Much is often, quite rightly, made of the pioneering polar explorers who made the first forays into the Arctic and Antarctic from the 19th Century until the 1920s. The tales of Mawson, Scott, Amundsen, Nansen and Peary grip the imagination with their bravery and negligible chances of rescue.

Although the North and South Poles have been reached overland all those decades ago, there is still a significant but small group of polar travellers who continue to push back boundaries in the polar regions. They are in most cases totally unknown outside of their own countries and are often forgotten in deference to those with powerful publicity teams. 

Every week, I hope to publish a new blog article to illustrate the remarkable expeditions of another modern polar great.

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WILL STEGER - USA

Will Steger came to prominence in the early 1980s after decades of education in wilderness travel and driving dogs. This was a time when polar expeditions were infrequent and without any of the support infrastructure which many have access to today. He made his reputation as a skilled specialist in dog-supported expeditions.

After the disputed claims over the North Pole by the likes of Cook and Peary, Steger was able to reach the North Pole in 1986 in the first confirmed successful dogsled expedition. He then followed this with a massive 1,600 mile south-north crossing of Greenland. This distance has still not been exceeded unsupported with dogs.

Steger's headline expedition came in 1989-90 with the International Trans-Antarctica Expedition. The aim was to cross the Antarctic continent in its entirety and via a long route, 3,741 miles. This involved a large dog team and resupplies to keep the expedition moving for seven months.

Following the culmination to his expedition career, Steger is a high-profile ambassador for combating climate change and created the Will Steger Foundation.

Much is often, quite rightly, made of the pioneering polar explorers who made the first forays into the Arctic and Antarctic from the 19th Century until the 1920s. The tales of Mawson, Scott, Amundsen, Nansen and Peary grip the imagination with their bravery and negligible chances of rescue.

Although the North and South Poles have been reached overland all those decades ago, there is still a significant but small group of polar travellers who continue to push back boundaries in the polar regions. They are in most cases totally unknown outside of their own countries and are often forgotten in deference to those with powerful publicity teams. 

Every week, I hope to publish a new blog article to illustrate the remarkable expeditions of another modern polar great.

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ROLF BAE - Norway (January 9, 1975 – August 1, 2008)

The trend of Norwegians continues into Week Two. Rolf Bae was a mountaineer and polar traveller of international note before being killed on K2 in the summer of 2008.

He was married to fellow Norwegian and polar expert Cecilie Skog. Bae crossed the Antarctic in its entirety with Eirik Sønneland in 2000/1 in an epic 105 day 3800km expedition without resupply. The expedition began at the Norwegian Troll Base in Droning Maud Land and reached the South Pole after two months of travel. From here they continued on to reach the Scott Base on the Ross Sea coast. This expedition, despite its enormity and significance, has been routinely under-reported since. This wind-supported polar distance record was only broken in 2006 by Rune Gjeldnes.

On April 24th 2006 he, Skog and Per Borch reached the North Pole unsupported from the Canadian side. This 775km expedition was completed in a record 49 days.

Rolf Bae was killed in an avalanche on K2 in Pakistan, an accident which claimed the lives of eleven climbers in total.

Much is often, quite rightly, made of the pioneering polar explorers who made the first forays into the Arctic and Antarctic from the 19th Century until the 1920s. The tales of Mawson, Scott, Amundsen, Nansen and Peary grip the imagination with their bravery and negligible chances of rescue.

Although the North and South Poles have been reached overland all those decades ago, there is still a significant but small group of polar travellers who continue to push back boundaries in the polar regions. They are in most cases totally unknown outside of their own countries and are often forgotten in deference to those with powerful publicity teams. 

Every week, I hope to publish a new blog article to illustrate the remarkable expeditions of another modern polar great.

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Rune Gjeldnes - Norway

Rune began his polar career in the mid-1990s having completed his military service in a specialist unit of the Norwegian Navy. His military training and upbringing in a nation completely immersed in cross-country skiing has allowed him to become a genuine pioneer and innovator of polar systems and equipment. His influence on sledge(pulka)-design has been instrumental.

His first major expedition was a mammoth 2900km length-wise crossing of Greenland in 1996 using para-sail support after he and Torry Larsen had been parachuted onto the ice. The use of modern-style wind support to improve daily progress was still in its infancy in the mid-1990s.

Gjeldnes' most significant polar expedition to date, one that ranks amongst the most difficult of all time, was the fully unsupported crossing of the Arctic Ocean in 2000 he undertook with long-term colleague Torry Larsen. This 2100km traverse from Russia to Canada via the North Pole was staggering in its sheer distance and technical demands. The pair were, despite their slick and well-practiced polar routine, in a degraded condition by the time they reached land after 109 days.

In a first expedition to the Antarctic, Rune completed the 'Longest March', a 2005/6 4800km wind-supported solo crossing. This smashed the previous distance record without resupply and took only 90 days despite periods of low-winds. He was delivered to his start point at Novo Base, run by the Russian ALCI organisation, by aircraft. On the opposite coast at McMurdo, Rune was picked up by zodiac boat and made his way back to civilisation on a cruise ship.

Wanderlust Magazine, the UK's leading travel magazine, have reviewed my book, The Long Haul. It can be read below - to pre-order your signed copy, just visit the AUTHOR page