Vincent Colliard

Vincent Colliard is one of today's most accomplished polar explorers. On January 11, 2024, he became the fastest person in Antarctic history to reach the South Pole, solo and unassisted. He beat the previous world record by almost two days. With an average distance of 51.2 km per day, he covered 1140 km in 22 days, 6 hours and 8 minutes from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. He is keen to push back the frontiers of polar exploration.

He is co-founder of the Icelegacy project, a non-profit organization whose current mission is to cross the 20 largest ice caps on the planet. The aim is to influence public opinion on glacier conservation and man's impact on ice retreat. Vincent represents a new type of athlete keen to bridge the gap between adventure and science through his expeditions, and to inspire a return to the environment on a global scale. For him, environmental change and the importance of cold should be at the heart of our concerns if we are to leave a balanced planet.

Instead of going to the tropics for his honeymoon, he and his partner went skiing 500 km on the ice pack among the polar bears. That's how fascinated Vincent is by the polar regions... With more than 25 polar expeditions to his credit, including 84 days unassisted on the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole and 63 days on the first winter crossing of Spitsbergen Island over 1135 km pulling a 180 kg sled, Vincent has developed polar expertise. In 2023, he was expedition leader for the world record for the fastest woman to reach the South Pole, solo and unassisted. He is also an IPGA-certified polar guide and has led numerous expeditions, notably to the North Pole and Antarctica.