Youngest person to ski solo to the South Pole (female)

The youngest female (and person overall) to ski solo to the South Pole is Karen Kyllesø (Norway, b. 9 May 2003), who was aged 21 years 249 days old on reaching the pole on 13 January 2025. She had set out from the Hercules Inlet on 21 November 2024, covering approximately 1,130 km (702 mi) and arriving at the geographic South Pole just under 54 days later.

For her "Fortitude South Pole Expedition", Kyllesø started at the Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf and ended at the South Pole with a total travel time of 53 days 22 hours 4 minutes. Having to carry all her supplies with her as an unsupported expedition, she hauled a 100-kg (220-lb) sledge as she skied, which is more than twice her body weight! During the trek, temperatures plummeted as low as -40°C (-40°F).

This surpassed the previous record of 28 years 285 days, the age of her compatriot Hedvig Hjertaker (b. 4 April 1994) when she reached the South Pole on 14 January 2023. As Hjertaker was resupplied en route, her journey was not "unsupported" like Kyllesø's.

The youngest male to have completed this journey to date is Pierre Hedan (France, b. 24 October 1997), who was 26 years 75 days old on reaching the pole on 7 January 2024. He had set out solo and unsupported from the Hercules Inlet on 20 November 2023 and arrived at the South Pole 48 days later.

Younger people have skied to the South Pole as part of a group from the coast, including Lewis Clarke (UK, b. 18 November 1997), who was 16 years 61 days old when he reached the South Pole on 18 January 2014, as part of a two-person expedition. The youngest overall female to have made this journey is Jade Hameister (Australia, b. 5 June 2001), who was aged 16 years 219 days old when she completed her trek to the South Pole on 10 January 2018, via a new route through the Transantarctic Mountain Range, guided by Eric Philips.