Ann Bancroft

Ann Bancroft is one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers. She joined the 1986 Steger International Polar Expedition as the only female of the six-member team and became the first woman to the North Pole by sled and foot. After leading the first American women across the Greenland ice cap in 1992, she took her team to Antarctica. In January 1993, after skiing more than 600 miles to the South Pole, Ann made history as the first woman to reach both poles. She and Norwegian explorer Liv Arnesen then set an international record as the first women to sail and ski across Antarctica. Today Ann is a globally-recognized educator, speaker and founder of the Ann Bancroft Foundation. She lends her voice to organizations in education and the environment and is the cofounder of Bancroft Arnesen Explore. Ann is the future godmother of our state-of-the-art expedition vessel the Viking Polaris.