Save the Beyond winners go to Antarctica

In 2019, PROMASTER marked its 30-year anniversary as the watch for explorers who love the challenges and wonders of nature. CITIZEN launched “Save the Beyond,” a year-long campaign to celebrate sustainability’s unsung heroes, people who work tirelessly to protect the wildest and most beautiful places in the world.

The “POST your PROMASTER” contest, which got PROMASTER fans from all over the world to share the campaign and their passion for the brand, was one key element of that campaign. Four PROMASTER users won the chance to visit the Antarctic with legendary polar adventurer and expedition guide Eric Larsen from February 7 to February 17, 2020. The idea was for them to get first-hand experience of life in the “beyond”; to see how climate change is impacting even the remotest places on the planet; and to share that valuable experience with their community and their friends.

I’m an RPA programmer. I like hiking, cycling, and nature generally. This expedition was a challenge. I went to a destination I hadn’t planned in the midst of many life changes: my wife was about to have a baby and I’d just got a new job. Nonetheless, I took this opportunity. The best part of the expedition was celebrating the birth of my new daughter in Antarctica with champagne. In the middle of so much ice there was a lot of human warmth.

This expedition was not just about me leaving a footprint on all the continents, it was also a great way of stepping out of my comfort zone and reconnecting with myself. The untouched wildlife and the icy landscapes will never fade from my memory. This expedition took me back to basics. It cleared my mind: I felt reborn and able to see the world anew.

It was a spiritual experience

When I returned home, I realised that my priorities had shifted. It is time to protect our world. It is time to make a change. Through this expedition I learned that I can make an impact: an impact that will make the world a better place. It is one thing to talk about the issues but another to think and act. This Antarctica expedition helped me realise how fortunate I am. It has motivated me to think of protecting the environment both locally and globally, for us now and for future generations. When I am asked about this unforgettable expedition, ordinary words can't do the experience justice. Now I answer with one simple word: Spiritual.

— Christian Steinmetz, participant

I'm a project manager but in my free time I love hiking, camping and travelling to wilderness areas. The expedition was the realisation of a long-held dream for me. I've wanted to visit Antarctica for a very long time. The most memorable thing for me was our last shore landing. I took some time for myself, put down my camera, and focused all my attention on simply being in Antarctica—to lock that moment into my heart.

I’m from Borneo in Malaysia. I’m an explorer with wanderlust; I love jungle trekking and mountain hiking. Getting to explore the seventh continent was truly a dream come true.

I’ve done a variety of expeditions in Antarctica. My first expedition was in 2008, when I led a team of five people to the South Pole from the Filchner Ice Shelf. We covered 915 kilometres and it took us 43 days. In 2009, I skied with two other people the 1,130 kilometres from Hercules Inlet at the edge of the continent to the South Pole in 48 days. I've also led two other 'Last Degree' South Pole expeditions where we skied from the 89th parallel to the 90th parallel, a distance of 110 kilometres. That’s about seven days of skiing time but roughly three weeks of total logistics. I've also done two other world-record expedition attempts that ended in failure: a 2012 attempt to bicycle to the South Pole and a 2019 speed-record attempt to ski to the South Pole.