avoid overloading his joints, Angiolino alternates between skis, a wide Trab model with synthetic skins, perfect for floating on fresh snow, and long stretches on foot wearing Alfa boots.
Flat tundra, reindeer tracks, and nights under the aurora
As he moves into the flat tundra, the landscape changes and begins to resemble what he will face in Antarctica: kilometers of straight routes, framed by tracks of wild animals and occasional encounters with reindeer.
“That vast, silent white space, with no reference points, that’s exactly the feeling I want to learn to manage.”
And then there are the nights.
“Bivouacking under the northern lights is something you can’t truly describe,” he says. “That green and purple light moving silently across the sky is one of those moments when you understand why you do this.”
The invisible dimension: silence, solitude, and the support of the University of Turin
Not everything can be measured in degrees or kilometers. Angiolino speaks about the psychological challenge with striking honesty.
“Prolonged silence and solitude are dimensions far removed from everyday life. They require inner work that must be trained just like muscles.”
For this reason, the psychological aspect of the expedition has been monitored by the Department of Psychology at the University of Turin, a protocol that will continue in the next stages of preparation for Antarctica.
The takeaway: what worked and what will be refined
Back from Lapland, Angiolino already has a clear picture. Some things worked perfectly. Others, both physical and technical, need refinement.
“That’s exactly why you train,” he says.
Before saying goodbye, Angiolino tells us about his final three days in Finland. He joined his partner Donatella, and together they experienced a different side of the country.
“Every expedition, no matter how solitary, always returns to someone.”
75°06’S is the technical sponsor of Angiolino, athlete and explorer preparing for an Antarctic expedition. The technical clothing used during this training session in Lapland was developed to meet the demands of polar expeditions