Rab announce new partnership with The Polar Academy for 2025

British outdoor brand Rab(owned by Equip Outdoor Technologies Ltd.) are excited to announce a new partnership with The Polar Academy, a Scottish charity founded in 2012 that transforms the lives of young people from challenging backgrounds through adventure and outdoor education. Based on shared values, the partnership will support The Polar Academy’s mission to empower vulnerable young people, helping them to take control of their own lives and help them find the voice they never knew they had.

The Polar Academy, supported by Tiso, delivers an intensive year-long program for teenagers aged 14-18 who have faced significant personal challenges. Participants undergo rigorous physical and mental preparation, including training sessions at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre and another key partner of Rab.

The program culminates in an extraordinary winter sledge-hauling expedition across Greenland’s challenging terrain. This demanding experience pushes participants beyond their perceived limitations, building self-belief and fostering a deep connection with the outdoors. Upon completion, participants become ambassadors for the program, visiting schools to share their stories and inspire other young people facing similar challenges.

Through this partnership, Rab will provide expedition clothing and equipment to The Polar Academy guides and participants. The insights gained from using Rab kit in these extreme Arctic conditions will help inform future product development, ensuring continued innovation in expedition-level gear.

Craig Mathieson, founder of the Polar Academy, explains: “We’re extremely proud and grateful to be in partnership with Rab. When operating in the harsh environment of the Arctic, there can be no compromise on the quality of clothing and equipment when it comes to safety. Having personally used Rab clothing to reach both the North and South Poles, I know they can provide the absolute best kit possible for the incredible kids we work with at The Polar Academy.”

Jessica Burton, UK Marketing Manager at Rab, adds: “We’re delighted to be partnering with The Polar Academy to support the fantastic work Craig and the team do and to ensure they have the most specialist, hardwearing equipment – we’re excited to see how their experiences can help shape the future of our expedition collection, as well as our product experts being on hand to help educate the next generation of adventurers.”

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About the Polar Academy

After first supporting Craig Mathieson, Polar Explorer and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s Explorer in Residence on the Scot 100 Expedition to the South Pole in 2004, Tiso Group continued to sponsor Craig as he gave talks sharing his experiences and insights to schools nationwide. A chance encounter at one of these talks led to Craig mentoring a young person on an expedition in 2006 to the North Pole. The trip changed not only the boy’s life but that of his entire family in the most positive and unexpected way. Craig was determined that this not be a unique event and instead be a catalyst for something far greater and more ambitious. The Polar Academy was born. The Academy now has worked with 240 young people and their families directly to date, impacting over 90,000 members of the community annually. www.thepolaracademy.org.