Skiing Into the Bright Open

Liv Arnesen is a world-renowned explorer, lecturer, author, and educator whose expeditions have been featured by the BBC, CNN, NPR, NBC Nightly News, and NBC’s Today Show, as well as in the New York Times, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and O, The Oprah Magazine. With Ann Bancroft, she wrote No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica (Minnesota, 2019) and founded Bancroft Arnesen Explore, a nonprofit dedicated to global water sustainability, with expeditions planned through 2027 to raise awareness through education and storytelling. She lives near Oslo, Norway.Roland Huntford’s many books include critically acclaimed biographies of Ernest Shackleton and Fridtjof Nansen and The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen’s Race to the South Pole.Ann Bancroft is one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers and the first woman to reach both the North and South Poles. An internationally recognized educator, speaker, and philanthropist, she founded the Ann Bancroft Foundation in 1991.

• ContentsForewordAnn BancroftPrologueFruit is Best Enjoyed when RipeSki-Touring between the Covers of a BookFinding My Own WayA First Test in GreenlandSkiing against the TideMy Provocative AnnouncementI Harden Myself in the Himalayas“Have you ever hauled a sledge, my dear?”Training with Tires and PavarottiThe EarthquakeYou Can Achieve What You WantFrom the Cold North to the Freezing SouthSteak and Red Wine in Chile-and We’re OffAlone at LastWind, Weather, and Proper ClothingI’m Enjoying Myself!Message No. 6: “Finish South Pole”And the Satellites Keep OrbitingA Quiet Toast Halfway

"This account of a remarkable history-making solo adventure is told with understated grace by a no less remarkable woman. . . . Her towering inner strength, her courage and calm in the face of adversity, and her endless curiosity about what’s over the horizon all make for an amazing expedition."-Ann Bancroft, from the Foreword"Skiing into the Bright Open is an inspiration. In following Liv Arnesen from her childhood dreams of exploration in Norway to her historic solo expedition to the South Pole, we are drawn especially into the journey of Liv herself-bound to her dreams no matter the odds and obstacles, and as a woman in a field that too often tried to tell her no. This book will give strength to anyone fighting to follow their dreams. And the view from the ice is spectacular. I just listened to my own heart when thinking about the book."-Liv Ullmann"Skiing into the Bright Open by Liv Arnesen is a remarkable book that documents an incredible achievement. This gripping and personal narrative of Arnesen’s preparations and her solo journey on skis to the south pole is an unforgettable tale of focus and persistence. While hauling a 220-pound sledge across stastrugi and crevasses for 1200 kilometers, the author comes through as a person I would very much like to meet."-Arlene Blum, author of Annapurna: A Woman's Place and Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life"Skiing into the Bright Open is an inspiring memoir about the gritty determination that’s needed to achieve dreams and accomplish feats that once seemed impossible."-Foreword "Amid sundry accounts of other great polar achievements, overwhelmingly by men, Arnesen tells her story almost effortlessly, even chummily, sidestepping the usual tone of turmoil."-Star Tribune "There's something wonderfully perplexing about Norwegian adventurer Liv Arnesen's account of her solo ski journey to the South Pole."-The Daily Gazette "This humble telling of a remarkable accomplishment makes for a good read in a cozy spot, watching winter out the window. "-The Ely Winter Times"A tale of solitary adventure in the bleak and beautiful bone-chilling cold of Antarctica, Skiing into the Bright Open tells a story of gritty determination, thrilling achievement, and perseverance in the face of near despair and daunting odds; it is, ultimately, an object lesson in the power of a dream if one is willing to pursue it to the ends of the Earth. "-The Polar Times