Karen Kyllesø, 21, dethrones Frenchman Pierre Hedan, who was the youngest person to reach the South Pole alone and unsupported at the age of 26. However, the young woman, who traveled 1,130 km in 54 days, expressed some disappointment.
A 21-year-old Norwegian woman became the youngest person to ski to the South Pole, alone and unsupported, on the night of Monday to Tuesday. She described her arrival as « a little ugly » due to human presence. One hundred fourteen years after her compatriot, polar explorer Roald Amundsen, became the first to reach the South Pole, Karen Kyllesø, born May 9, 2003, traveled approximately 1,130 km in 54 days across the Antarctic continent.
« It’s both fantastic and a little strange, » said the young woman, speaking to Norwegian TV2. « I obviously feel a sense of accomplishment and joy, but I also have to admit that it’s a bit strange to leave the bubble I’ve been in for the last two months, » she added.
Karen Kyllesø dethrones Frenchman Pierre Hedan, who, according to Guinness World Records, was the youngest to reach the South Pole alone and unsupported, at 26, since January 7, 2024. A small frame—1.52 meters tall and weighing 48 kg—Karen Kyllesø dragged a sled weighing about 100 kg, twice her weight, to reach the pole, which she achieved late Monday night, in temperatures of -25°C.
« In fact, I thought it was a little ugly when I got here, » she confided to TV2. « After 54 days of beautiful nature, you arrive, and there are buildings, machines: it just doesn’t really seem to have a place here, » she said, referring to the American Amundsen-Scott research station and the tents located there.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Karen Kyllesø, who trained for six years, had to slow down in the last days after experiencing what she believes was cold-induced asthma. Once she reached her destination, she requested « spaghetti Bolognese, a salad, and vegetables » accompanied by a can of soda and a small glass of champagne. « It’s a page of polar history that has been written, » commented her mentor, Norwegian adventurer Lars Ebbesen, to AFP.
In 2018, at the age of 15, Karen Kyllesø became the youngest girl to ski across Greenland. « Barely had she arrived when she asked me, ‘Do you think I can also go to the South Pole?' » recalls Lars Ebbesen. The adventurer’s father, Håkon Kyllesø, credited his daughter’s achievements to « a combination of good genes. » « Her mother was an accomplished cross-country ski competitor when she was younger, and I am a hunter, fisherman, and lover of long walks in nature, » he told AFP.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre praised the young adventurer, saying she « follows in the footsteps of Norwegian polar heroes. » On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the geographic South Pole, after a tragic race with the British Robert Scott, who died from the cold and exhaustion with his team on the way back.
Source: lefigaro
