Liv Arnesen from Norway and Ann Bancroft from the USA are performing a historic feat. They will be the first women to ski across the mainly frozen Arctic Ocean. At the same time they are conducting an educational dialogue with 12 million children and young people. You can follow the expedition from day to day on their website.
The expedition set out from Cape Arkticheskiy on Severnaya Zemlya in Russia on 11 March. Their goal is to reach Ward Hunt Island in Canada around 1 June. By that time Liv and Ann will have covered almost 2000 kilometres (1240 miles) of snow, ice and open sea.
In Nansen’s and Amundsen’s footsteps
Both Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft have found inspiration in old polar heroes such as Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen and Ernest Shackleton. The two women can also boast an impressive list of achievements. In 1986 Ann Bancroft was the first woman to reach the North Pole, while in 1994 Liv Arnesen was the first woman to reach the South Pole alone. In 2001 they made a 2847-kilometre, 94-day long skiing expedition together in the Antarctic. People all over the world could follow it in detail on their website.
“Dare to dream”
The two polar explorers are both teachers, and the expedition’s website gives access to an educational programme for children and young people of all ages. One of the programmes is called “Dare to dream” and encourages children to follow their dreams. The website also has a link to a programme on peaceful conflict resolution created by Pacific Lutheran University.
Follow the expedition
The expedition co-operates with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, which has 10 million members in 150 countries. Arnesen and Bancroft expect as many as 12 million children, young people and adults to follow them during the expedition. You can read Liv and Ann’s daily dispatches from the icy wastes at www.bancroftarnesenexplore.com.