BØRGE OUSLAND: THE COLD OBSESSION OF A POLAR LEGEND
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Børge Ousland during his solo trek to the North Pole in 1994.
“He combined extensive experience with careful organisation and followed his daily plan with rigid efficiency,” …Ousland was, “confident, extremely competent, and yet not a bit arrogant.” —Sir Edmund Hillary
Interview by Rebecca Martin
Photographs by Børge Ousland
When I first learned of Norwegian polar explorer Børge Ousland in the mid-1990s, it was well before expeditions could be followed online and in real time, when explorers had sparse communication with the world at large. Ousland’s training and polar feats seemed indisputably herculean, particularly because he was often skiing solo across the most inhospitable terrain on the planet, hauling +300-pound sleds without resupply, all while enduring an unimaginable array of other challenges—including surviving the planet’s most bone-freezing temperatures and multiple encounters with polar bears. And, amidst all this, he produced exceptional images and video of his journeys in the stark, then still-intact polar icescapes.
Ousland was the first person to complete solo crossings of both the Arctic and the Antarctic. His Antarctic crossing charted a direct line from one coastline of the continent to the other—a trek of 1,768 miles. (He listened to Jimi Hendrix for motivation along the way.) His route made no use of man-made ice roads, so sastrugi and crevasses were endless hazards: Indeed, Ousland’s finely honed skills on ice determined a successful self-rescue after crashing through snow and ice into a hidden crevasse on the epic journey.
In Sir Edmund Hillary’s foreword to Ousland’s book, Alone Across Antarctica, he commented on his first meeting with the Norwegian, who had just reached Scott Base after his 64-day traverse of the continent: “He combined extensive experience with careful organisation and followed his daily plan with rigid efficiency,” noting that Ousland was, “confident, extremely competent, and yet not a bit arrogant.”
Børge Ousland is exceptional in the world of exploration: A former Norwegian Navy seal and deep-sea diver who worked the oil rigs in the North Sea, most would consider him an utter glutton for punishment. And while, as Ed Hillary observed, he is intensely disciplined in his training and expedition planning and execution, he is equally focused on other facets of his life, including building and overseeing his sleek aluminum, glass, and wood ecolodge perched on the far northern coast of Norway--Manshausen--as well as publishing books, lecturing, and nurturing his deep connection with family.
Several years ago, Ousland partnered with French explorer Vincent Colliard, who had long followed his teammate’s remarkable exploits. The lively, jocular Colliard shared with me that his early dream was realized when he joined Ousland in the field, and now the pair has completed a series of journeys for their Ice Legacy Project, documenting the Arctic and northern glaciers amidst the changing climate.
Most recently, Ousland wrapped up a grueling expedition across the melting, fractured Arctic, together with adventurer Mike Horn. (This was also the last leg of Horn’s three-year Pole2Pole expedition.) While their improbable (under current conditions) full crossing was successful, the ship that met them became wedged in thick ice, stranding Horn, Ousland and the crew in the Arctic through Christmas. They finally set foot in Tromsø, Norway several weeks later.
Børge’s deep experience in managing the highest levels of risk and overcoming a multitude of obstacles during his exploits will undoubtedly inform, astonish and inspire in the interview that follows.
—Rebecca Martin, President—Exploration Connections
Traversing the Arctic in winter 2006 pushed Ousland and expedition partner Mike Horn beyond anything they had ever endured: Weeks on end journeying through the polar icescape in near-constant darkness.
REBECCA MARTIN: Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen are perhaps the most notable Norwegian polar explorers of the past, and there were so many other Norwegians who journeyed to the Earth’s coldest places. Did their expeditions serve as an inspiration when you first considered polar exploration?
BØRGE OUSLAND: Yes, especially Nansen for two reasons: When I did my first expedition across Greenland in 1986 with two friends—Jan Morten Ertsaas and Agnar Berg—Nansen was the great inspiration, since he was the first to cross Greenland in 1888. When I was a kid, my father used to read from a book by Hjalmar Johansen. It was a children’s book about the trip he and Nansen made towards the Pole with the ship he had built, Fram, and their wintering on Frans Josef Land from 1895 to 1896. I won’t say that this book was a life changer for me, since I had no desire to be a polar explorer at that stage in life, but the expedition these two did—setting off from the ship Fram into the unknown and wintering in Frans Josef Land with almost nothing to help them—is one of the greatest trips in polar history, at least in the north. And this journey has been my biggest inspiration for my own expeditions.
“I am quite thorough. I don’t leave much to chance—knowing that it’s so much better to get it right before you go than fixing things in the tent. It’s about optimizing all aspects that can help you move forward and achieve your goal.”
Amundsen was the most successful of the two, and not much beats his expedition to the South Pole—and he did so many trips. He was a great planner and a great adventurer. Both [Nansen and Amundsen] were huge inspirations for me in various ways.
RM: What impressed you most about them?
BO: Nansen: His boldness, mind over matter, he held the deed high—and also his positive attitude. Especially on the wintering trip on Frans Josef Land. They simply never gave up. They wanted to make it. Wanted and believed that they were going to get back home. Amundsen, the planner—well organized. He left nothing to chance and had extreme focus on details.
RM: How did your early career as a Special Forces soldier in the Norwegian Navy and your job deep-sea diving on oil rigs in the North Sea prepare you for your decades of journeys in the cold places on the planet?
Navigating precarious ice bridges during Ousland’s ski between Arctic islands with Swiss adventurer Thomas Ulrich—In the Footsteps of Nansen Expedition, 2007.
BO: The job as a soldier was a lot about mastering difficult tasks under stress and the importance of doing dangerous things in a safe way through training. Jumping out of a plane or swimming out of a torpedo tube on a submarine in the middle of the night, for instance, is not something you normally would do. But through training and the right techniques and equipment, it’s possible.
Deep-sea diving was dangerous. There were quite a lot of accidents in the early days of that profession, and we were, in many ways, guinea pigs. The technical and safety [aspects] were not fully developed, and the effects on the human body were not completely understood. I had my deepest dive to 220 meters (721 feet) in the North Sea, and did a test dive to 360 meters (1,181 feet) in a facility in Bergen, Norway. Now the limit is 180 meters (590 feet).
One thing I took with me into the expedition world is the safety. When I dived, I knew that many things could go wrong, and I also knew that the only person I really could trust was myself. So I have always looked upon safety as a personal responsibility, where the secret is to be that one little step ahead of yourself, trying to understand what is going to happen before it happens. And if something goes wrong, you know what to do, because you have trained for it as a part of your preparation. This is a bit different than in society in general, where others make the safety rules and you just follow them.
RM: Anyone who is familiar with your achievements might think that you are so incredibly well conditioned that you wouldn’t need to train intensely before your expeditions, and yet, of course, you do—by any measure. How do you prepare yourself for your journeys, like your most recent Arctic crossing with Mike Horn?
BO: To be in good shape, you need to train! I train regularly and intensify the [regime] about six months before the trip, knowing that the last month—with all the bits and pieces needing to be done to prepare—there will not be much time for training. That said, I think my body remembers the hardship, and is better prepared for it, compared to a person who never has pulled a 150 kg (330 pound) sled before.
“One thing I took with me into the expedition world is the safety. When I dived, I knew that many things could go wrong, and I also knew that the only person I really could trust was myself. So I have always looked upon safety as a personal responsibility, where the secret is…”
RM: Having been the first person to cross both the Arctic and Antarctica solo, what do you believe were the elements in your planning and training that led to your success.
A curious polar bear mother and her cubs scope out camp as Ousland and Horn settle in for rest during their Polar Night expedition.
BO: I am quite thorough. I don’t leave much to chance—knowing that it’s so much better to get it right before you go than fixing things in the tent. It’s about optimizing all aspects that can help you move forward and achieve your goal. A ski is not just a ski—you need to optimize the glide, go into all the little details. I also make new designs when I see things can be better. The suit to swim across leads [open water], for instance, sled, tent, sleeping bag, clothing. Most of the equipment for the recent trip with Mike Horn was modified or somehow specially designed for the specific conditions of this journey. Also, an important and often forgotten factor is experience over time: That I have done many expeditions gives me more than average knowledge, and that helps a lot. Nowadays you can read in books exactly what you should bring with you on a long, modern polar trip, but you also need experience to know how to use that equipment and how to deal with the conditions.
RM: Of course, when you completed your polar crossings in the 1990s, you did not have the luxury of communication with the world beyond. Now you do have access to communication technology, like other explorers in the field. How does the exploratory experience differ from when you had little or minimal communication—especially given your prior solo journeys?
BO: It’s more office work in the tent, and personally I don’t really like it so much—it takes a bit of the presence out of the experience. It’s a big pressure to be online all the time, satisfy sponsors and getting through all the [communications]. In many ways, it was easier before when you could do a big trip, and it was mostly after the journey that the story was told. Now, with modern tech, it’s very different. But that’s just one of the things you have to live with.
RM: Were there elements of being alone in nature that you most enjoyed? And then difficult moments you experienced with the solitude?
BO: Absolutely, being solo for a long period of time is a great experience. You do have a sense of a deeper dialogue with yourself and the nature around when you don’t have anyone else to lean on. At the same time, it’s more extreme—no one to give you that slap on the shoulder and say come on! No one to help you if you go through the ice. The worst for me, however, are those transitional phases, especially the start, where you are going into the unknown and are leaving your friends and warmth behind—taking those first steps on a two-to-three month trip that no one has done before and you don’t know what will happen. For instance, leaving that helicopter on my first North Pole trip in 1994, that was hard.
“I learned, the hard way… how to deal with the emotions that can completely overwhelm you on a long solo trip, where you may feel that everything is hopeless and what you have started is just too big.”
RM: What have been some of your most challenging experiences on your expeditions and how did you deal with them?
BO: I think the most challenging experiences have all been linked to my solo expeditions, where you are the patient and doctor in the same person, knowing what to do or think doesn’t always mean that you are able to get back on top. But I learned, the hard way you might say, how to deal with the emotions that can completely overwhelm you on a long solo trip, where you may feel that everything is hopeless and what you have started is just too big. One small step at a time, knowing that what I feel today will not be the same as I feel tomorrow or after one week, has been my recipe. Not thinking too far ahead, if I have a bad day—knowing that these feelings will change if I give it some time. And simply accepting those feelings. It’s OK to feel sorry for yourself, and at the same time, don’t let those feelings drag you down completely.
Arctic moonset as Ousland and Horn near the conclusion of their 2006 winter crossing—a first in exploration.
RM: You’ve had quite a number polar bear encounters on your Arctic expeditions. What do you do to avoid or discourage the bears?
BO: Encounters with polar bears sometimes happen, and it’s my job to be able to continue safe and sound without harming the animal. Polar bears are normally both curious and hungry, and I simply need to convince the bear that it’s not a good idea to eat me, and I do that by using flares, and sometimes pepper spray, to scare them off.
RM: You must burn many thousands of calories each day on expeditions, pulling your 330-pound sled for up to 12 hours a day, or more, and given the sub-zero temperatures. What is your preferred diet during these grueling journeys? And are there some favorite foods that are essential—even just for the sake of morale—after a hard day?
BO: On my recent trip across the North Pole, for instance, we started with around 5,200 calories a day for 20 days and then [consumed] 6,000 for the rest of the trip. It’s a lot of food, but you need that energy—especially because it will get a lot colder towards the end of the trip, and just breathing that cold air while sleeping makes your body shiver and burn energy. So it’s lots of fat—around 50 percent of the energy comes from fat—everything, from breakfast to lunch, and dinner—has extra fat. Dinner is the main meal, because that’s when the body and muscles build up strength again to be able to perform the next day. Breakfast and lunch are my own recipes: Oatmeal for breakfast and lunch with a mix of dried fruits, nuts, sugar and fat. [Also] chocolate and dried fish. Dinner consists of freeze-dried meat, vegetables, butter and mashed potatoes.
“Decision making always involves getting as much information as possible, analyzing it, trying to keep feelings out of it, and being careful not to rush into something that later turns out to be wrong.”
RM: What do you ALWAYS bring in your pack—the essential items for survival, given potential medical issues or extreme weather events that delay you in the field?
BO: What I use most is actually sports tape. I use it for everything: For blister prevention to repairs. And my favorite piece of equipment is my down vest—it’s so nice and a versatile garment. I keep it on the top of my sled and take it on or off to regulate the temperature along the way.
On bear alert and peering out from his tent, Ousland captured this image on his Nansen expedition with Thomas Ulrich.
RM: Can you share your thoughts on the importance of decision-making on expeditions, and how your deep experience has played a role in keeping you safe and ensuring your success?
BO: Decision making always involves getting as much information as possible, analyzing it, trying to keep feelings out of it, and being careful not to rush into something that later turns out to be wrong. Sometimes it’s important not to make any decision, if the answer is not clear—often it’s better to wait until you have enough information. And, if possible, always ask for a second opinion. But be careful whom you ask: You need an objective answer. Decisions that have to happen fast are best when based on training: The more you have trained in dangerous situations that could happen before you go, the better prepared you will be to make the right choices on the way. Big decisions—the big “WHY?”—it’s also good to settle in your head before you go. Then you know where you are going and why, you have spent a long time considering it in a dry, warm room with all the pros and cons on the table. And you are more likely not to rush into some stupid or random decisions based on feelings [you experience] in the field.
RM: Many of your journeys early on were solo—except, for instance, your unsupported ski to the North Pole in 1990 with Erling Kagge (another first), and a couple others—but now you have been on quite a number of expeditions with fellow explorers Thomas Ulrich, Mike Horn, and, more recently, French explorer, Vincent Colliard. Have you grown to prefer being in the field with an expedition partner, and, if so, why?
BO: In a way, yes, because you can do so much more with a strong partner. To be solo is extreme, and it was a big part of my life for many years. I have proven what I can do solo, and now it’s another phase of my expedition life. And, it’s a lot more fun!
RM: What are the skills and qualities that you look for in an expedition partner?
BO: There are, of course, many things. The personality—you must enjoy their company, after all, you will share months in a small tent together. Skills are another necessary quality—someone totally inexperienced will simply not work for me as partner. Apart from that, I look for someone who has the same motivation as me. On a big, difficult trip you have enough with yourself, so you need an expedition partner who you know is able to take care of themselves. You don’t have the mental energy to pull off the expedition for the both of you. Secondly, my partners have to be equally fast: I hate waiting!
RM: No doubt, through your ongoing expeditions in Arctic regions, you have witnessed the effects of climate change. What are some of the more concerning impacts of climate change that you have observed?
IceLegacy partners Vincent Colliard and Børge Ousland on the Stikine Icecap—which straddles the Alaska-British Columbia border—during a 2017 expedition to collect data on climate-based changes on this third largest icefield in the United States.
BO: Climate change is without a doubt the biggest challenge humanity faces today. It’s sad, really, that we have not been able to take better care of our beautiful planet. The Ice Legacy Project, for instance, is strongly linked to what is happening to the world’s glaciers, where we want to be those eyes on the ground and get the message across that these glaciers are melting rapidly. And we all know that melting glaciers will end up in the ocean and contribute to sea level rise. Researchers are now talking about one meter (39 inches) of sea level rise this century. Think about that, one meter! It is going to turn the world as we know it upside down! We know it will happen, and we are still not able to do what is needed to stop it.
On the trip across the Arctic in autumn 2019, Mike Horn and I didn’t see a single polar bear while skiing, and I have never seen so much thin ice. It’s a totally different landscape compared to when I did my first expeditions to the Pole in the early ‘90s.
RM: You have partnered with French Polar explorer Vincent Colliard on a series of expeditions to cross the world’s largest glaciers—a long-term effort you dubbed, “Ice Legacy”—with the aim to raise public awareness around glacial melt and the resulting threat of sea level rise. How precisely will this project unfold over time, and with whom are you partnering?
BO: We are working with the University of Alaska to take daily snow samples that are going to be analyzed for isotopes and pollution. In addition, we have a collaboration with Airbus Defense and Space, which takes detailed satellite images of all the glaciers we are crossing, together with our images and stories from the ground, which is our legacy for the future. When the glaciers are gone, there will exist a detailed map of all the 20 greatest icecaps showing what the glaciers looked like when we crossed them.
I want to get the younger generation on board. We—including myself—have made such a big mess of things, and we will unfortunately have to lean on the younger guys to clean up this mess. So it’s important that they have early knowledge of what is happening. This year I will embark on a lecture series in schools to tell our [Ice Legacy] stories.
“Leaving my family is always the hard part, and when I leave, I often feel it’s meaningless and that I should stay at home and be a normal father. But, at the same time, we get a different bond through these partings, and it’s through missing someone or something that you understand what you have.”
RM: If you could provide one or two recommendations to the next generation of explorers, what would they be—especially those who are drawn to explore and research in the Earth’s cold places?
BO: I would say start at a level you feel comfortable with. Join one of the guided trips that many polar explorers do these days, and learn from them. Make sure to go with a qualified IPA (International Polar Guides Association) guide. They have a lot of knowledge and are happy to share. That I think is the best way to start, and then you can move on from there.
Already immersed in the natural world, Ousland’s eight-year-old daughter, Ingeborg, on a hike with her family in northern Norway.
RM:. And finally, I’m curious: What does your young daughter, Ingeborg, think of your exploration-based life? Is she showing similar inclinations?BO: Leaving my family is always the hard part, and when I leave, I often feel it’s meaningless and that I should stay at home and be a normal father. But, at the same time, we get a different bond through these partings, and it’s through missing someone or something that you understand what you have. I have no idea if she wants to follow in my footsteps, that’s completely up to her to decide. What I can do is to make her love nature—that’s the most important thing.
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To learn about Ice Legacy Project, visit: Icelegacy. Connect with Børge on Instagram and Facebook. For information on Ousland’s eco-lodge on Norway’s northern coast go to Manshausen.