M A R T I N

Martin Nesse didn’t grow up dreaming of frozen horizons. His early years in Northern Norway and Oslo were filled with guitars, amplifiers, and the pursuit of rock and roll. He spent more time in rehearsal rooms and cramped studios than in the great outdoors – until a creeping beer belly convinced him to start running in the mountains. What began as a bit of exercise turned into something far more serious: a deep fascination with wild, remote places.

The hikes grew longer, the ambitions bigger. In 2023, Martin walked the length of Norway solo in 100 days – an experience that rewired his sense of purpose. “Down to the cellular level,” he says, “it felt like every step south was a step toward a new course in life.”

Martin’s background is as unusual as his path to exploration. He holds a master’s degree in Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics, further studies in Mathematics from the University of Oslo, and a master’s degree in Engineering and Data Science from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Using self-built artificial intelligence, he once outperformed the Norwegian Central Bank in forecasting inflation – but chose to apply those analytical skills to projects where the margin for error is measured in survival, not percentages. That means demanding expedition planning and the design of resilient off-grid energy systems in Antarctica.

For Martin, an expedition begins long before anyone sets foot on the ice. He thrives on digging into route maps and weather patterns, testing gear until it’s flawless, and running every “what if” scenario he can think of. Physical preparation is just as important – the quiet work of building strength and endurance for the unexpected. On one journey, that preparation paid off when he towed a teammate for nearly 90 kilometres to get the group safely to the finish. For him, endurance is as much about responsibility as it is about strength.

He’s uncompromising when it comes to quality and detail, whether it’s rewiring a motorcycle from scratch or fine-tuning the logistics of a polar journey. Martin owns three motorcycles, all rebuilt by hand, and swears that two wheels are one of the best ways to experience the world – they take you places no car ever will.

In 2026, he will set out on a British–Norwegian full-length expedition to the South Pole – an adventure that will test body, logistics, and humour against the unyielding rules of the ice.