CAROLINE COTE
Caroline never ceases to impress and delight us. Her unique, soft yet razor-sharp style is perfect for guiding teams toward their designated goal.
She is a giant with unlimited skills and awareness, very creative, and a person you can’t help falling in love with.
— Børge Ousland
CANADIAN / NORWEGIAN POLAR EXPLORER
• EXTREME ATHLETE • COACH • GUIDE • FILMMAKER • SPEAKER
Caroline was born in Longueuil. That is just outside the slightly better-known Montréal and puts her firmly in the French-Canadian part of Canada. Thus, the exotic accent.
Before diving into the world of polar exploration, she developed as an ultra-trail runner, competing internationally in races ranging from 50km to 160km. She enjoyed a brief but fulfilling career in the sport, winning several long-distance events. It proved to be the perfect way to lay the foundations for later polar strength: pushing physical and mental limits in wild, remote terrains.
Alongside running, she worked as an adventure filmmaker, which is what first brought her to the polar regions. In 2014, she directed her first documentary during the Xp Antarctik expedition. From that moment, she was hooked. The vastness, silence, and raw beauty of the polar landscapes became a deep source of inspiration and ultimately, a calling.
Today, she guides in polar regions with a strong focus on storytelling, safety, and sharing the powerful connection between humans and the wild.
Her love for the wild led her to, and was seriously tested in, the Arctic Svalbard. There she undertook a sixty-three-day unsupported expedition with her husband, Vince. It seriously stunned the polar community and firmly placed her at the pinnacle of polar exploration. She has also solo crossed a part of Antarctica and reached the South Pole from Hercules Inlet in thirty-three days, two hours, and fifty-three minutes (a record at the time and 33km pr day average.
Years before, she explored the Forbidden Plateau of the Antarctic Peninsula twice. She then guided a Greenland Icecap crossing. Her building, supporting, and leading teams was like a duck to water. She enjoyed it a lot! And so has everyone going with her.
She loves the Northern part of Canada. But she now lives close to the Arctic Circle in Norway. Last year she became a mum. She named her son Leif because she thinks that Leif Erickson was the best explorer.
Like you, she is in love with places where most people’s eyelashes freeze before they can say, “Pass the hot chocolate.”
CARO'S SECRET ADVICE :
" WE ARE AS WEAK AS THE WEAKEST LINK IN A CHAIN, BUT AS STRONG AS THE STRONGEST LINK. BEING IN A TEAM MEANS WINNING "
All this translates to: if you care for the others, your reward will be massively enhanced.
Much more details after the slides:
Awards
Shackleton Award for the expedition of the year for the project Polar Shadows. 2023
Expeditions:
2014 - XP Antarctik , 30 days of exploration of a small part of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Forbidden Plateau with 5 other Quebecers in order to create the documentary Le Plateau, and to carry out research conducted by Andrée-Anne Parent UQAM in relation to the reactions of the body human subject to harsh environment and extreme conditions. Shipping supported by the Canadian Space Agency. Return trip by sailing boat passing through Cape Horn for more than 10 days in total.
2015 - Ocean crossing between St-Malo, France and Quebec with the crew of the sailboat Atlas Océan Racing in 21 days and the recognized skipper George Leblanc.
2016 - Pull of the North Expedition, 2000 km of canoeing on the Yukon River from its source to the Bering Sea, passing through the towns and villages bordering this waterway in order to collect testimonies from the inhabitants of the community Athabaskan and learn more about a way of life directly related to the environment. 2 months paddling accompanied by 3 other team members.
2017 - Qamaniq Project , taking women to go beyond their limits in a context that takes them completely out of their comfort zone, in Kuururjuaq Park in order to create a documentary on this walking and running adventure and to bridge the gap between the relationship maintained between the Inuit and the population of southern Quebec.
2018 - Électron Expedition , 2000 km supported crossing between the towns of Natashquan in Montreal by ski, on foot and by bike in order to take visuals for the Electron campaign put forward by the advertising agency LG2 and the company Hydro Quebec.
2019 - Sea & Ice , Expedition retracing the footsteps of Wally Herbert, trying a new access to the Antarctic Peninsula Forbidden Plateau accompanied by an international team of 6 people. 25 days on the continent.
2019- Production of the documentary Traversées/Passages
2020 - From Montreal to Banff in 30 days by fixed gear bike.
2020 - Sea kayaking adventure in Norwegian fjords, Steigen to Tromsø in 11 days.
2021 - Project Svalbard: Polar Shadows with renowned polar explorer Vincent Colliard. Crossing the Svalbard archipelago for 63 days without supplies and in complete autonomy in the darkness of the Arctic polar winter
2022 - Co-guided of the Greenland crossing East-West
2023 Solo expedition Hercules to South Pole unsupported in 33 days 2h and 54 mins for 1130 km becoming the holder of the feminine world record on this distance
2023 Guided West-East Greenland crossing expedition
2025 Guided West-East Greenland crossing expedition
2026 Guided the Svalbard crossing South-North
Press
1. Caroline Côté Smashes South Pole Speed Record
The article that announced her world-record expedition. It details her solo, unsupported 1,130 km ski journey from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in 33 days, 2 hours and 55 minutes, breaking the previous women's speed record by more than five days.
https://explorersweb.com/caroline-cote-smashes-south-pole-speed-record/
2. Caroline Côté on Her Speed Record, Sastrugi, and Positivity
A long interview with Caroline after the expedition. She discusses preparation, funding, Antarctic conditions, equipment failures, mental resilience, and arriving at the South Pole. One of the best in-depth English interviews available.
https://explorersweb.com/caroline-cote-speed-record-antarctica/
3. Antarctica 2022: Crossings in Trouble, Solo Skiers Arrive at the Pole
A season recap that highlights Caroline's record-breaking performance within the broader Antarctic expedition season.
https://explorersweb.com/antarctica-2022-crossings-aborted-solo-skiers-arrive-south-pole/
4. A Quebec Adventurer Sets Her Sights on the South Pole
Published before the expedition, this article follows Caroline as she prepares to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole, explaining the logistical, physical, and financial challenges involved. It is one of the key mainstream media profiles documenting the project before the record attempt. It is referenced on her official expedition page.
https://www.lapresse.ca
(Search: Caroline Côté pôle Sud La Presse)
5. Post-Expedition Coverage in La Presse
Following her successful expedition, La Presse published coverage discussing the record, the significance of women in polar exploration, and the years of preparation behind the achievement. These articles helped bring national attention to her accomplishment in Canada.
Link:
https://www.lapresse.ca
(Search: Caroline Côté Antarctique record La Presse)
6. Canadian Geographic Podcast – Setting the South Pole Speed Record
A detailed interview where Caroline explains the physical and psychological challenges of the expedition and reflects on her journey from filmmaker to polar explorer.
https://canadiangeographic.ca/podcasts/setting-the-south-pole-speed-record-with-caroline-cote/
7. CityNews Montreal – Quebec Filmmaker and Adventurer Reaches the South Pole Solo in Record Time
Coverage immediately after her return from Antarctica, including comments about loneliness, preparation, and breaking the record.
https://montreal.citynews.ca/2023/01/16/skier-south-pole-record/
8. Mountain Life – Canadian Explorer Caroline Côté Reaches South Pole in Record Time
Focuses on the historic nature of the achievement and her goal of encouraging more women to pursue polar expeditions.
https://www.mountainlifemedia.ca/2023/01/canadian-explorer-caroline-cote-reaches-south-pole-in-record-34-days/
9. BASE Magazine – Caroline Côté Smashes South Pole Speed Record
Adventure-media coverage highlighting her record-breaking pace and position among elite polar explorers.
https://www.base-mag.com/caroline-cote-smashes-south-pole-speed-record/
10. Polar Shadows Project
Coverage and references to the 63-day, 1,123 km winter crossing of Svalbard completed with polar explorer Vincent Colliard, one of the expeditions that established Caroline's polar credentials before Antarctica.
https://www.caroline-cote.com