Baffin Island, 2009

In March 2009, Baffin’s Founder, President and Chief Testing Officer, Paul Hubner, and his youngest son, Ryan, set out for one of the world’s most remote and challenging land scapes –Baffin Island. 

Located in Canada’s Arctic Archipelago and spanning over 305,000 km², Baffin Island is a vast, wild expanse of towering peaks, ancient glaciers, deep valleys, and extreme weather. The terrain is as unforgiving as it is beautiful – home to Arctic foxes, caribou, polar bears, and migratory birds. 

For Paul and Ryan, this marked their first expedition to the island that shares the company’s name – a deeply personal journey that mirrored the path of Paul’s earlier adventures with his older sons. Alongside them was renowned polar guide Matty McNair of North Winds Polar Expeditions, her son Eric and their team of sled dogs. Also joining the team were Angry Planet host George Kourounis, producer Peter Rowe and Sarah McNair, capturing the expedition for a broadcast episode. 

The team traversed the legendary route through Auyuittuq National Park, from Pangnirtung to Qikiqtarjuaq, crossing frozen landscapes in one of the few national parks located north of the Arctic Circle. Against this stunning, icy backdrop, Paul used the expedition as an opportunity to teach Ryan critical survival skills – and to share in the kind of transformative outdoor experience that defines Baffin’s spirit. 

But this was more than a family milestone – it was a vital chapter in Baffin’s commitment to Real-World Testing™. 

Gear on Trial 

Throughout the journey, Paul extensively studied how Baffin boots performed when paired with essential polar gear like snowshoes, skis and crampons. Over long distances and in punishing cold, he evaluated how the boots responded to different strapping systems, and how those systems affected fit, comfort, and performance under real-world conditions. The insights gained on this trip directly influenced product development for future Baffin collections – a hands-on approach to design that stays a core value of the brand. 

“You can’t truly understand a product until you rely on it day after day in a place like Baffin Island. Every kilometer on skis, every binding adjustment, every frozen crossing reveals something new,” explains Paul.  “Baffin Island is raw, humbling, and endlessly demanding. Its terrain, extreme cold, and long days put our boots and systems to the test. This trip reinforced why Real-World Testing™ matters, because the answers aren’t found in theory, they’re discovered in the cold.”