First woman to reach the North Pole

Ann Bancroft (USA, b. 29 September 1955) completed her trek to the North Pole on 2 May 1986. She travelled as part of the Steger International Polar Expedition, which departed on 8 March 1986 from Ward Hunt Island off the north coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, and reached the North Pole 55 days later.

Led by Will Steger, the Steger International Polar Expedition had set out as an eight-person party. However, two members were injured during the trek to the North Pole, and had to be evacuated off Antarctica, leaving only six members to complete the journey. The team carried all its own supplies and equipment – weighing some 3 tons (2.72 tonnes) altogether – on five dogsleds, pulled by 49 dogs. This represents the first unsupported expedition to the North Pole. Along with fellow adventurer Liv Arnesen (Norway), Bancroft completed the first crossing fo the Antarctic landmass (female) in 2001.