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Pour éprouvante que soit la route vers le pôle, nous continuons.

Pour éprouvante que soit la route vers le pôle, nous continuons.
However grueling the route to the pole may be, we continue.
From Lesson 431:Advanced concession (pour + adjective + que)·French

Questions & Answers about Pour éprouvante que soit la route vers le pôle, nous continuons.

How does pour éprouvante que translate to "however grueling"?
This is an advanced concessive structure: pour + adjective + que. Even though pour usually means "for," in this specific pattern it translates to "however [adjective]" or "no matter how [adjective]."
Why is the verb soit placed before its subject la route?
In the pour + adjective + que construction, it is highly formal and very common to invert the subject and the verb when the subject is a noun phrase (like la route vers le pôle). You will almost always see the subjunctive verb placed directly after que in this structure.
Is the subjunctive soit required here?
Yes, the subjunctive is mandatory. Concessive phrases that mean "however" or "no matter how" (like pour... que, si... que, or aussi... que) introduce an extreme situation or an element of subjectivity, which triggers the subjunctive in French.
Why does éprouvante have a feminine ending if it is placed at the beginning of the sentence?
Even though it is separated from its noun by the word que and the verb soit, éprouvante acts as the adjective describing la route. Since la route is feminine singular, the adjective must agree and take the feminine -e ending.
Could I use a different word instead of pour here?
Yes! You could say Aussi éprouvante que soit la route or Si éprouvante que soit la route. They are identical in meaning and also take the subjunctive. The pour... que version is just slightly more literary.

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