The North Pole looms large in our collective psyche--the ultimate Otherland in a world mapped and traversed. It is the center of our planet's rotation, one of the places that is most vulnerable in an epoch of global climate change. Its sub-zero temperatures and strange year of one sunset and one sunrise make it an eerie, utterly disorienting place that challenges human endurance and understanding. Erling Kagge and his friend Bge Ousland became the first people 'to ever reach the pole without dogs, without depots, and without motorized aids, ' skiing for 58 days from a drop off point on the ice edge of Canada's northernmost island. Erling describes his record-making journey, probing the physical challenges and psychological motivations for embarking on such an epic expedition, the history of the territory's exploration, its place in legend and art, and the thrilling adventures he experienced during the trek.

Norwegian adventurer, philosopher and acclaimed writer Erling Kagge is the first person to complete the “Three poles challenge”—reaching the North Pole, the South Pole, and the summit of Mount Everest on foot. After this record-breaking feat, Kagge attended Cambridge University to study philosophy. He is the author of such beloved books as Silence: In the Age of Noise and Walking: One Step at a Time. He has written for the Financial Times, the New York Times, and The Guardian. He lives in Oslo, Norway.



In Conversation With



Timothy Hutton is an actor, writer and film director. He is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting actor.