First person to reach the North Pole - solo

Dr Jean-Louis Etienne (France) was the first person to reach the North Pole solo and without dogs, on 14 May 1986 after 63 days. He had the benefit of being resupplied several times on the journey. From Etienne's website: "Jean-Louis Etienne’s objective on this occasion was to reach the geographic North Pole alone, on skis, pulling a sled. His only outside support was to be a number of way-stations where he would find provisions and dry clothes. On 6 March Jean-Louis Etienne left Ward Hunt Island in Canada’s far North and reached the geographic North Pole (the point where the Earth’s rotational axis emerges) on 14 May 1986. In 63 days he had covered more than 1,000 kilometres at an average rate of 20 kilometres per day. Each day he skied non-stop for eight hours; he elected not to stop for a midday meal because of the cold, snacking on biscuits and dried fruit as he went along instead. Around 4 pm, he would pitch his tent on a flat space, if possible sheltered from the wind. After a hot “afternoon tea” and a short rest, he would check in by radio and ascertain his position. Then would come dinner time and a well-deserved sleep so as to be able to face the next day’s exertions. Jean-Louis Etienne occasionally saw polar bear tracks but there was only one occasion when he encountered another living creature: on 9 April, quite by chance, he met Will Steger and his team, who were travelling to the Pole by dog-sled."