SINGAPORE — After two years of travelling to over six countries across the world, Mohd Ali Al-Hadi Rosman is one step closer to fulfilling his dream — to be the first Singaporean to cross the Arctic wilderness in the Fjallraven Polar challenge.

But the 37-year-old Foodpanda delivery rider said he has not planned for any special training to prepare for the gruelling 300km expedition in March.

“As a delivery rider, I walk a lot and sometimes I climb up and down the stairs to send food, so that’s my training,” Mr Hadi Rosman, as he is better known, said with a chuckle.

Besides, the outdoor enthusiast believes that every trek he signs up for is like training for the next one.

Last year alone he trekked in five different countries — Thailand, Denmark, Indonesia, Sweden and South Korea — covering a total distance of 341km.

But the upcoming expedition, organised annually by Swedish apparel and backpack company Fjallraven, is a different ball game.

The 22 participants — selected out of more than 2,000 applicants from 94 countries by either a jury or votes — will be sledding through winter landscapes covered in snow across six days from Signaldalen, Norway to Vakkarajarvi in Sweden.

They will be accompanied by about 200 highly skilled sled dogs.

Mr Hadi is bracing himself for battling blizzards and minus 30°C temperatures, which he described as his biggest challenge.

“So far when I trekked to really cold countries, my body adjusted to the weather quite quickly,” he said.

AN ADVENTURER WITH A MINIMALIST LIFESTYLE

Mr Hadi is used to having to make adjustments. Two years ago the bachelor left his job as a technician in the oil and gas industry — a field he had been in for seven years — to seek a change of pace.

Since then, being a delivery rider has been a good fit for him as it allows him to be on the go and work flexible hours.

“Of course, every job has its pros and cons. While I don’t have to calculate leave days to take, being a rider doesn’t come with a stable income,” he said.

Mr Hadi works an average of eight hours a day, six days a week. But if his savings are running dry, he works up to 10 hours a day for extra income.

He is also frugal with his spending and adopts a minimalist lifestyle so that he can fund his hobby.

“Flights and accommodation itself could cost a lot, this is not including my trekking gears,” he said.

For this expedition, however, flight costs are covered by Fjallraven, which also supplied the participants with winter apparel and trekking gear.

Mr Hadi first heard of the expedition two years ago through a friend who completed the 2019 edition.

“By the time I wanted to sign up, the application had already closed. So I started compiling videos of my treks and sent in my application later that year for the 2020 one,” said Mr Hadi.

He has his concerns as he has been trekking for only two years, but his motto is: “If others can do it, so can I.”

Mr Hadi said he is happy this expedition is not a race and there will be no winners or losers.

“I’m just looking forward to meeting people from all around the world with similar interests and getting a kick out of it,” he said.

“Everyone has different ways of relaxing. Mine just happens to be outdoors, surrounded by nature and good company.”