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Polar exploration from a female perspective

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Women in the polar regions

Polar exploration is often told from the point of view of men, but numerous female adventurers have also been involved in writing its history. The Women of the Poles campaign, from Le Cercle Polaire, aims to raise awareness of these exceptional women. In partnership with PONANT, Le Cercle Polaire is offering some of them the opportunity to talk to passengers during an Arctic or Antarctic cruise. Before you meet them on board, discover some of the key female figures in the history of the poles.

Women in a man’s world

These women are among those who paved the way, driven by an overwhelming desire for adventure and independence…

Jeanne Barret, the pioneer of pioneers

In his Supplément au voyage de Bougainville, Diderot wrote, “These frail machines sometimes contain very strong souls”, referring to Jeanne Barret. In the 18th century, women were not allowed on ships, but in 1767, the young woman set sail aboard the Étoile, one of Bougainville’s expedition ships, disguised as a man called “Jean Baret”. A year later, she was sailing off southern Patagonia and its impetuous Tierra del Fuego.

Ada Blackjack, the sole survivor of Wrangel Island

At the time, the press dubbed her “the female Robinson Crusoe”. In 1921, she was hired as a seamstress for an expedition alongside a team of young, inexperienced explorers. So off she went to Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean, surrounded by men. The young Iñupiat was the only survivor of this mission organised by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, having withstood extreme conditions for months on end.

Women on a mission

From scientists to extreme adventurers, they have helped push the boundaries of polar exploration, armed with their courage and determination.

Louise Boyd, the "bird" of the North Pole

In 1926, Boyd completed her first Arctic expedition aboard the Hobby. A keen scientist and botanist, she brought back her very first rolls of film and several hundred photographs from the mission. This invaluable documentary work quickly earned her worldwide recognition. Louise Boyd also did a lot of ‘shooting’ around Greenland. In particular, she led an expedition there to gather data about radio signals in the Arctic. And in 1955, she became the first woman to fly over the North Pole as part of a team that included aviation pioneer Thor Solberg.

Eight women at the North Pole

In 1986, French geographer and glaciologist Madeleine Griselin assembled the first all-female team for a scientific voyage to the North Pole. The “Eight Women for One Pole” expedition was an extreme journey made on skis in temperatures of -40°C to measure the drift of the pack ice and collect meteorological data. The expedition left its mark on glaciology and history.

Ann Bancroft in pole position

American polar explorer Ann Bancroft was the first woman to lead expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic and to explore both poles. She has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2001, Bancroft and Norwegian polar explorer Liv Arnesen became the first women to cross Antarctica’s landmass on skis, covering more than 2,700 km in 94 days!

The new ambassadors

As polar exploration continues to be written by women, discover some of the ambassadors for equal polar exploration. These exceptional women are all signatories of the Le Cercle Polaire campaign, Women of the Poles:

Ann Daniels, from a financial bank to a bank of ice

In 1997, at the age of 30 and with three children – triplets – at home, Ann Daniels skied across the Arctic ice. The young British woman, who had been working in a bank just a few years earlier, joined the very first women’s expedition (in a team relay) to reach the North Pole on foot in a moment of madness. Won over by this intro to wide open spaces, she repeated the feat two years later in Antarctica.

Cecilie Skog, the collector of peaks

By the age of 34, this trained nurse had already climbed the seven highest peaks on the planet (Seven Summits) and reached the South and North Poles – recording the fastest unassisted expedition to the North Pole ever by a woman in the process. Cecilie Skog has achieved what is known as the Explorer’s Grand Slam!

Laurence de la Ferrière, ever further south

From the highest peaks of the Himalayas to the uncharted expanses of Antarctica, Laurence de la Ferrière is the first French woman to have reached the South Pole and the only woman to have made a complete solo crossing of the Antarctic: 3,000 km pulling a 140 kg sledge from the American Amundsen-Scott base at the South Pole to the French Dumont d’Urville base in Adélie Land.

Tiina Itkonen, an immersion in Greenland

She regularly travels to Greenland to photograph polar landscapes and their inhabitants. Tiina Itkonen’s focus is the west coast, exploring it by dogsled, fishing barge, sailing boat, helicopter, small plane, cargo ship and oil tanker… The journey provided countless opportunities to spend time in small villages and learn more about indigenous Arctic peoples and their culture.

Kate Leeming, the cycling queen of extreme environments

An extreme endurance cyclist, Kate Leeming has cycled more than twice the circumference of the Earth on her expeditions. While crossing Africa from west to east remains her greatest challenge, she is already preparing for her next: the first crossing of the Antarctic continent via the South Pole by bike.

Polar explorers on board in partnership with Le Cercle Polaire

Paying tribute to female polar adventurers from around the world, highlighting the exploits of women explorers and photographers in extreme conditions, and sharing their experiences and travel stories: that’s the idea behind the Women of the Poles campaign launched by Le Cercle Polaire, a NGO set up by Laurent Mayet, which has been a PONANT partner since 2009.

The campaign is an opportunity for PONANT to invite these exceptional women on board its polar expedition cruises for some fascinating discussions with passengers: Laurence de la Ferrière, Tiina Itkonen, Kate Leeming and Reena Dharmshaktu, the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole without assistance, were the first to accept the invitation in 2023.

And in 2024, the adventure will continue with polar explorer and photographer Daisy Gilardini and polar diver Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout, followed by polar sailor Anne Quéméré.