Nicolas Vanier French traveler, writer, director Date of Birth: 05.05.1962 Country: France

Biography of Nicolas Vanier

Nicolas Vanier is a French traveler, writer, and filmmaker who is renowned for his expeditions to the North on dog sleds. He was born in 1962 in Senegal, where his father served in the military. As a teenager, Vanier developed a fascination for the Far North, and his first expeditions took place in the Canadian North and Lapland. It was during these expeditions that he first started using sled dogs.

Over the years, Vanier's passion for the North only grew stronger. In the late 1980s, he traveled to Alaska and the Rocky Mountains. In the early 1990s, he set his sights on Siberia and Mongolia. He embarked on a journey from Mongolia through Siberia, eventually reaching the Arctic Ocean, covering a distance of 7,000 kilometers. In 1993, he returned to the Russian North and lived with the Evenki people for a period of time.

In the early 2000s, Vanier explored the Yukon on dog sleds, and in 2005-2006, he planned a major expedition in Siberia called the "Siberian Odyssey." He traveled with his dogs from Lake Baikal to Moscow. His first Canadian expedition in this series was called the "White Odyssey."

Vanier is currently on his third expedition from the "Odyssey" series. In December 2013, he and his team set off from the village of Vanino in the Khabarovsk Krai, with their destination being the shores of Lake Baikal, a journey of approximately 6,000 kilometers. They plan to reach Baikal in March 2014. On New Year's Day, Vanier will be welcomed on the town square of Khabarovsk before continuing his long journey through Siberia.

Apart from his daring winter routes, Vanier is also known for the films he makes during his expeditions. His 2004 film "The Last Trapper" ('Le dernier trappeur') documented his journey through the Yukon and garnered significant interest. His film "Loup" ('Wolf'), released in 2009, was featured at the Cannes Film Festival. In total, Vanier has directed more than a dozen films and authored around thirty books.