Erling Kagge

Erling Kagge (born January 15, 1963) is a Norwegian explorer, lawyer, art collector, entrepreneur, author and publisher.

Biography

Erling Kagge is one of the greatest adventurers of our time and has for the past 25 years been setting new standards in exploration. Kagge was the first person to surmount the "three poles" - North, South and the summit of Mount Everest. Kagge was also the first to walk to the South Pole alone.

In 1990, Erling Kagge and Børge Ousland became the first men ever to reach the North Pole unsupported. The expedition started from Ellesmere Island on March 8, 1990 and reached the North Pole 58 days later on May 4, 1990. They traveled approximately 800 kilometers on skis pulling their supplies on a sledge.

Less than three years later, in 1992–93, Kagge completed the first unsupported expedition to the South Pole, covering the 814-mile (1310 km) route in 52 days. Kagge had no radio contact to the outside world for the duration of his expedition. This was featured on the cover of the international edition of TIME magazine on March 1, 1993.