Oslo (Feb. 21, 2024) — Norrøna ambassador and French polar explorer Vincent Colliard has set a new world record for the fastest solo and unsupported trek to the South Pole from Hercules Inlet. He covered 1140km in 22 days, 6 hours and 8 minutes, breaking the previous world record by almost two days.
“My goal was to explore my full potential with this expedition to the South Pole. I wanted to push myself to the edge, physically and mentally, where I’ve never been on my previous polar expeditions,” shares Colliard. “Now felt like the perfect time for this challenge given my experience and endurance, combined with the impending arrival of my newborn soon. Like all my expeditions, I hope to raise awareness of protecting our polar regions and inspire concrete conservation measures.”
Colliard began his “Pas ce soir, chérie!” expedition on Dec. 20, 2023, and reached the South Pole on Jan. 11, 2024. He remained determined to complete his trek, despite the snow and white out conditions for the first half of the journey. He was inspired by the previous speed record, held by his friend Christian Eide, who skied the route solo and unsupported in 24 days, 1 hour and 23 minutes, in 2011.
“I am constantly in awe of the accomplishments of our Norrøna ambassadors and am proud to have Vincent as part of the Norrøna family,” said Jørgen Jørgensen, Norrøna’s fourth generation leader and owner. “A key aspect for our brand is to support changemakers, and Vincent continues to go above and beyond with each of his expeditions.”
Colliard was raised in the Basque region of southwestern France and currently resides in Norway his family. His extensive career ranges from mountaineering in the Himalayas to partially skiing across Patagonia’s southern icecap unsupported, and more. In 2010, he joined his childhood hero, Børge Ousland, in sailing through the Northwest Passage, navigating it in just 25 days. Colliard and Ousland were shocked by the ice retreat during their journey and soon created The Ice Legacy Project, a series of expeditions across the worlds 20 largest ice caps to document, raise awareness and inspire conservation efforts for the melting glaciers and ice fields. The two are 11 years into their 15-year-long project and continue to advocate for the protection and conservation of the wilderness.
Colliard joined the Norrøna roster of ambassadors in 2019 and used the lyngen Gore-Tex Active Jacket, lyngen alpha90 Vest, lyngen Gore-Tex Packlite Overpants and lyngen down850 Knickers during his most recent expedition.
For more information on Colliard, visit his Norrøna ambassador page at www.norrona.com/en-GB/about-norrona/our-ambassadors/vincent-colliard.
