Polar Explorer on Life Alone at the Edge

John Roach
for National Geographic News

February 13, 2004

Following in the footsteps of his renowned countrymen Fridtjof Nansen
and Roald Amundsen, Norwegian polar explorer Børge Ousland is
fueled by a desire to leave his mark on history. At the age of 41,
Ousland appears on course to achieve his goal.

Ousland has already achieved many firsts, including the first unsupported, solo ski crossings of the North and South Poles and the entire continent of Antarctica. Ousland also became the first person to ski and swim alone across the Arctic Ocean. And last year, Ousland and partner Thomas Ulrich were the first to trek unassisted across the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

National Geographic News recently spoke with Ousland about his career as an explorer.

What inspired you to become a polar explorer?

Being a Norwegian has lot do with it. We have a history all the back way to the Vikings of being explorers, of pushing ourselves beyond our normal limits to see [what's] possible … [and] to see what is beyond the horizon. [My] big expeditions in the North and South Poles also have elements of wanting to do something great. To put my mark in history. To do something that has never been done before.

What do you find so attractive about frozen landscapes?

These areas are so naked and true that there is no way to cheat them. You are just there in a landscape that hasn't changed for thousands of years. Being out in that landscape allows you to get down to the core of it. Through that, you also get down to the core of yourself. And it's beautiful. You feel as if it is the last place on Earth. It's just you and the ice.

What have been the keys to your success as an explorer?

The first thing is preparation. You need to have a good plan. You have to be motivated. And you have to have the right training and experience.

I prepare every little detail—the clothing to keep me warm, the equipment to make me fast over the ice, the food so I don't get hungry. I've even invented equipment, such as the dry suit I used to swim across patches of water in the Arctic. You have to prepare for success.

You also need to be balanced, especially on the solo trips. You need the balance between pushing on hard—putting your forehead first and just going on and wanting to achieve your goals—and at the same time you need to know when to hold back.

You need balance between being tough and hard and being humble. That has been a key part of success for my expeditions.

Failure is inevitable in exploration. How do you cope with it?

No one likes failure. I don't like failure either, but it's part of life. If you want to achieve your goals, you have to accept the risk of failing. I get depressed when expeditions go wrong for some reason. I feel those kinds of feelings. It's impossible to avoid them. But they can't take control your life, because you have to know that these are things that are part of the reason for choosing a difficult, challenging goal.

Of course it is important to learn from your mistakes. You have to ask yourself, What went wrong? What can I do better the next time? But you also have to acknowledge—worship—the victories. Even if the expedition goes wrong, there will be victories that you can take with you. I think that is just as important as learning from your failures.

What stands out as the most difficult obstacle you've had to overcome? How did you do it?

On the second trip to the Arctic in 2001, my sled broke very early in the trip. I tried to repair it. I thought it was going well, but it wasn't. It just fell apart completely a week into the expedition. I really wanted to complete that journey like I did in Antarctica—pure and unsupported with no help from outside—but the sled was not going to last all the way to Canada.

I had to get a new sled in. But I didn't really think it would be possible for me to continue after getting a new sled in because that would have changed the whole concept of the expedition. I would have been supported. So, I was depressed and didn't have the motivation to carry on. I really wanted to give up.

But then I talked to my wife, and she said, "No, don't give up. Think it over. Give it some time. You shouldn't give up. The most important thing is that you complete the expedition—continuing with a new sled or not doesn't matter." So I decided to get in a new sled, go for one more week, and then decide.

I knew I had to face myself when I got back home and would have to say to the mirror that I made the right choice. I'd have to live with that decision. I thought that if I just gave it some time, got some fresh perspective, my attitude might change.

I was right, and my wife was right as well, because during that week I went from feeling horrible and wanting to give up to gradually getting my motivation and calmness back. I realized that I was privileged to be in such a beautiful landscape with all kinds of shapes and colors in the ice.

At the end of the week, I could finally lift my head, kept going, and actually achieved my goal. Taking that extra time changed the whole expedition from a horrible failure to a huge success.

How do you mentally endure the daily grind of a polar expedition? I've read that you carry things like photos, books, a journal, and music to help keep you occupied.

What's different between a solo expedition and an expedition with two or three other people—especially out on ice where there is nothing living more or less—is that you have to account for all 24 hours of the day. That is why I bring these kinds of things.

If you are just staring at the tent roof for two months you start to go crazy. You need a combination of being able to push on hard during the day and regaining your energy when you are in the tent. I bring letters from home, pictures of my family. I do bring some books, especially ones that give me motivation.

On this last trip across the Arctic Ocean I brought The Hobbit and Papillon. I also brought a bag of poems—I had copied a lot of poems onto individual pieces of paper and put them in a bag. And everyday I pulled a poem and read it in the morning. During the day I tried to reflect on it.

I listen to music as well. I like to listen to rock-and-roll music because it helps me escape to another reality when I need to.

Have you learned anything about yourself during the months you've spent alone on the ice that's improved your daily life back home?

One thing I've learned from those expeditions that I carry with me in my daily life is to not get stuck constantly working every day for some point in the future that never seems to arrive. Sometimes I know I have to stop and live in the present.

Life is now. Life is the small moments that are happening everyday. I know that I should be happy to have good health, family, and friends. I don't take anything for granted.

What comes next?

The next important trip for me is to go back to the North Pole with a few clients. That's coming up in April. I am also working on an article for National Geographic magazine on Patagonia, and I will maybe do a little writing on a book.

To hire Børge Ousland and other explorers for your next event, contact the National Geographic Speakers Bureau.