In one of Planet Earth’s most desolate destinations, Liv Arnesen couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The famed Norwegian explorer and lecturer was approaching the South Pole on the tail end of a 50-day solo trek in which she had absolutely no contact with the outside world.
As she approached the pole, a man walked out of a building. Arnesen grew a bit wary when he continued to ask questions.
It turned out the man had once been a student during her time as a cross-country ski instructor in Utah.
“I got goosebumps,” she said.
The first female to cross Antarctica on skis, Arnesen completed the 94-day, 1, 717-mile adventure in February 2001. She brings the message of her adventures and explorations in her other part-time job, which happens to be lecturing and educating people.
She relates her life experiences to happenings in everyday life. She said everything that happens in an expedition happens with people on a day-to-day basis. Whether it be communication, risk management, finding out whom you want to be or what business model may work, Arnesen has been able to find a niche helping people relate her experiences to their own relationships and future.
“I try and combine adventure and connect it to our own lives,” she said. “What do you really want to achieve? Then, you start planning. Who do you want to incorporate? Who you want to marry? Who you want on your team?”
She said preparation is as important to survival as anything.
“You always have to prepare for things that might happen,” she said. “That’s very important in an expedition because you might die if you don’t prepare well.”
The same goes for driving to work, or being well-prepared at the office, she says.
Tom Cammermeyer, executive director and founder of the Norwegian Outdoor Exploration Center in Park City, has a long-standing relationship with Arnesen. They attended the same college of physical education and sports in Norway. Cammermeyer said he most recently ran into Arnesen at White Pine in Park City and their friendship was rekindled.
He didn’t hesitate to ask his old friend to speak on behalf of the NOEC about her worldwide explorations.
“We’re so foreign to it today,” he said of mankind’s relationship to the outdoors. “It’s hard to get everybody unplugged for a while.”
Arnesen plans another trek to the South Pole in 2012 with a woman from each continent. Her main goal will be to push a platform of hers, Access Water Project, which will promote awareness of the importance of clean drinking water in the future.
More than pollution or global warming, Arnesen said addressing the issue of clean drinking water is important to her.
“All age groups can relate to water when talking about the environment,” she said.
When asked to describe skiing to the South Pole on a solo expedition, Arnesen said it’s almost like skiing in a gallery of art, pinpointing the white snow drifts, plains, hills and pristine sky.
“It’s very meditative,” she said.
Cammermeyer is looking forward to bringing back his old friend in the near future.
“That would be awesome,” he said.