B Ø R G E
“It feels daunting to write an intro on Børge at our website, with the likes of Sir Edmund Hillary and Reinhold Messner having done the same in his books.
I have never worked, stalked, and harassed anybody as hard to get to be his teammate. When I finally was rewarded, it opened up a world I could not, at the time, comprehend the extent of.
I, and we in the Ousland team, are so blessed by his depth of knowledge, curiosity, calmness, carefulness, and his bottomless willingness to share, inspire, and stand next to you at all times.”
BØRGE OUSLAND
NORWEGIAN • POLAR EXPLORER • ENTREPRENEUR • AUTHOR • LECTURER • FILMMAKER
How does one summarize Børge Ousland?
He has gone deeper, longer, higher, and darker than almost anyone before him. Time and again, after completing what many believed was the final “impossible” journey, he found new challenges—always pushing the limits of exploration.
Børge’s contribution to polar history is difficult to fully grasp. His achievements span solo expeditions, pioneering routes, and ambitious team ventures. Yet, behind every record lies not recklessness, but rigorous preparation, broad experience, and uncompromising standards—both for himself and those he chooses to bring along. His success is measured not only in firsts, but in the fact that he is still here to tell the stories.
His journey began in a creative home just south of Oslo, where nature was always within reach. The sea, mountains, and forests shaped his childhood. When Norway entered its oil era, he was drawn to the high-risk world of deep-sea saturation diving, working at depths of 360 meters and relying on surviving in pressurized chambers.
Later, he served in Norway’s elite naval special forces, honing skills in endurance, precision, and discipline — qualities that would serve as the foundation for his life as an explorer.
Within the OuslandColliard team, what inspires most is not only his feats, but his mindset. He approaches every expedition with calm analysis and respect for risk, never allowing enthusiasm to overshadow safety. He values teammates who bring diverse skills and perspectives, believing strongly that true strength lies in collaboration and shared learning.
National Geographic stated:
‘Børge Ousland is arguably the most accomplished polar explorer alive!’
The scope of Børge’s life extends far beyond exploration. He is also a father of three, an author, a speaker, and an entrepreneur — each role reflecting his energy and vision.
His beloved island in Northern Norway, Manshausen, stands as a testament to this. Designed as a retreat close to nature, it offers strikingly crafted sea cabins that blend simplicity with beauty, allowing guests to experience calm and connection with Mother Nature in an extraordinary setting.
Combined with dramatic surroundings, a variety of outdoor activities, and exceptional food, Manshausen reveals another, equally remarkable side of Børge.
Today, Børge lives just outside Oslo with his family. True to his life’s path, when he married his wife, Hege, he chose the North Pole as the setting for their wedding — a ceremony graced by blue skies, -30°C air, and complete stillness, as if nature itself paused to honour the man who had spent decades testing its boundaries.
BØRGE’S secret ADVICE:
Don’t waste any teammate!
Everybody brings something to the (your) table. If you drop or overlook a teammate, it is most probably you who has failed.
Awards:
Founders medal, Royal Geographical Society, UK, 2025
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, UK, 2024
Expedition of the year: ExplorersWeb, USA, 2019
Adventurer of the year, “Årets Eventyrer”, Norway, 2019
Fellow of the Scottish Royal Geographical Society, Scotland, 2014
Spanish Geographical Society’s International award, Spain, 2013
The Tilman Medal, Royal Thames Yacht Club, UK 2010
The Mitchemp Medal, The Michemp Trust, UK, 1998
Adventurer of the year, Dijon, France, 1997
Peter Byrd Throphe, Dijon, France, 1997
Books:
Le Gardien Des Pôles (French edition) 2023
Den Nordpol umsegelt (German edition) 2022
Allein über Nordpol (German edition) 2021
Allein über Antarktis (German edition) 2021
Allein zum Nordpol (German translation edition) 2021
Expedition handbook 2014 (Norwegian edition) 2014
Northern Passage (Norwegian and English edition) 2011
The great polar journey, (English edition) 2009, (First prize, Banff Mountain book festival)
I Nansens spor (Norwegian edition) 2008
Solo durch ewiges eis (German edition) 2007
Winter without mercy, (Norwegian edition) 2006
Il Solitairo dei poli (Italian edition) 2005
Skrubbsulten, (Norwegian edition) 2005
Alone across the North Pole, (Norwegian edition) 2001 (Preface by Reinhold Messner)
Alone across Antarctica, (Norwegian / English edition) 1997 (Preface by Sir Edmund Hillary)
Alone to the North Pole, (Norwegian and English edition) 1994
Umanak,(Norwegian edition) 1987
Films:
Exit Nordpolen 2020 (First price, Banff Mountain film Festival)
In Nansen‘s footsteps. 2009. (Jury special award in Bansko Mountain film festival).
Northern Passage, 2011.
Patagonia, A travel to the ends of the world, 2005 (First prize in Bansko Mountain film festival, and Moscow adventure film festival).
The big white, 2001 (First prize in Moscow Adventure Film Festival and in Torello Mountain Film Festival).
Alone across Antarctica, 1997
Alone to the North Pole, 1994 (First prize in Dijon Adventure Film Festival)
The North Pole; Poles apart, 1991
National Geographic Magazine articles:
• National Geographic Magazine, March 1991. The hard way to the North Pole
• National Geographic Magazine, March 2001: Solo across the North Pole
• National Geographic Magazine, August 2004: Big Ice
• National Geographic Magazine, January 2007: Arctic dreams and nightmares
• National Geographic Magazine, January 2009: Chasing Nansen’s ghost
Some online articles:
The Guardian on the South Pole:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/dec/13/borge-ousland-how-i-crossed-antarctica
Outside Magazine on the South Pole:
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/what-about-borge/
National Geographic on the North Pole:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/borge-ousland-mike-horn-epic-journey-across-north-pole
Explorersweb on the North Pole:
https://explorersweb.com/exclusive-borge-ousland-on-crossing-the-arctic-ocean-in-winter/
National Geographic on IceLegacy:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/borge-ousland-polar-explorer-ski-arctic-melting-ice-legacy-climate-change
Explorersweb on Børge:
https://explorersweb.com/legends-series-interview-with-borge-ousland/
https://explorersweb.com/100-great-explorers-last-100-years/
These are among Børge's main expeditions:
2025. Unsupported crossing of Ellesmere Island, with Vincent Colliard, (IceLegacy project), First unsupported crossing. April-June.
2024. Unsupported crossing of Juneau Icefield in Alaska, with Vincent Colliard, (IceLegacy project), September-October.
2023. Unsupported crossing of Kvitøya on Svalbard with Erling Kagge and Håvard Tjora. First unsupported crossing. September.
2022. Unsupported crossing of Devon Icecap, Nunavut-Canada, with Vincent Colliard (IceLegacy project), August.
2019. Unsupported crossing of the North Pole with Mike Horn in the darkness of winter, from Nome in Alaska to Tromsø, August – December.
2019. Crossed Penny and Barnes icecaps on Baffin Island with Vincent Colliard (IceLegacy project). March-April.
2017. Crossed the Chugach Icefield in Alaska with Vincent Colliard. (IceLegacy project). From Columbia Glacier to Markus Baker Glacier. August. First unsupported crossing.
2016. Crossing the St Elias ice field in Alaska with Vincent Colliard. (IceLegacy project). Largest icefield in the US. From Novatak Glacier to Miles Glacier, April – May.
2015. Crossing Stikine icefield in Alaska, (IceLegacy project) with Vincent Colliard. From North Sawyer to Great Glacier and Stikine River, May. First unsupported crossing.
2014. Crossing the Spitsbergen ice field on Svalbard with Vincent Colliard (IceLegacy project). From Verlegenhuken to Von Post breen, August.
2013. October – November. Crossing Southern Patagonia ice field, (IceLegacy project) with Vincent Colliard, and teammates. From Jorge Mont in Chile to Paso Marconi, October- November.
2013. Crossing South Georgia with Thomas Ulrich and teammates. Shackleton Route from King Haakon Bay to Stromness, March.
2012. Starting the IceLegacy project with Vincent Colliard. Crossing Nordaustlandet ice field on Svalbard, with teammates, August. First human powered crossing.
2010. Crossing Vatnajøkulen on Iceland with Erling Kagge and Haraldur Ørn Olafsson.
2010. Sailed through the northeast and northwest passages, with Thorleif Thorleifsson, Vincent Colliard and Stanislav Kostyashin. June – October. First circumnavigate of the North Pole in one season.
2009. Crossing the Northern Patagonia ice field, with Bengt Rotmo and Thorleif Nøkleby. From Laguna San Rafael to Fjord Steffen, November.
2007. Expedition in Fridtjof Nansens footsteps, with Thomas Ulrich. From the North Pole, to Frans Josef land, across the Barents Sea and to Oslo, May - September.
2006. Winter expedition to the North Pole, with Mike Horn. From Cape Arctichesky in Russia, January - March. First unsupported North Pole trip during the months of winter
2003. Crossing the Southern Patagonia ice field in Chile, with Thomas Ulrich. From Tortel to Puerto Natales, August – October. First unsupported crossing.
2003. Everest, South summit, March – May.
2002. Southern Patagonia icefield reconnaissance trip, Chile, with Thomas Ulrich. November.
2001. Solo crossing of the Arctic Ocean. From Cape Arktichesky in Russian, via the North Pole, to Ward Hunt Island in Canada. March – May (supported). First solo across both poles.
1999. Climbed ChoOyo in Tibet, August-September.
1999. Climbed Huano Potosi in Bolivia, March.
1996-97. Solo and unsupported across Antarctica. From the ocean side of Berkner Island , via the South pole, to Mc Murdo, November -January. With skisail. First solo and unsupported of Antarctica.
1995. Solo to the South Pole. From the ocean side of Berkner Island. Nov – Desember. First to ski solo and unsupported to both poles.
1994. Solo to the North Pole. From Cape Arktichesky in Russia, March - April. First solo and unsupported ski trip to the North Pole.
1993. Skied through Frans Josef Land with Agnar Berg. From Jackson Island to Alexandra Island, April.
1990. Skied to the North Pole with Geir Randby and Erling Kagge. From Ellesmere Island in Canada, March – May. First unsupported ski trip to the North Pole
1989-1991. Norwegian navy, marinejeger, naval special forces.
1986. Skied across Greenland with Agnar berg and Jan Morten Ertsaas. From Johan Pettersen Fjord on the east coast to Umanak on the west coast, March – May.
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