Liv Arnesen

Liv Arnesen is a world-renowned Norwegian explorer, lecturer, author and educator. In 1992, she successfully led the first unsupported all-women trek across the Greenland ice sheet. Two years later, she became a global name as the first woman to ski solo to the South Pole—a 50-day, 745-mile expedition. In less than a decade, she again made international news when she and American polar explorer Ann Bancroft became the first women to cross Antarctica by sail and ski. The two have since come together to found Bancroft Arnesen Explore, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing worldwide access to clean water and creating a sustainable future through education and storytelling. All the while—for more than 20 years—Liv also taught and coached cross-country skiing. Liv is the godmother of our state-of-the-art expedition vessel Viking Octantis.