This Ontario Man Nearly Died in an Arctic Race at 62. It Changed His Life Forever

Raymond Aaron at the North Pole in April 2007 during the Polar Race, with sunburned eyes and frostbite on his face under the ice. Courtesy of Raymond Aaron

After nearly freezing to death and experiencing snow blindness in Canada’s Arctic, Raymond Aaron doesn’t sweat the small stuff anymore.

Now 79, the well-known author and public speaker in 2007 participated in the Polar Race, a biennial race from Resolute, Nunavut, to the North Magnetic Pole.