When planning an adventure, very few people would consider trying to cross the North Pole via the 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) of ice floes and seawater that loosely connect Russia and Canada. And to date, only one has chosen to ski and swim the distance.

Norway's Børge Ousland is living proof that people with perseverance, skill, and imagination can still achieve historic firsts in exploration.

Ousland began his informal endurance training at age 20 as a construction diver in the North Sea. In 1986 he crossed Greenland on skis. After serving in Norway's naval special forces, he began his polar career in earnest.

In 1994 Ousland became the first person to ski alone and unsupported from Siberia to the North Pole. One year later he made the record books again with a similar trip, this time to the South Pole. In winter 1996-97 Ousland completed the longest unsupported ski expedition in history—1,770 miles (2,845 kilometers) across Antarctica.

One of National Geographic's highest-rated speakers, Ousland explores what happens when a person is pushed to the limit of what they imagined they were capable. He challenges us to break through our mental boundaries, to uncover and apply our unique strengths to succeed in our own endeavors.

Solo Across the Poles
Ousland shares the physical and mental challenges he faced on his trip: navigating icy water, evading polar bears, and overcoming fear, isolation, and depression.

The Patagonia Ice Cap: Nature at Its Most Extreme
In 2003, Thomas Ulrich and Ousland became the first to cross the southern Icecap in Patagonia unsupported from Tortel to Puerto Natales, kayaking upriver then using the same kayaks as sleds for the mountain journey.