Solo on skis in 54 days Norwegian breaks age record for South Pole expedition
21-year-old Karen Kylleso has become the youngest person to reach the South Pole on skis, 114 years after the legendary Roald Amundsen.
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- The 21-year-old Norwegian Karen Kylleso became the youngest person to reach the South Pole solo on skis in 54 days, beating the previous record holder Pierre Hedan.
- Kylleso pulled a sledge twice as heavy as her body weight in temperatures of -25 degrees and had deliberately put on muscle mass before the expedition.
- Her achievement is being celebrated as a historic milestone and follows in the tradition of Norwegian polar explorations, starting with Roald Amundsen's South Pole success in 1911.
A 21-year-old Norwegian woman has become the youngest person to reach the South Pole on skis, solo and unassisted, her team announced on Tuesday. Karen Kylleso achieved this feat on Monday night, exactly 114 years after the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole.
Kylleso, born on May 9, 2003, covered the 1130 kilometers in just under 54 days. "This is a new chapter in polar history," said her mentor, Norwegian adventurer Lars Ebbesen.
Kylleso shared pictures of her arrival at the South Pole on Instagram. The young Scandinavian thus dethroned Frenchman Pierre Hedan, who, according to Guinness World Records, held the record as the youngest person to reach the South Pole solo at the age of 26. Hedan set the record on January 7, 2024.
Arrival at minus 25 degrees
Kylleso, who is only 1.52 meters tall and weighs 48 kilograms, pulled a sled that weighed 100 kilograms, twice her body weight. In an interview in November with adventure company Shackleton, Kylleso said that "weight gain was one of the most difficult challenges". "Because I'm smaller than the average man doing this, I need extra weight and strength to pull the same load," she explained, adding that she had increased her body weight by ten percent before the expedition.
Kylleso reached her destination late on Monday evening in temperatures of around -25 degrees Celsius. At the age of 15, she was already the youngest skier to cross Greenland, which she accomplished in 2018. "As soon as she arrived in Greenland, she asked me: 'Do you think I can go to the South Pole?
Not an easy undertaking
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store praised the young adventurer on Tuesday and said she was following in the footsteps of Norwegian polar heroes. On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the geographic South Pole in a tragic race against Britain's Robert Scott, who died of exhaustion and cold on the way back along with his four companions.
Kylleso's achievement comes just a few years after Preet Chandi became the first person of color to ski solo to the South Pole. "I want to encourage people to be proud of their skin color and their heritage," the Brit told CBS News. "It took me a long time to be proud of that."
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.