Banff Mountain Book Festival 2006

Thursday, November 2, 7:30 p.m.;

Eric Harvie Theatre

Børge Ousland

With a capacity to endure long, arduous days and extreme cold, Norwegian Børge Ousland has established himself as one of the leading polar explorers of our time. On April 23, 2006, after more than two months of complete darkness, dangerously drifting ice, polar bears and minus-40° conditions, Ousland and his expedition partner Mike Horn reached the geographic North Pole, the first to reach it unsupported during the Arctic winter. Regarded as impossible due to the severity of winter weather, their success has broken one of the last barriers in Polar exploration.

Ousland’s modesty should not be mistaken for a lack of competitiveness — he likes to be first. His impressive CV involves many firsts, including an unsupported trip to the North Pole (1990) and solo trips to both the North Pole (1994) and South Pole (1995). In 1996, he was also the first person to cross Antartica alone. Pulling a 178-kilogram sled, he covered a distance of 2845 kilometres on the 64-day solo expedition. In 2001 he became the first person to ski, swim and walk across the Arctic Ocean alone, completing the journey in 82 days. Ousland has also succeeded on an unsupported 54-day crossing of the Southern Patagonian Icecap by kayak, skis and sled, and has twice climbed 8000-metre peaks in the Himalayas — summiting Cho Oyu and turning back just below the summit of Everest.

Ousland has been able to share his experiences in his books: Umanak (1987), Alone to the North Pole (1994), Alone across Antarctica (1997), Alone across the North Pole (2001), and Skrubbsulten (2005). He is represented by the National Geographic Speakers Bureau, a part of the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.

“The riveting story that he tells about his adventures — and in the face of adversity being able to redefine and achieve success — has lessons for all of us. Børge also has a wonderful sense of humour that makes his presentations not only compelling but very funny and entertaining. Our audience rated Børge Ousland the best speaker of the season.”

— Andy van Duym, Director, National Geographic Live!
National Programs and National Geographic Speakers Bureau.

Ousland’s presentation is supported in part by National Geographic Expeditions Council and the Arctic Institute of North America.

For more information: www.nationalgeographic.com/speakers, www.ousland.com