Transcript and Key Points from my Conversation with Karen Malena Kyllesø

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Key Points

• Start Early and Build Gradually
  Karen’s passion for outdoor activities began in childhood through family activities like hunting, fishing, and camping. Starting with small, manageable experiences and gradually increasing the challenge (e.g., from family trips to solo nights) can build confidence and skills over time, applicable to any pursuit.
  
  
• Set Clear Goals, Big and Small, Commit and Take Action
  Karen emphasizes the importance of setting both ambitious long-term goals (e.g., skiing to the South Pole) and smaller, achievable ones (e.g., daily distances or reaching specific degrees of latitude). Writing down goals, sharing them aloud, and breaking them into manageable steps can make daunting objectives feel attainable and maintain motivation.
  
  The discussion highlights the clarity of expedition goals (e.g., reaching the South Pole) compared to the complexity of modern life. Simplifying objectives and focusing on clear, actionable steps can reduce stress and improve outcomes in daily tasks.
  
  Karen’s key advice is to commit to dreams by taking concrete steps, like booking a trip. Overcoming inertia by acting decisively, even on small adventures, can build momentum for larger goals.
  
  
• Handle Setbacks with Perspective
  During tough moments, like snowy conditions slowing her progress, Karen focused on smaller goals and maintained optimism. Viewing setbacks as temporary and focusing on incremental progress can sustain momentum in any long-term pursuit.
  
  Karen managed polar thighs and cold asthma by following medical advice and adjusting routines, like adding clothing layers and using the front part of the tent as bathroom. Proactively addressing health challenges with practical measures can prevent “minor” issues from derailing major efforts.
  
  
• Embrace a Resilient Mindset
  Facing unexpected challenges, like equipment failures or harsh weather, Karen learned to stay calm and resourceful, solving problems independently. Cultivating a mindset that embraces adaptability and self-reliance can help overcome obstacles in any high-pressure environment.
  
  
• Prioritize Relevant Training
  Karen prepared for her South Pole expedition by simulating conditions through smaller expeditions, testing equipment and building routines. Tailoring preparation to mimic real-world challenges ensures better readiness, whether for physical feats or professional projects.
  
  
• Balance Risk and Reward in Planning
  Karen made calculated decisions, like choosing lighter skis to reduce weight despite higher risk, or bringing extra solar panels for mental reassurance. Weighing trade-offs between efficiency, peace of mind and safety can optimize outcomes in any complex endeavor.
  
  
• Simplify Routines for Control
  Karen’s strict daily routines, like checking in with the logistics team at 7 PM, provided structure and comfort during her expedition. Establishing consistent habits can maintain focus and stability in demanding situations.
  
  
• Optimize Resources Creatively
  Karen reduced sled weight by cutting toothbrush handles, repackaging food, and braiding her hair to avoid carrying a brush and saving time on morning prep. Creative problem-solving to optimize resources can enhance efficiency in any resource-constrained environment.
  
  
• Seek Inspiration from Diverse Sources
  Karen drew motivation from explorers like Cecilie Skog and authors like Erika Fatland, despite their different fields. Looking beyond one’s immediate domain for inspiration can spark new ideas and approaches.
  
  
• Minimize Distractions for Reflection
  Karen found value in the absence of distractions, allowing deep introspection during her expedition. Intentionally carving out time away from digital devices can foster clarity and personal growth in everyday life.
  
  
• Focus on Personal Meaning Over External Validation
  Karen prioritized her own experience and growth over external accolades, like her world record. Defining success by personal fulfillment, rather than societal metrics can lead to more authentic and satisfying achievements.
  
  Karen struggled with sharing her Antarctic experience, fearing external opinions might taint her memories. Guarding personal reflections from outside influence can preserve their authenticity and emotional significance.
  
  After achieving her South Pole goal, Karen looks forward to adventures driven by intrinsic joy rather than specific milestones. Engaging in activities for their inherent value can restore meaning and prevent post-achievement emptiness.
  
  
• Build Community for Support
  Through “Polarjenter“, Karen fosters a community to connect and inspire female adventurers. Engaging with or creating supportive networks can provide encouragement and practical advice for pursuing challenging goals.

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Transcript

Intro

[Pictures from Karen’s training and the trip to the South Pole with some quotes from our conversation and upbeat background music]

Joachim’s Intro of the Guest

Today’s guest is Karen Malena Kyllesø.

She’s a Norwegian adventurer and polar explorer who’s redefined what’s possible at a young age. Born in 2003 in Årdal, Rogaland, Karen grew up with nature as her playground, skiing and hunting alongside her family.

At just 14, she became the youngest woman to ski across Greenland, braving storms and setting a world record. But she didn’t stop there. In January 2025, at only 21, Karen skied solo to the South Pole, becoming the youngest person ever to conquer that grueling 1 130-km journey alone, pulling two sleds weighing nearly twice her own body weight.

As a self-described ‘Duracell bunny,’ her relentless drive and meticulous preparation have earned her praise from legends like Børge Ousland.

Beyond her feats, Karen’s a thinker, applying lessons from the wild to everyday challenges. She’s a true testament that you can turn ambition into action, proving that with the right mindset, anyone can push their limits.

…and now dear friends, my conversation with Karen Malena Kyllesø.

The Podcast

[edited for clarity and brevity]

Joachim: Welcome to the pod!

Karen: Thank you.

Joachim: Let’s take it from the start.
When did you get introduced to outdoor living and how did it evolve for you over the years?

Karen: We’ve always been a lot outdoors together with my parents. So, I grew up in in a small… Not even a town. A small village in Hjelmeland. Not too far from Stavanger. We spent a lot of time outdoors hunting and fishing. Just enjoying fresh air. I became more and more into it, and went on my own experiences.

Joachim: Were your your parents also into outdoor living? And did you do experiences or trips together in your early childhood?

Karen: Yes, my father is very into the hunting and fishing part of the outdoor life. My mother is more into the training and running in the mountains, and skiing during the winters. So, it was a combination between a lot of working out and also going for camping trips for a few days.

Joachim: I think I’ve also heard that you started hunting yourself quite early on and that that’s something you enjoy.

Karen: Yes, absolutely. I first started joining my dad and his hunting group. I was always working with the dog and letting the dog out to find the game. But, after I got my hunting license, I also started hunting myself.

Joachim: At what age did you get your hunting license?

Karen: 14 (years old). As early as possible.

Joachim: Yeah, that’s the the lower limit..?

Karen: Yes it is in Norway.

Joachim: Do you go hunting quite often normally at this stage?

Karen: Yeah. Or, I would go more often if I could. But, a few times a year. Often three or four times during the fall, and one time during the winter. So, hunting on skis. I think that’s fun.

Joachim: Oh, really? On skis?

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: What’s your favorite game to hunt?

Karen: I like the birds. The smaller ones.

Joachim: Yeah. All right. So, using shotgun then..?

Karen: Yeah. Shotgun or rifle in the winter for longer distance shooting.

Joachim: When did you realize that this is something that you want to pursue full-time, and to make into a living?

Karen: That was also quite early.
I think regardless of these trips always being together with my parents, I often felt like I was on my own small adventures. Exploring a bit by myself and went a bit further out. Took a night alone, a bit away from my parents. Then, I took two nights alone. So, it just (gradually) built up.

When I was 11 years old, I were allowed to get Instagram.
It was a very new thing then, so my parents didn’t know too much about it, but they said if I was going to get it, I had to only post outdoor content.

Then I started posting outdoor content, and I came in contact with other content creators in the same kind of area, and I got inspired by others to go on different adventures. Then, I went on my own and also posted them. Quite early I found that this was [perhaps] a way that I that I would like to go.

Joachim: Did you travel across various places in Norway or also to Sweden, Finland and other other nearby countries as well, or how did how did your trips evolve?

Karen: In the start, it was mostly in Norway and here in Rogaland. But, when I was 14 (years old) I got a bit bigger dreams than I had had before: I wanted to cross Greenland on skis.

At first, it was quite difficult finding someone who was able and also willing to take me. Because it’s a lot of responsibility for them to take a child, instead of a grown-up. I searched for a long time and then I came [across] a guiding company called “Ousland Explorers” that said if I joined them on a guided trip across Finnmarksvidda, and that went ok, I could maybe join them across Greenland as well.

Joachim: For how long was that trip across Finnmarksvidda?

Karen: It was 5 days, and about 90 km. Sleeping in tents. It was my first time sleeping in temperatures as low as 35 negative degrees.

Joachim: Wow.

Karen: Yeah. It was an amazing trip. I saw the northern lights for the first time in my life and I just really fell in love with winter expeditions.

Joachim: Wow. I can imagine. How how old were you at this stage?

Karen: I was 14.

Joachim: I’m also curious what inspired you to start thinking about Greenland? Was there some some person, some mentor, maybe some book? I mean, what how did that get into your mind?

Karen: There was quite a few Norwegian explorers that was very exposed on TV when I was a child. Cecilie Skog and Lars Monsen. I was really inspired by them and watched all there was to see, and also started reading books. Then there was this guy called Alexander Gamme who has also skied to the South Pole. In a TV series, he brought four 13-year olds to the North Pole.

Joachim: Wow, that’s quite extreme!

Karen: Yeah, they prepared and trained for it for quite some time, and then they skied the last degree to the North Pole. I got to see that it was possible to do, at that age.

Then, a bit later, there was a TV series with Cecilie Skog bringing a Norwegian comedian Truls Svendsen across Greenland. Then I thought if he could do it, I could maybe as well.

Joachim: That’s great! I think it’s so important to be inspired in that particular way. Through TV series, through people who have done similar things in the past, through books…

Karen: Yeah.

Joachim: I also I read a lot of biographies to get that sort of spark of inspiration. It’s wonderful!

Maybe we can sort of segue into goals and ambitions. Could you maybe talk to the significance of goal setting for yourself? Having dreams and setting goals. Tap into that ambition, or this inner drive?

Karen: Yeah, I think I’ve always been very dedicated to my goals. Never been afraid to dream big. I think it’s really important to have a goal like that, because it gives meaning to what you do.

During my time in high school, and even before that, I think goal were really important to me. To have something that made…

Joachim: …meaning.

Karen: Yeah. Made my life meaningful.

Joachim: Something bigger than yourself…

Karen: …and made the training that I did meaningful.

Joachim: Yeah, I think that’s an important point. Just working out, for the sake of working out, versus having this big hairy goal way in the future, that you’re taking small steps every day towards that goal.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: Yeah. Makes every day and all the little efforts you make every day sort of meaningful. I can really imagine that, and I can relate to that.

With some of your past expeditions in mind, both across Greenland, and going to the South Pole.
How do you think about goal setting? Do you write it down in a diary, or do you have like a structure for it that breaks it down from one big goal to smaller goals? Or, how do you think about it?

Karen: I think it’s very important with the smaller goals as well, that are more easy to reach and that makes the journey fun. I actually just found my diary from when I was 14, or right before I went to Greenland. There I have drawn all the dreams that I had. So, I’ve drawn the mountains of Patagonia and I’ve drawn the pole with a ball on the South Pole. I’ve drawn Greenland and a lot of things that I that I’ve done now. Which is really fun to look back at. But, I think it’s important to also dare to tell your goals out loud. Yeah. Because then you kind of commit to them a bit more, than if you just keep them to yourself. And, it’s easier to plan for and prepare for and to try to gain the experience that you need to get there.

Joachim: Yeah. I can imagine that when you voice them out to someone, you get more accountable to actually doing it. Also, another positive thing is that people will often show up to support in some way or another. If they don’t know your goals or where you want to go, then they basically can’t help you because they don’t know what they’re going to help you with. So, I feel that people often sort of come out from the woodworks and… “I know this person, or maybe you should read this book, or have you thought about this..?” People will help a lot if they really know where you want to go, which direction.

Karen: Yeah, I think that’s a great part of it.

Joachim: For most people when they hear goals, they think of the more obvious or bigger goals, but there’s also non-physical goals. Maybe you could share a few examples of non-physical goals that you set for the trip to the South Pole

Karen: Yeah. Yes, absolutely. But, I actually have a better example.

Joachim: Yeah, sure!

Karen: It’s kind of difficult to get allowed to go to the South Pole. So most of the time between my Greenland trip and my South Pole trip, those six years, was about gaining the experience that I needed to be able to go there.

The most important expedition that I did in that time was a 3-week solo winter expedition from Alta in the northern Norway and ending up in Abisko, in Sweden. [Prior] to that trip, I had been sick for a year with what we in Norwegian call “kissing illness”.

Joachim: Ah, yeah, mononuclosis.

Karen: Yes. Yes. And, I didn’t know if I was fit enough to go there, or if I had put down the work that I needed. Then, I had to set up some non-physical goals that were just to enjoy being outdoors again because I hadn’t been able to do that for quite some time. And, just speaking to the people that I met, and take some nice pictures. Just things like that. What I experienced during those 3 weeks that I was alone, was that my confidence [grew]. [I felt] that this was something that I wanted to do and felt like I was able to [do], and good enough for. Yeah. [My confidence] just increased during those weeks.

Joachim: A turning point there, and a key trip.

Karen: Yes. And after that, I finally dared to apply to go to the South Pole.

Joachim: Yeah. Maybe you can speak to this application process, because I think very few people are aware of what’s required just to be able to actually execute an expedition like this.

Karen: Yeah, it’s actually quite a long process. There is a logistics company that kind of governs the expedition part of Antarctica. So, if you want to go there either on a group trip, or alone, or climbing mountains, you have to apply to this exact company. They are in control of everyone and they are also responsible for everyone that are going into Antarctica. They want you to make it and they are looking into the details of what you’ve done before, because they really want you to have a good time there. Therefore, you have to fill out forms with what you have used [previously in terms of] equipment, and which kind of expeditions you’ve [completed]. And, to go on a solo expedition, you also have to show that you’ve been on a solo [expedition] before.

Joachim: Is there any requirement in terms of number of weeks, or how harsh the climate was in your previous expeditions, that you’re using to qualify yourself?

Karen: Yes. And, that you had to navigate [as opposed to following] a set route or [similar]. I found it really funny because I have been skiing for all of my life, but most of the people that are going to Antarctica are non-Norwegians that are not that used to skiing. So, I had to put in the number of hours that I had been skiing.

Joachim: Oh, really?

Karen: Yeah. [Number of] hours. That’s really difficult for me to find out. I went to a high school for skiers and did a lot of cross-country skiing as a child and youth. So, that was a bit funny.

But yeah, you have to document all your former training and experience.

Joachim: Is this process by paper, or is it online? How does it work? Does it involve interviews?

Karen: Yeah, papers, interviews, meetings, lots of different things. You also need a reference. Or, you will be better off with a reference.

Joachim: Is that a reference from someone who’s already been at the South Pole..?

Karen: Yeah, either that or a guiding company that they trust. Yeah, something like that. Most people that contact them who want to go to the South Pole are people that just have this goal, but they’ve never been skiing before. They haven’t used any of the equipment. So, normally that process takes up to 5 – 10 years to just gain the experience and starting out the planning process.

Joachim: How long did this process take for you?

Karen: For me it was really important that I felt confident enough to actually apply. I didn’t want to send before that as most people do. So, I just did everything up-front of the application. Then, when I sent it [in], I got it quite fast.

Joachim: Quite fast… Is that weeks, or months or…

Karen: After all the interviews and filling out the forms, they didn’t say that I needed more experience, or do this and this, and you can come back. I just got “Okay, you’re ready to go.”

Joachim: It’s quite expensive as well pulling all of this together. I think in some cases, I mean, you know this much better than than I do. But, I would imagine maybe 500 000 NOK, maybe a million NOK, maybe more, to put together an expedition like that.

Karen: Yeah. Only the fee that I paid the logistics company was $84,000.

Joachim: Only for the application fee?

Karen: Yeah. Or, the logistics and the safety when you’re first in Antarctica. But yeah, it’s quite expensive. [However], that’s also because they have this responsibility for you. They have security teams and everything ready if something happens.

Joachim: Do you interact with them during the expedition as well through satellite phone?

Karen: Yes, every night at 7 (pm) I had to call in with my satellite phone to give my position and how I was doing. I just got the reports, because they listened to my voice if there was something different today.

Joachim: Oh, really? Oh, okay.

Karen: Or, just the words that I were using. So, they wrote some reports on how they thought that I was doing.

Yeah, that was really interesting looking into and comparing to my own diary.

Joachim: Yeah, talk to us about that.

Karen: I always tried to be as stable as possible to the logistics company, because I wanted to show that I was in control of everything. But, there was definitely some days that were harder than others physically and also mentally.

I tried to give the impression that everything was stable, because most of the time it was. Also, I think it’s important to be able to turn [things] around in your head as well.

Joachim: Did it feel comforting or did it feel like a hassle to check in with them? Was it nice to have this little routine: like every night at 7:00 I’m going to have this call, or how did that feel?

Karen: From some former explorers, I [had] heard it was quite a hassle because you have to be inside the tent by 7, or by the time you get to call in, and it takes time from your other routines. Maybe you can’t start the stove because it’s too loud when you’re speaking [on] the phone. But, I actually found it quite comforting because I really liked the feeling of being taken care of in a way, or that someone cared. I also thought it was nice to have these routines, because then I would never go too far even if it was great weather and everything was set up for a nice day. I always kept my routines, and I think that was an important part in me having having control.

Joachim: I can definitely imagine the feeling of being tempted to push a day further. Maybe I can do an extra hour, maybe two extra hours, or something like that. And yeah, having those routines keep you in check.

Karen: Yeah. Yeah.

Joachim: Speaking of preparations, doing an expedition of this sort of magnitude naturally requires a lot of training, a lot of preparation, a lot of planning in all kinds of ways. Maybe you can help us understand a little bit of what’s actually involved in both the training, the preparations and the planning to pull something like this off.

Karen: Yeah. If we take the the planning first, the most difficult part is actually the finances. That’s really important because you can’t start the other steps before you have that. I found it really difficult financing this. It’s a joke about the Norwegian explorers that we all sell our apartments to go on adventure, because there has been some examples of that. But I’m quite young, so I don’t have an apartment to sell, or I don’t have that much. So, I really needed to get sponsors to be able to do this. So, I put a lot of work down in getting them (the sponsors). I got a great team of sponsors that also took a risk and dared to join this expedition, which I’m really grateful for.

For the training part, it’s of course important to go to the gym and lift weights and do cardio training, but I think the most important training for me was actually being on similar or smaller expeditions to simulate the bigger one. Then I got to know my equipment and my routines were faster and safer, and my body was used to going long days, [for] many days in a row. Mentally I was also preparing for being out for a long time. Both for the mental training and the physical that was maybe (most likely) the most important part.

Joachim: Did you also variate the training across the year? Did you do like a certain kind of training during summer, maybe a different kind of training during winter or autumn, or was there a steady flow of activities that you were doing every year for those six years leading up to the expedition?

Karen: The first three years I was a cross-country skier. So, then I just exercised like a cross-country skier. Mostly cardio training. Then, I did some smaller expeditions during that time as well. But the last three years was more specifically training and preparing. Then I took advantage of the snow in the winters. So, I went on many expeditions lasting for a week because I was also working shift. I had one week at work, and one week off. Those weeks I went on expeditions either in Hardanger, Finnmark or even Svalbard.

During the summer I was also spending a lot of time outdoors in the nice weather and did a lot of cardio training. A lot of running in the mountains, but also pulling car tires to simulate the pulk, or the sled pulling. Yeah. So, it was a bit different during the [various] times of the year.

Autumn I often used for strength training, especially this last fall before going to Antarctica. I didn’t want to get harmed or injured by running too much. So, I just did quite light weight training to just keep as fit as I had built up during the summer.

Joachim: A lot of people may not realize how much training and how much relevant training is required to do something like this. I can definitely understand that it would make sense to do a lot of expeditions that are as similar as possible. So that you get familiar with all the equipment, all the routines and everything, and get into that state of mind quicker. I can definitely see that.

I read somewhere that you also worked together with your partners to enhance some of the equipment. Worked on a tent and on a special kind of sled. Maybe you can speak to that a little bit as well.

Karen: Yes. I didn’t find a winter tent that I thought was good enough for a solo expedition, because I wanted it to be light, of course, easy to put up, safe and that it could handle the different kinds of conditions. So, I contacted Barnes Outdoor, a Norwegian tent brand, and together we developed a 1-2 person tent for longer winter expeditions. It was quite fun to join the process. First getting the drawings, then adjust them, trying out the prototype, [and then] to actually using it on the expedition. It also felt a lot safer that way.

I also did some adjustments [to] the sleds. The normal… Or, it’s not normal to ski to the South Pole, but most of those who do it, use a sled that are 2m and 10cm long. So, it’s quite long and a bit heavy. In some parts of the continent it’s quite difficult terrain, [which makes it] very [challenging] getting this long [sled] through all the bumps and sastrugies. So, instead I went for two smaller sleds. I put skis under the first one to minimize the friction between the pulk and the snow. That worked out fine.

But, 20 days into my expedition, actually on Friday the 13th.

Joachim: Oh, really?

Karen: Yeah. One of the steel attachments [got bent], so the angle was wrong and I couldn’t use them anymore. So, then they (the skis) was just dead weight on top of my sled.

Joachim: Oh, you had to take off the skis, and put them on top. Oh, wow! Okay. All kinds of things can happen!

Karen: Yeah. Yeah.

Joachim: I’ve read quite a few books about different expeditions, both to the North Pole and to the South Pole. And, as far as I can tell, being an amateur just reading these books, it seems like a lot of different challenges and different issues can happen to the sleds. They can get bumped into, or get some scratches, or maybe there’s a hole in it and you need to fix it in some way.

Did you experience any of that at all, or was the fact that you sort of thought about being more flexible up-front (with two sleds), and also worked on having less friction (with skis under the first sled) solve some of those issues?

Karen: Maybe. I’m not sure. You can prepare for most of the things that can happen, but there is also a certain point where you can’t prepare anymore and you have to be ready for…

Joachim: Yeah, the unthinkable, the random, the unexpected.

Karen: Yeah, that’s also an important thing to have the mindset to be able to meet everything with a open mind and you can’t really… At home, if something happens with my equipment, or my car, or anything, my [initial] reaction is to call my father and just cry. No, not cry, but complain. But, what I learned in Antarctica is that it doesn’t help calling dad [to] complain. I just had to try to figure it out myself first. Since it was a bit more hassle to use the satellite phone and everything, I actually tried first myself in Antarctica. Most of the time it went all fine. That’s a good lesson to have, I think: that I’m actually able to do more things by myself than I first thought.

Joachim: Yeah, for sure. Being self-sufficient in that way. I think that can bring a lot of confidence. Inner confidence.

Karen: Yeah. Yeah. In the normal life as well. I think those experiences make me a more confident person, and that the challenges at home… It’s not that they don’t feel big, but I also feel that I can actually do this.

Joachim: I thought about this quite a lot. In the different books, or movies and TV series that I’ve seen from these sort of expeditions, one of the most challenging things, I feel is, what we’re talking about now. The unexpected things that just happen. Maybe there’s an issue with the zipper for your jacket, or there’s something with the sled, or something with the skis. Things just break, and you need to fix it then and there with whatever little equipment you have. And, be this sort of MacGyver kind of person and just figure it out. I think that being resourceful, being able to do that, keep your head calm and everything, and just manage it with whatever you have. I think that’s very impressive!

It seems a little bit daunting as well, since you have no idea what’s going to happen. What’s going to break. It’s difficult to plan what kind of equipment would I need to have in case something breaks.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: It’s also difficult, or at least in my mind, and I would be curious to to hear your thoughts. But, how to train for that… Because you can train your physical strength. You can plan the weight of the equipment, and different things. But, it’s difficult to train, or plan for being resourceful if something comes up. How do you think about that?

Karen: That’s one of the most difficult things. Finding the balance between what do I need to bring two sets of, or what can I repair? When will I not be able to repair this? Should I bring this, or is it too heavy? So for instance, I decided to just bring one pair of skis. So, no extra extra skis or extra ski. They (the skis) were also a bit lighter and maybe more vulnerable than what’s normally being used. [However], since I was an active cross-country skier, and I have quite a good technique, I thought that the chance of me breaking a ski is quite low compared to others, and I will gain a lot [from] not having to have that extra weight with me (having light skis instead of heavy skis). So, you always have to find the balance between how much you gain, and the risk of something getting harmed.

Joachim: Seems like a good judgment call on the skis.

I think a lot of these sort of decisions are really, really important for the success of these kinds of expeditions, and it’s very often not talked that much about. Or, doesn’t get that much focus. How do you pack? How do you plan? What did you bring? What did you not bring, and why?

Karen: Yeah.

Joachim: All these small decisions. All these small choices that makes a big difference in the end.

Karen: Yeah. [It] affected me [a lot] mentally, because I had planned for my sleds to weigh 100kg (in total), and they ended up being 114kg, which is a lot to put in the last couple of days before leaving. But, there was some things that I was really insecure about. For instance, the solar panel. Since I had never used one before, and I had a lot of electronics that I had to charge every day: my GPS, the satellite phone to call in to the logistics company, and I was really [uncertain] about how much effect the solar panel was giving and how easy it would break. I knew it’s not easy to fix a solar panel, so I brought three.

Joachim: Oh, really?

Karen: Yeah. I just planned to bring one, but I felt so insecure about it that I think it would actually been heavier mentally than the weight was bothering me in the bulk of having the option to use three, or to have an extra.

Joachim: Those things are quite individual as well. Making those decisions and feeling what’s right for you, that might be different for someone else. You’re there alone, so you need to really think about what do I need to be comfortable mentally and also feel prepared.

Karen: Yes. When you go to such a place where you meet other explorers and people that has been working in Antarctica for ages, it’s important to stay with your own choices. It’s so easy to get affected by another woman trying for the same route as me. She brought this and this, and I didn’t bring that. That makes me insecure, or that makes you think and it might not be good for you always to…

Joachim: Yeah. You don’t want to mess with your own heads taking in all that alternative input, or alternative ways of doing things.

Karen: Yeah. When you plan for such a thing, since we are so few that have done it, all of the former explorers come with tips. But, I think it’s important to choose only a few that you listen to, because everyone has different experiences, and you can’t really pick from everyone.

Joachim: You can get overwhelmed by all these well-meaning tips, and then sort of drown in that.

Did you bring some paracords, or a Leatherman? What kind of few pieces of equipment that you can use to fix different things, if something happens, [did you bring] along that you felt was helpful?

Karen: Yeah, I brought a Leatherman, or a multi-tool, and a sewing kit. I used that (the sewing kit) a lot for small repairs. [Whenever] something just got a little mark/scratch or anything, I fixed it straight away, because I didn’t want it to get any worse.

Joachim: Would that be typically in your trousers, or in your jacket…

Karen: Yeah. The clothing.

I had some thick woolen socks in my shoes. It’s called “Kartanker.” It’s a Sami traditional inner boot that’s made out of wool. It’s really, really good because it keeps your feet warm, and also it’s very soft so you don’t get blisters. But, the wool is not really strong so they get holes [very easily]. To be able to use them for the whole expedition, I had to repair them…. After a month, I think I had to repair them every second day, or something like that.

Joachim: I thought a lot about [how to avoid] getting blisters. It’s very easy to get blisters on a long trip like that. So, Kartanker seems to be a good way to solve that issue.

Karen: Yeah. Yeah. I love them.

Joachim: Speaking of planning and how to pack, it’s usually sort of a game towards the lowest weight.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: How can you cut any excess weight? I remember reading in one of Børge Ousland‘s books where they even cut the toothbrush in half, to save weight. Do you have any examples of these sort of things that you did in order to really cut down the weight?

Karen: Yeah, I also did that, of course, with the toothbrush and took out all the washing instructions inside the clothing. If there was a zipper I didn’t need, I cut it off. Things like that. So, to me, it was also really important because I’m quite light and small myself. I’m only 152 cm. So, the percentage of the pulk compared to my body weight is quite big. I need the same kind of equipment that a 2 m [tall] man would need. It’s a lot heavier [for] me to pull that weight. So, I was really into cutting all that I could from the pulk/sled.

Joachim: The bigger the accomplishment. I mean if you think about it in that perspective, because I mean you’re pulling the same weight as somebody who’s like 2 m.

Karen: Thank you.

Another thing I did was to take all the food out of the original packages, and put it into lighter plastic bags. I not knotted it like right [next to the food]. Almost like it was vacuum packed. Then, I cut off the excess plastic [just right] above the knot. Things like that. I think I saved about 2 kg by doing that.

Joachim: Wow! That’s quite substantial!

Karen: Yes. You don’t think about that at first, because you think it’s just plastic.

Joachim: Yeah. How much can it weigh?

Karen: Yeah. Yeah.

Joachim: I think that sort of ingenuity, or creativity, [in thinking about] how can I reduce weight. What can I do that’s non-obvious to make this lighter, because after all I’m going to pull this weight for 50-60 days. So, any gram would counts.

Karen: Yes. [I] posted it on my social media, and some people thought it was ridiculous and others actually gave me tips. For instance, I braided my hair, so I didn’t need to bring a hairbrush and saved… I don’t know 50g by doing that. Also, I didn’t need to do anything with my hair. It just stayed the same for the whole expedition and I saved time.

Joachim: Absolutely, great. Yeah. I think all those tips are, incredibly fascinating and something that most people won’t think about, unless they’re in a situation like this.

Karen: Yeah. I think it’s also fun to engage my followers. They feel they’ve been a part of the expedition and they’ve actually given me a lot of good tips.

Joachim: Transitioning into when you’re actually on the trip, how does a typical day look like for you? What sort of activities do you do? How do you structure it? We spoke a little bit about routines, and I think routines are quite important. What was your routines and how did you structure a typical day?

Karen: I woke up quite early, [at] 5:00 because I wanted to be between the time zone of the logistics company, that used the Chilean time zone, and the Norwegian. [This allowed me] to send messages to my parents every night, so they knew I was safe inside my tent.

It was in the morning that I had the most energy. So, I used a bit of time writing in my diary, having an extra cup of coffee and I used some time getting out of the tent after my breakfast. Then, I skied for nine hours, or nine legs, by 1 hour and then 5 -10 minutes breaks where I ate and drank a bit. And after those nine legs, I put up my tent again. I had to melt a lot of snow to get water to make my dinner and to drink.

Most of the time after calling in and giving my position, I was so tired that I went straight to bed. It was in the morning [that] I did other things like repairing my equipment, writing in the diary, reading or things like that.

Joachim: Did you bring any music, audio books, podcast or some entertainment? Let’s call it that.

Karen: Yeah, a lot. But, I discovered [that] inside the tent I found it really comforting to have an audio book or podcasts. In the start, I was distracting myself from what I was doing [by] listening to to podcasts. But, from day 14 or so, I just found it very distracting with the audiobooks and I was more comfortable being in silence to be honest. Just in my own head and actually getting time enough to get deep into my thoughts and reflections.

As a child I was daydreaming a lot, thinking a lot about what life was going to look like and what I wanted to do, my dreams and things like that. But, the last couple of years I haven’t had [any] time to do that, because if I’m bored I take up my phone and scroll on social media. Or, there is messages to answer, or things like that. But, on the expedition there was no distractions, and I found it really nice going back to this slow kind of living and just having time to actually think.

Joachim: Yeah, I can imagine. When I’ve read books by other explorers, one of the things that I appreciate the most is reading their reflections. I feel it’s very pure and authentic. And, as you say, the sort of fast-paced life that we have now with all the notifications, all the distractions, the TVs, the smartphones and the what-not, leaves very little room for most of us to just sit and think and really figure out: “What are my opinion, or what do I think about different things? Rather than just getting all this input.“

Karen: Yes. I think we are scared to be bored, and to get thoughts that you maybe don’t want to have. On an expedition like this, you just have to take in what thoughts that come to your head, and it can be good or bad. At home, if you start to get into a negative way of thinking, you will distract yourself because you don’t want to be there. But, on an expedition, you actually just have to handle it. I think it’s good to be in that situation as well.

Joachim: Absolutely. I feel that there’s a lot of these bigger thoughts, [such as] the philosophical thoughts that you get more time to really think through, rather than just thinking about it for a few minutes. You can have this long chain of thoughts that you can stay with. Really have the time to mull over it and reflect.

Karen: Yes. At home, I care so much about, or not so much, about how my clothes look like, which color they are, which brand. But, on an expedition, the only thing that counts is that you’re warm and that the jacket will last for the whole expedition.

It’s a paradox to get back home, and then caring about which color it is, etc. I think it’s really funny. You get to reflect over those kind of stupid things, that we that we care about at home.

Joachim: Yeah. What we care about and what we focus on, what we spend time on and complain about.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: I would imagine that during the trip, there would be certain things that went better than you expected, and for sure some challenges that arose that you weren’t expecting.

Karen: I was really prepared that it was going to be very hard mentally. Sometimes it was, but since I had prepared that much for it, I think it went better [than expected] and I had a great time, most of the time. I was able to slow down, and just take one step at a time. I didn’t get stressed over things. I actually managed to stay [focused] and take one thing at a time. I think that went better than I [had] thought.

Physically, it was harder [than anticipated]. There was a lot of things happening that I didn’t expect. For instance, from day 7 to day 20, it was snowing. Besides from being the largest glacier in the world, Antarctica is also the largest and driest desert that we have. So in a normal year, there will be less snow or rain in Antarctica than in Sahara. So, I didn’t expect it to snow. Fresh snow. But, there was two weeks of snowing, snowing and snowing. There was also very little wind during those weeks, so the snow never set. There was just this half a meter of fresh snow, that I had to walk in. Since it’s so dry, the snow is also very, very dry. It feels almost like walking in sand.

Joachim: Oh, really?

Karen: At that time, it was quite early in my expedition. My pulks/sleds were very heavy and I wasn’t even near the progression that I needed to have, [in order] to get to the pole in 50 – 60 days. I got really frustrated because the number of kilometers that I had to walk [on a daily basis] to get there just increased every time I got inside the tent. That was really hard to handle, because I was so tired every evening. I had skied all that I could, but it wasn’t good enough. I didn’t know when the weather conditions were going to turn. That was a quite hard time.

At day 20 I [felt] really down. That was maybe when I was most [uncertain about whether] I was going to make it. I really thought for some days that it was never going to work out.

Joachim: Yeah.

Karen: Very soon after, Antarctica just changed completely from being flat and soft, a bit up-hilly, to being sharp, rough and there was edges of these sastrugies. Conditions were also harder. It wasn’t good glide, but it was better than walking in fresh snow. Then, I was able to go twice the distance that I had done [thus far]. But, it was also a more scary part of the continent, because the winds were stronger, it was colder and these sastrugies were hard. My pulks/sleds were tipping over and I fell into them sometimes when it was whiteout, and I didn’t see the difference between the snow and the sky.

There was challenges with everything. When I got away from the fresh snow, it was easier to walk, but also harder for the body because I was going up and down on these hard sastrugies and back and forth to the pulk that was tipping over. So, there was always something [that was challenging to deal with].

Joachim: I’m really curious about the first 20 days that you described. How you sorted the thoughts in your mind when you’re feeling [that] every day I’m supposed to go a certain distance, and today I was only able to go let’s say half the distance. The next day it’s the same, and the next day it’s the same. I can imagine that being quite challenging mentally. How was your inner dialogue, or your inner self-talk?

Karen: Yeah, back to what we talked about with goal setting. It’s very important to have these smaller goals as well. So, I had degrees. I walked from 79° to 90°, and [each degree was] 110 km each. So, I had those as goals as well. Every day was a goal. To just divide the expedition into different phases, I think, is really important. When you stand at the start and it’s more than a thousand kilometers to the goal, you can’t really think of that (or comprehend it). You have to take one day at a time, and sometimes even one hour at a time. I was really good [at] doing that from the start, because I had worked on my mindset [previously]. That worked to a certain point… On day 20 where I reached the breaking point, [and started to think] that I wasn’t going to make it.

[Prior] to that I was always thinking that the conditions can turn, and if I’m just doing my best every day, that’s good enough. Most of the time, I had that kind of mindset. That worked 14 days in snowy [weather] until I reached the breaking point.

Luckily, it didn’t last very long before the conditions got better after that.

Joachim: Yeah. Quite a rough start.

Karen: Yes, basically. Yeah. I really wonder if the snowy weather had lasted for one more week, what I had felt like… If that happened. Yeah.

Joachim: Yeah. Going back to all these random things that can happen. We don’t know how the conditions going to be. Maybe if you did it in a different year, there would be no snow at all, or maybe a different year there would be another week of it. You know… Who knows?

Karen: Yes. It’s different for everyone that’s doing it. We are all on our own expeditions.

There were also some other explorers [who] were trying for the same as me. I think we were 5-6 different solo expeditions, this year.

I get a lot of questions if I compared myself to the others, but I think there’s no point in doing that. When you’re on a 54-day long expedition. You can’t compete with anyone because we all have different challenges. Some are struggling with the weight in the pulk, others are struggling with something in their bodies, or something mentally. You just have to focus on yourself, and take one day at a time.

Joachim: Yeah.

Speaking of unexpected things that happen, towards the end of your expedition, I seem to recall that you were facing some cold asthma, and polar thighs. Could you speak to that?

Karen: Yes, the polar thighs came quite early. It’s quite common in the polar areas. It’s a kind of frost bites that you get on your ties, or for me it was the bum. No one really knows why they appear, but they start as blue or reddish marks, and they can develop into open and infected wounds. I even know some [people] who had to have a skin transplantation.

Joachim: Oh, really?

Karen: After having polar thighs, the skin can be ruined forever. I didn’t feel that I was that cold and maybe I was not too careful going to the toilet outside. Then, during Christmas, I started to feel a bit of pain on my bum when I was sitting down. Of course, I can’t look myself on my bum, so I hadn’t seen anything uncommon. I took a picture, and then I saw this big blue mark, and only two days later, the skin was broken open and it was red and it didn’t look good at all.

I contacted doctors. The logistic company have quite good doctors in Antarctica that have a lot of experience with polar thighs. They decided to put me on antibiotics straight away, and I kept the routines more strictly. I wore down pants, more layers of wool. I put my sleds in front of the wind and put on my big down jacket, when I was going to the toilet outside. [I] tried to always go to the toilet inside the front part of the tent, before going out every day so that I didn’t need to go that much. Luckily it didn’t become any worse.

[However], I know a few expeditions that were ruined because of the polar thighs. Since it came in the middle of my expedition, I had one month left. I also found it really hard that it came that early on, because it was before the coldest and most windy part. So, I didn’t know how bad they could be. Luckily, they just stayed stable for the rest of the expedition.

Joachim: That’s good to hear.

When this happens, you get to talk to the doctor and you get some advice on what things to do and maybe some balms or [certain] things to treat it with. Did that comfort you to stay in the same mindset and continue, or did it contribute [as] an extra burden or stressor mentally: “Okay, now I have this condition,” and also when you’re on antibiotics [perhaps] that could affect your, let’s call it, performance when you are skiing and pulling the sleds…

Karen: Being comforted by the doctors, since they are very used to working with expeditions, they know which language to use and how to comfort me. So, when I first discovered them, I [felt that] this is way too early and these are way too big. So, I’m basically f*cked. But, they were like, “No, you know, you’re going to make it. We’re going to figure this out together. Use these creams and things that we gave you up-front.” They also put me on antibiotics, and was really calm, but also concerned, [which ] I found really comforting.

But, I also got affected from the antibiotics, I think. Because there were some days that I was feeling a bit of sickness, and I was a bit dizzy when I was out walking.

In the same period of time, there was a Norwegian guy called AK Teigland, that was going for the speed record to the South Pole. Trying to ski the 1130 km from the coast to the pole in around 20 days.

I had some contact with him, and we had the same expedition manager at home. What happened to him was that he passed out during a day of skiing. So, he passed out in the snow, and just woke up seeing his skis. I think he was wondering where he was. Luckily, he managed to put up [his] tent and call in to the station. He was evacuated. That could have gone way much worse.

When that happened, it was the same period that I was on antibiotics and had been feeling a bit dizzy myself. I really got affected by his story, because I didn’t know where my [limit] was. Where my breaking point was. This can happen to me as well. I’m also alone, and what if I don’t wake up? I was really thinking in those those terms. [Therefore], it also was really important for me to just keep the routines. [To not] go any further than my plan.

Joachim: It’s quite scary to get that sort of story, while you’re on a very similar expedition.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: At the same time.

Karen: But, we had very different margins as well. He was skiing 50 – 60 kilometers every day. He had to, because he had little food in his sleds and he had this record to beat. It was two different games. But, at the same time, we were at the same place, all by ourselves, skiing in the most isolated, windy and coldest continent on earth. So, you get those kind of thoughts.

Joachim: Well, [it’s] definitely a stark reminder of the potential dangers that are out there, and what could potentially happen.

Karen: Yes. But, it was also a good reminder. It was nice to see that the security team actually picked [him] up so fast and that everything actually worked really fine.

Joachim: Yeah. I love how you think about this, because it demonstrates, at least to me, how you’re able to pull out what’s positive from that experience and then focus on that. There’s a lot of negative in that story, but you can focus on that, or you can focus on the positive things. “Okay, the security is really good. It’s comforting to know that if something happens, they can sort of evacuate someone very quickly.” I mean, that’s a better way to think about it.

Karen: Yeah. I think you have to be thinking in those terms when you are in an expedition like that. There’s no choice, to be honest.

Joachim: What about this cold asthma? When did that occur, how did that affect you, and what did you do when that happened?

Karen: When I had around 150 km left to the pole, I was through the hardest terrain and it started flattening out and became soft again. Actually quite nice conditions. But, what I didn’t think about was that I also was far into the inland of Antarctica and at the altitude of 2,800 m. Because of the lower pressures around the pole, it can be compared to being on 4,000 – 4,500 m in Europe. To pull a sled [at] that altitude is heavy. The thin and cold air really affected me.

The winter in Antarctica almost started again. It was getting colder and colder every day. I started feeling pain in my lungs, and I really struggled to breathe. I had to take lot of breaks and I was skiing really, really slow. Of course it was hard physically, but my pulks/sleds were also light, and I didn’t need to save energy for anything more, because I only had a few days left, or a week left. I wasn’t too concerned about the physical part, but it was also really mentally heavy to go that slow when I first thought that this was going to be an easy part of my expedition, since my pulks/sleds were lighter, and the terrain was better. I thought I was going to go fast and have long days [in] the last part before the goal, but it became everything other than that. Wow. That was actually mostly mentally hard, because I didn’t have the progression that I wanted.

Joachim: Reality clashing with your expectations.

Karen: Yes. Also, my body was really ready to be done. I think it’s normal that your body resigns a bit before your head, before you’re actually there.

[There’s] a lot of examples of expeditions that have gone wrong in the last couple of days, or even on normal hikes in the mountains here at home. You think that you’re finished, before you are in the car, or inside the hut. That’s a really dangerous path to go into, thinking that you’re finished before you’re actually there. Just keep the focus and the routines until you’re actually at the pole.

Joachim: What sort of medications, or what sort of remedies could you take for the cold asthma? Is there some ventilator, or [similar] that you [could] use?

Karen: Yes, I had some of that (ventilators) with me. I used that, and I could also use some tablets. But, we didn’t know if I had a lung infection, because I had pain as well. If I used those tablets, they would [lessen the function] of my immune system. So, they wouldn’t risk putting me on those tablets, [since] they didn’t know if it was actually asthma, or a lung infection. Since I was out there alone, they weren’t able to check it. So, I was just on the ventilators and I also used a mask that was heating up the air a bit before breathing it into my lungs. That also helped. But, the most important things was thing was just to slow down.

To be honest, during those days I was really, really tired. I was wearing this mask and it’s kind of nasty and wet to wear it, because it’s a lot of moist being produced inside it. One of the days I felt it was a bit more wet than usual. Then, when I took it off blood just ran into the snow. I just saw the blood in the snow. My nose had started bleeding, and I think that was just the last sign from my body that I was really tired and needed a break, or needed to slow things down.

Joachim: Just thinking about all the strains that you put your body through during such an expedition, for so many days. It’s no wonder that the body starts showing signs of the consequences of that, towards the end.

Glad that it worked out in the end. 54 days was it?

Karen: Yes. It ended up being 54. I had planned for 50 and packed for 52, but I had some extra dinners so I could stretch it out to 55. So, it was right on the limit.

Joachim: Wow! What would you say is the most important skill to develop for an adventurer.

Karen: I think first of all, it’s actually committing and daring to dream, and daring to actually go. I think that’s where most of us fall off. We all have a lot of dreams, but to actually do them… I think many get stopped from studies, work or commitments at home. When you first decide to go on your first adventure, actually set a date and book those flights, I think it’s easier to do it [again] the next time. My best tip is to just do it (as the Nike slogan goes). Just go on your first adventures, and then the next one will be easier to plan.

When you’re out there, I think it’s important to have this mindset that you just have to meet every challenge. You can’t just run [past] it, or anything. You have to take one step at a time, and you have to figure out things. If you’re [alone], you have to figure it out by yourself. You can’t just give up. I think that’s one of the most important skills when you’re on the expedition. You can be as fit or ready as you want, but if you don’t have the right mindset, I think it’s more difficult.

Joachim: Yeah, for sure. Mindset is very, very important.

Speaking of mindset, at least for me, nature soothes me quite a lot. For someone who spend so much time in nature, such as yourself, what is the impact of nature on you as a person, and what does it mean to you both in terms of your day-to-day life, but also on your expeditions?

Karen: It’s really important to me. It’s like a free zone where I can be myself and time/the clock doesn’t affect my days, or what I’m doing. [It’s] also a place where I can take on some challenges and feel accomplishment. But, also… just the beauty of nature. I feel it affects me a lot.

It’s kind of a paradox: loving nature that much, but also traveling to the other side of the world to go into an untouched area, because all of us shouldn’t do it.

Joachim: I think when you see these untouched areas, how beautiful it is and how vulnerable it is, you get another perspective of things as well. You kind of get a sense of you want to protect the precious nature because you see how it can be at its best, when it’s unspoiled.

Karen: Yes. Yeah.

Joachim: You want to to take care of the places that are still like that.

Karen: When you see places at home that are untouched, or [where very few people have visited], you kind of feel like not posting it on Instagram, because then everyone will go…

After doing something like this, I think it’s a bit difficult posting my Antarctic adventure because I know that it makes more people want to go there. I was also inspired by others. I also think like that with the places in my own home area. I want to share most of the places with more people, but when I’m finding places that are a bit more untouched, I might want to keep them for myself.

Joachim: Yeah, I can see that is a tough balance to to strike.

Karen: Yeah, especially since it’s my work as well, or I’m trying to make a living out of inspiring others. It’s really difficult finding the balance, as you say.

Joachim: I thought a little bit about this. When you were on expeditions, such as to Greenland and in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, Svalbard and to the South Pole, some of the non-physical goals: enjoying the trip, as we spoke about, taking nice photos. How do you go about taking those photos? When you’re in an extreme environment, I would imagine that it’s more of a strain to: “put down the skis, put down all the equipment, find the camera, take the picture.” You can’t do it all the time. You have to pick the right moments. What kind of equipment do you have? How do you think about it? How often do you take a picture? How does it play into your routine?

Karen: It takes a lot of focus, to be honest. I was also filming for a TV documentary.

Joachim: Oh, really?

Karen: That is being clipped/edited now. I had to, of course, speak a lot to the camera. I think the storytelling is the most important part. That shows how I think. The mental journey is as exciting as the physical one. But, I also had to take a lot of frames/pictures outside. So, I had to put up my camera, and then I had to walk in a half circle to not make any marks in the snow, because it should look like I was going there for the first time. So, it took a lot of focus and time. I think if I didn’t take any pictures or film, I would go faster. [However], it has a lot of value to me to have these photos and film to be able to tell the story through talks and through the movie.

Joachim: Yeah, for sure.

I also feel a little bit ambivalent to that, because it’s wonderful to take the photos and have the memories emerge when you look at them. You can share them. You can more easily tell the story and communicate it to others, whether it’s family or a wider audience. But, it’s also great to pull out memories from your mind through looking at an image. They sort of spark memories.

Karen: Absolutely.

Joachim: But, on the other side, it takes you a little bit away from the experience itself, because you are in that moment. You’re enjoying it. You’re seeing the nature. You’re sort of in that feeling. Then, you step out of that, to take the photo. You think about: “How is this framing going to look like? Is this a better shot? Should I [take it] from this angle?” Then, you put down the camera and you go back. Sort of stepping in and out of that, reality or that moment that you are in. That can also be a little negative. So, it’s both positive and negative at the same time.

Karen: Yeah, it becomes a bit fake in a way.

Joachim: Yeah.

Karen: At the very end of my expedition, I just started to cry when I was skiing. I didn’t know why at first, but I just had this feeling. I think I figured out that it was because [up until] now, this expedition was only mine and my impression of it. I have been skiing for 50 days without speaking [face-to-face] to anyone else. It was just my experience, and it was a real experience. It wasn’t through a screen or anything like that. I knew that when I got there, or got home, I would also be affected by everyone else’s impression of my expedition. Others would have [opinions] about it, and almost tell me how it was. I found that really difficult at the end of the expedition. Letting go of it, in a way. That it (the experience/the expedition) was going to be colored by others’ impressions [and opinions] of it.

Joachim: Not just colored, but maybe tainted a bit.

Karen: Yeah.

Joachim: I can really understand that.

Karen: That’s a bit [similar to] sharing pictures, because then people feel like they know how it was, or that they have the right impression. I can also have a [completely different] impression, or when I tell it in this way enough times, or people tell me enough times, [then] I [might] change my impression of it. That’s hard to realize sometimes.

Joachim: Yeah, it’s difficult to wrap your head around these sort of things.

I want to take us a little bit back to your drive and motivation.
If you were to summarize what drives you and what motivates you, how would you go about explaining that?

Karen: First of all, I really love being outdoors, skiing and using my body. Being in the nature. Have this silent place with the slow kind of living, where you have time to reflect and think.

But, there’s also a reason [as to] why I don’t just travel to a hut and stay there for a long time. That’s because I want to take on these challenges and feel the accomplishment on the other side. To show myself what I’m capable of doing, is just the best feeling ever! I think it plays a very big role in the person I’ve become, how I feel about myself and how I act with others.

Joachim: That feeling of accomplishment in these sort of pursuits, really translates when people read about it or hear about it [through] coming to your talk, or in other forms. I think [it] can be incredibly inspiring for a lot of people.

Karen: Yes. You can also draw parallels to very many other perspectives of life.

Joachim: Yeah. It transfers quite well.

I think there’s something about it… I want to try to get this right.
If you do an expedition like this, or [say], climb a mountain, it’s very challenging and difficult, but there’s something very beautiful about the simplicity of it. Either you reach the top of the mountain, or you didn’t. It’s very clear what to do. In your normal life, in most people’s jobs, the end goal can be quite complex and it depends on a lot of different people coming together to make something happen. Of course there are a lot of people supporting someone like yourself doing an expedition, but the actual doing of it, and of course the training, the planning and everything is something that you do and you prove to yourself that I’m capable of doing this. But, in most other areas of life, there’s so many different people and factors. Also the goal is very often a little bit muddy.

Karen: Yeah.

Joachim: It’s not as simple. The distinction I want to make is between simple and easy. It’s very difficult to do it, but it’s simple in terms of the thinking about it.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: The goal in itself is simple, but very difficult.

Karen: Yeah. I’ve actually thought a lot about that, and I feel that’s also something that I take with me from this experience. The goal felt very overwhelming when I was standing at the start line, but the journey towards it was really clear. It was just to take one step at a time and one kilometer. But at home, you can have a goal that is as overwhelming, but the path isn’t that clear. But you still have to do the same. You still have to take one step at a time. You can’t do many things at the same time. Just draw the parallel between those, has been an important lesson to me.

Joachim: I get this association as well in terms of stress. A lot of people in today’s society feel a lot of stress. More than we did like, say, 100 years, a thousand years, or several thousand years ago and I’ve been wondering whether that, in some parts at least, relates to the difficulty of the path. In the past we used to do very hard things, but the path was very clear.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: In your pursuit, the path is quite clear, although very difficult. I feel that as humans, maybe we get quite overwhelmed, when we’re not just doing hard things but it’s also difficult to see a clear path. What’s the next step? What’s the next 10 steps? When that’s difficult, muddy, or cloudy then it can stress us out.

Karen: Yes, and at home you can [get the feeling] that you can always do something. You can always answer that mail, send that application, or things like that. But on the expedition life is, besides being a tough challenge, really simple and easy. You just have to walk your kilometers, melt your snow and make your dinner. If you just keep the routines, you’re good! You can’t do really do much more. You can actually give yourself the opportunity to rest, or you allow yourself to feel that: “Okay, I’m done for today, and tomorrow is a new day.” But at home, you always feel that you could have done something more, and I think that stresses you out.

Joachim: Yeah, I completely agree. Completely agree. That’s quite a tough feeling, especially for someone who’s quite conscientious. It can be quite taxing mentally to think that: “There’s always this little thing I could do. Then you do that little thing, and then you think maybe there’s a little other thing [I should do], and it never ends! Right? It never ends…

Modern life has a lot of that. It reminds me of the distinction between what’s urgent and what’s important. When the path is very clear, you do what’s important. [Then you] always do what’s important. But, in our daily lives with regular jobs, and these sort of things, you can spend quite a lot of time and effort on things that are urgent, but not necessarily important.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: There’s a notification. There’s an email. There’s something to be sent and done. It doesn’t really matter, but it seems very urgent, so I’m going to do it. [We] tend to waste a lot of time and effort on that, and then [we] don’t have the progress that [we’re] expecting, because it’s not really important. Then, you get into this stressing cycle. You spend a lot of time and effort doing urgent, but non-important things.

Karen: Yes. I’ve also heard that the more important something feels to you, the more you’re willing to procrastinate it, and take the more urgent thing first. [This is] because you want to sit down and be in the right state of mind, have enough time, etc. and then you just do these stupid things first because it’s [easier] and feels less important. So, you just start on those first.

Joachim: Yeah. Yeah. Then, you just procrastinate what’s really important to you, and you get even more stressed.

Karen: Absolutely,

Joachim: It’s like a stress spiral.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: I also want to talk to you about who inspires you.
There’s been a lot of fascinating adventurers, especially from Norway actually, [who] have done incredible things in the past. But, for you personally who have inspired you the most, and why do you think that is?

Karen: A lot of people think that I’m inspired by our national heroes Amundsen and Nansen. For sure, they were incredible people, but I’ve never been tempted by the heroic acts and the pain that they felt. When you read those books, it just seemed like they didn’t have a good time at all.

The younger explorers in our [lifetime such as] Liv Arnesen and Cecilie Skog, were always smiling when they were in these tough areas. They had ice in their eyebrows and in their hair, but they also had a good time. I thought that looked a lot more tempting. They have definitely inspired me, [along with] people doing completely other things. For instance, Erika Fatland, [who] is a travel author. I have read all her books. I think she’s really tough. [I’m impressed] that she dares to do all the things she does. It’s really inspiring, [although] I’m doing other things. But, [I find] inspiration in people who are doing [completely] different things than me.

Joachim: Speaking for myself, I can find inspiration in so many different areas. At least for me, it’s about inspirational mindsets, and ways of thinking. People pushing themselves to see what they’re made of in different capacities.

Karen: Yes, I really like meeting people [who] are really passionate about what they do! I find that really inspiring.

Joachim: It’s very important to the human connection to feel that, and that energy transmits in some way from one person, to the next. We can sort of feed off each other’s energy and inspire each other. I think, especially in the the last decades, there’s been so much polarized thinking and too little focus on great accomplishments. Great efforts, and support for various people in the community on the worldwide stage.

Karen: Yes

Joachim: There seems to be too little of that. Too little compassion, love and support for people doing amazing things, whether it’s in research, adventure, in sports, arts or whatever it might be.

Karen: Yes. I also think there’s difference between personal accomplishment, and what everyone else thinks. After coming home from the South Pole expedition, there’s been a lot of focus on the world record because I became the youngest to ever complete this journey. I found that a bit hard at first, because for me it doesn’t [matter] at all. It’s not that, which makes the trip meaningful. I’m more [concerned] about the experience and everything I learned during the trip. That’s what I’m [left] with now. But, everyone else looks at it as a world record, or not everyone else, but some people.

Joachim: Yeah.

Karen: I think that’s [very] different [from] how I see it.

Joachim: As I think you spoke to a little bit earlier, [it’s about] trying to hold on to what it means to you.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: What’s your personal takeaway from this, and keep that close to heart and pristine, rather than being affected by what other people may think or shine a light on.

Karen: Yeah

Joachim: We spoke a little bit about the reflections and the big thoughts. When you’re on such a trip, you have a lot of time to think about and sort out your mind. So, I would be curious to know, at this stage, because this might change: How would you describe your philosophy on life?

Karen: I think it changes all the time.

When I was out there, I had some thoughts that I thought I was going to hold on to. But, it wasn’t long before I started to get back to normal, or how I was interacting before the expedition. For instance, I thought I was going to be less on my phone and on social media because I didn’t miss it at all when I was out there. But, I can’t when I’m home. I’m just being distracted and there’s notifications, and yeah… I don’t even know why I’m doing it.

Joachim: Yeah. Old routines, old habits.

Karen: Yeah. Bad habits.

Joachim: They have a way of pulling you back in, so to speak.

Karen: Yeah. For me, it’s important to get that reminder from time to time. To go out on smaller adventures, smaller hikes and be without connection and all the luxury with the showers, good food and everything. To get a reminder of what’s really important to me.

Joachim: Yeah.

Another thing that I have been wanting to ask you is… You’ve had this big goal for 6 years. You work towards it every day. Then, you get to do the actual expedition. You complete it. You reach the biggest goal you’ve set for yourself, so far in your life, which quite frankly not a lot of people get to have that experience. Then, what do you feel afterwards? How does that feel once the dust settles, so to speak?

Karen: It’s a bit strange because I have thought of the South Pole every day the last 6 years, and to just be finished… It’s strange to not have this goal in front of me anymore. At the same time, I’m really happy that it turned out all good. I’m wondering what I [would] have thought if I had to be evacuated, or didn’t reach my goal.

It feels less meaningful doing training, and yeah life in general. Things that I do feel less meaningful than it did when it was because of the goal. But, at the same time it has taken a lot of focus the last couple of years. Every exercise that I did, or every hike, or anything was always with the South Pole in the back of my head. Now, I’m actually really looking forward to get some experiences because of the experience itself, and not because I’m going to the South Pole.

Joachim: Yeah. So, there’s pluses and minuses. There’s a little bit of relief, and also a little lack [with regards to] sense of meaning.

Karen: Yeah. A bit of emptiness. I’m still at the high of coming home, getting all the media, congratulations and everything like that. And yeah, feeling accomplished. But, when things settles [a bit] more, I think [perhaps] I will feel more emptiness [from not] having this goal. But I don’t know.

I also have some plans, because I put my education on hold to be able to do this. Now I’m going to to university next autumn (autumn of 2025). I have some plans, and I think that’s important.

If I had started to work, and was going back to work, I think it would be a bit different. Now, I’m actually starting on a new chapter in [my] life.

Joachim: Yes, a new chapter. A new adventure.
What are you planning on studying?

Karen: I’ve applied to Trondheim (NTNU) to geology.

Joachim: Okay. Yeah.

Karen: So, I hope I will get in there.

Joachim: May I ask why you picked that in particular?

Karen: I think it’s really interesting, and I hope to be able to choose a path to go more into the glacier kind of stuff. I know there’s an exchange program to Svalbard and arctic geology, which I think is really exciting. That’s something I want to work [on] which I can combine with being in these arctic polar regions. Maybe be there in a bigger sense than just for an expedition, maybe as a scientist.

Joachim: Yeah, that would be nice. In a completely different capacity.

Karen: Yeah.

Joachim: Exploring in another way.

Karen: Yeah. I feel like I have just been exploring things about myself. When exploring Antarctica, it was the first time for me, but it has already been explored. I think the English term “polar explorer” is not very suitable for what I am. I think the Norwegian word “polfarer” (polar traveler) is a lot better. I don’t think I can use this “polar explorer” term, because we are not exploring anymore. But, if I were to go there as a scientist, doing those kind of things, I think it would be more [suitable], and give even more meaning to the expedition.

Joachim: Yeah, I love that! That’s a great way of thinking about it!

Now that you’ve been to Greenland, and to the South Pole. What about the North Pole? Is that on the menu?

Karen: No, actually not!
For me, it’s important to say [that] it’s not about the checklist, or anything like that. It’s more about doing something that gives meaning to me, and that I think is a lot of fun and challenge me in new ways.

Joachim: Yeah.

Karen: So going to the South Pole in Antarctica, was because I wanted to go to this isolated area and feel in my body how it is to be that far away from everyone and everything. To be able to be in my own thoughts in this white desert for that [long] amount of time. It’s not about crossing it off a list, or those kinds of things.

I will definitely go on more adventures, but maybe something with a backpack next time, or not that clear [of a] goal, but just being outside. Maybe combining it with the outdoors life that I have from my childhood with hunting and fishing. I would want to try different kind of expeditions.

Not particularly go to the South Pole, North Pole, Everest, etc.

Joachim: Tasting different aspects of life rather than being on this “adventure route,” so to speak.

Karen: Yes.

Joachim: That makes sense.
That’s one of the things I was quite curious about.
I think also for myself. I’m very keen on tasting, feeling and experience a multitude of different things rather than just within one area.

We have, most likely, a quite limited time on this planet, and experiencing as much as possible and so much variety as possible really triggers me at least.

So, it was interesting to hear how you felt about it.

Karen: Yeah, me too. I want to see and experience different things, but also take on different kinds of challenges to get this feeling of accomplishment.

Joachim: Well, it’s been a pleasure!
How can people reach out to you online? Where can they find you? Where can they learn more?

Karen: I’m called Friluftsjenta on Instagram, or you can just search for “Karen Kyllesø” and you’ll find me. I share all of my adventures there.

Joachim: You’re also part of this account Polarjenter. Maybe you could speak to that as well.

Karen: Yeah, “Polarjenter” or “Polar Girls“. We are four girls running it, and it’s most of all a community where we try to connect more, especially female, explorers but it’s open for everyone. We have experienced that there wasn’t that many girls in this field, but there is a lot of girls [who] are enjoying the outdoor life, and want to go a bit more extreme. First of all, we try to inspire more people to take the step to the next level, but also facilitating for it. We have this group where you can find other girls to [link up with for a trip], or you can ask about equipment. [It’s] mostly on Facebook and Instagram. We are trying to have this community.

Joachim: All right. At the end, I want to say that I’m quite excited about this documentary that you mentioned.

Karen: Yeah.

Joachim: And to see that when that when that comes out, I was not aware of that. So, quite excited for that. Also, of course, to read your book (“Heilt Aleine“) when that comes out.

Karen: Thank you.

Joachim: Do you know, or is it possible to share? Is it in 2025, or maybe 26?

Karen: Yes. The book (“Heilt Aleine“) will hopefully come out in September (2025).

Joachim: Oh, okay. Yeah.

Karen: Yes. The documentary I’m not too sure about. We haven’t sold it to any distributor, but hopefully by the end of 2025, start of 2026.

Joachim: All right, look forward to it! Thank you so much.

Karen: Thank you. Really nice to be here.