VINCENT COLLIARD
He has all the qualities : the passion for unsupported adventure, the moral values, not to mention an incredible physical strength.
— Børge Ousland
POLAR EXPLORER • EXTREME ATHLETE
LECTURER • IPGA GUIDE
Our Great, French ‘Gronouille Polaire’ is the most unlike story on how to become a polar legend in the making.
Born around 1986 in France, he grew up in the Basque region, between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic coast. That upbringing — mountains on one side, ocean on the other — is often trotted out to explain where this phenomenon gets his drive.
But his path from "surfing dude" to Børge Ousland's right-hand man still puzzles. His parents almost had him on "the right path," as he dutifully bagged a master's degree from a French business school (École Supérieure de Commerce).
Probably scared off by the prospect of a life spent indoors, he went fishing instead. His choice of Alaska and Norway hinted at an early polar instinct. Rough seas, hard deck labor, and the constant sleep deprivation of commercial fishing built the perfect foundation for his ultra-endurance mindset.
But the real fishing was yet to come. Having already tasted his first solo expeditions and endurance challenges, he set his sights on his biggest catch: Børge Ousland. He pursued it with the relentlessness and willpower of a man on a mission. In 2010, he joined Børge on his circumnavigation of the Polar Ocean — their first world first, and the foundation for much more to come.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HAS GRANTED VINCENT THE OFFICIAL TITLE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER & GRANTEE, ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS RECOGNITIONS THE INSTITUTION AWARDS TO FIELD EXPLORERS WORLDWIDE.
He is the co-founder of the Icelegacy project, a non-profit organization, whose current mission is to cross the 20 largest ice fields on earth. The goal is to influence the public opinion towards the conservation of glacier areas and question the human impact on ice recession. As of 2026, he and Børge Ousland have crossed 13 of the 20 largest icecaps on Earth.
For him, the environmental changes and the importance to be cold should be at the pinnacle of our preoccupations if one wants to live on a balanced planet. Instead of going in the tropics for his honeymoon, he and his partner went skiing 500km on sea ice among polar bears. It tells how much Vincent is obsessed by the polar regions.
VINCENT HAS DEVELOPED A POLAR EXPERTISE WITH MORE THAN 30 POLAR EXPEDITIONS TO HIS CREDIT
Then he set his sights on Norway. Suddenly, that proud Viking nation found the tables turned: a wildly fit, sun-kissed endurance athlete from the exotic shores of the Bay of Biscay was coming for them — a reverse invasion, of sorts. Wives and daughters kept under close watch, but a saviour in the form of Caroline saved the day. The two of them ended up on a joint expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula. At first, they played it cool, pretending nothing was going on — until a sudden temperature rise, putting real pressure on the ice, gave them away.
It's hard to capture the sheer number of trips and challenges Vincent has racked up at such a young age. We're talking surfing, freediving, sailing across the Atlantic and around the Polar Sea, mountaineering, and new routes and challenges in polar regions that very few people ever get to visit.
He is the fastest man to the South Pole. He's the go-to guy for cutting-edge projects. He want to guide you over Greenland in just two weeks, and invites those with extreme ambition and little time to join him in Antarctica.
VINCE'S SECRET ADVICE:
ON MOST TRIPS, THE MENTAL ELEMENT IS THE BIGGEST PART. YOU CAN PUSH YOUR BODY TO SOME PLACES YOU DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED IF YOU ARE STRONG MENTALLY. BUT THEY WORK WELL TOGETHER. STRONG PHYSICAL CONDITION WILL PROVIDE GOOD MENTAL CONFIDENCE.
At the same time, once you find yourself with him as a guide, it's hard not to become close friends — his human touch is every bit as warm and sincere as his extreme side.
Today he lives in northern Norway with Caroline and their son, Leif. Having dived fully into the company, he's making his mark — and we find ourselves in the rare position of having the two sharpest explorers from two generations leading the standards and pushing us into the future.
Much more after these slides::
Awards:
• National Geographic — Selected among the 33 Visionary Changemakers of 2026 — Vincent Colliard & Børge Ousland named among the world's 33 figures of change for their work on Ice Legacy
• Guinness World Records — Fastest solo, unsupported ski journey to the South Pole (male) — World record officially ratified — 22 d 6 h 8 min, 1,130 km, Hercules Inlet - South Pole
• National Geographic — National Geographic Explorer & Grantee — Official National Geographic Explorer status
Press:
A Glacial Pace: Tackling 20 Glaciers and Icefields Within the Next Decade
In-depth feature on Ice Legacy and Colliard's partnership with Børge Ousland
SNEWS Mountain Hardwear Embraces New Heroes with the Launch of the Impact Initiative
Press release: Vincent Colliard named Mountain Hardwear Ambassador of Impact
The Adventure Blog
Video: Meet the Heroes of Mountain Hardwear's Impact Initiative
Coverage of Mountain Hardwear's environmental ambassador program
NAT GEO EXPLORER – Vincent Colliard
English-language National Geographic Explorer video portrait
2019 National Geographic
Børge Ousland is skiing the world's biggest ice caps to show their decline
Major Nat Geo feature on Ice Legacy; Vincent Colliard featured throughout 2020+ National Geographic Org
Vincent Colliard – Explorer Profile
Official National Geographic Explorer profile page
Dec. 2020 Norrøna Blog My Favorite Gear from Norrøna — by Vincent Colliard
Detailed expedition gear essay for the Norrøna ambassador platform
Juneau Empire The Ice Man Cometh — Polar explorer Vincent Colliard represents a new breed of sponsored athlete
Full-length profile in Outside Magazine
Polar Shadows by Vincent Colliard
First-person account of the 63-day Spitsbergen winter crossing
Polar Shadows — feature article (print, Vol. 21) Long-form print feature on the Svalbard winter crossing
Njord — Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival selection
Festival selection profile for the Svalbard expedition documentary
Expeditions:
2025 Canada - Ellesmere Island
Ice Legacy Project. First complete unsupported crossing of Ellesmere Island with Børge Ousland, from Cape Columbia to King Edward Point and across Grant Ice Cap, Agassiz, Prince of Wales and Manson Icefields. 49 days. 1,100+ km.
2024 Alaska - Juneau Icefield
Ice Legacy Project. Unsupported crossing of the Juneau Icefield with Børge Ousland and filming crew Sarah McNair-Landry and Erik Boomer. 17 days. 160+ km.
2023/2024 Antarctica - South Pole
World record - fastest person to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported. 22 days, 6 hours and 8 minutes. 1,140 km. 51 km daily average. Shackleton Award.
2022 Svalbard - Spitsbergen
First unsupported winter crossing of Spitsbergen with Caroline Côté. 63 days, 1,135 km. Expedition started and ended skiing from/back to Longyearbyen. February-April.
2019 Canada - Baffin Island
Ice Legacy Project. Two unsupported ski expeditions across Barnes and Penny Ice Cap with Børge Ousland.
Barnes crossing: Conn Lake to Generator Lake, 120 km, 6 days. Penny crossing: Narpaing Valley to Pangnirtung, 190 km, 9 days. April-May.
2018 Arctic Ocean
Attempt - unsupported sailing expedition to cross the entire Arctic Ocean via the North Pole, from Alaska to Svalbard, with Sébastien Roubinet and Eric André. From Prudhoe Bay to 79°35' N and back to Banks Island, Canada. 84 days, 2,000 km. Shackleton Award. June-September.
2017 Alaska - Chugach Mountains
Ice Legacy Project. Unsupported ski mountaineering expedition crossing the Chugach Mountains ice cap with Børge Ousland. 220 km, 23 days. Extra: summit of Marcus Baker, SW face. April–May.
2016 Alaska - Wrangell St. Elias
Ice Legacy Project. Second unsupported ski expedition crossing the largest ice cap outside the polar regions - Wrangell St. Elias - with Børge Ousland. 430 km, 19 days including 3 days ski-sailing. Extra: 2 additional days to reach civilization on skis and canoes on the Copper River. April-May.
2015 Alaska - Stikine
Ice Legacy Project. First unsupported ski expedition North-South of the Stikine Ice Cap with Børge Ousland. 200km, 16 days. May.
2014 Svalbard - Main Spitsbergen
Ice Legacy Project. Unsupported ski expedition crossing Main Spitsbergen Ice Cap with Børge Ousland. From Buldrebreen to Von Postbreen glacier in Templefjord. 180 km, 8 days. August.
2014 Norway - Hardangervidda
Solo and unsupported winter ski expedition crossing the Hardangervidda plateau. 80 km, 4 days. March.
2013 Atlantic Ocean
Crew member sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with Philippe d'Elbée aboard RM 1350 "Cruising Bird". From Martinique, Caribbean, to La Rochelle, France. 3,640 nm, 30 days.
May-June.2012 Svalbard - Nordaustlandet
Ice Legacy Project. First unsupported ski expedition East-West crossing of the glacial island of Nordaustlandet with Børge Ousland. From Kapp Laura to Kalkstranda. 210 km, 10 days. August.
2011 Atlantic Ocean
Crew member sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with friends aboard Dufour 44 "La Licorne". From São Vicente, Cabo Verde, to Bahia de Salvador, Brazil. 2,040 nm, 17 days. November–December.
2011 Atlantic Ocean
Crew member sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with Eric Brossier aboard "Vagabond". From Brest, France, to Nuuk, Greenland. 2,105 nm, 28 days. May-June.
2010 Arctic Ocean
Crew member sailing around the North Pole in one single summer season aboard "Northern Passage" with Børge Ousland and Thorleif Thorleiffsson. Stage 1: Oslo to Kirkenes, 1,400 nm, 20 days. Stage 2: Point Barrow, Alaska, to Oslo, Norway, via the Northwest Passage, Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Cape Farewell and the North Atlantic, 4,900 nm, 42 days. June-October.
2009 Nepal - Himalaya
Mountaineering. Second attempt to open a new route in alpine style on a virgin summit of 6,670m with climber Stéphane Schaffter. September-October.
2008 Nepal - Himalaya
Mountaineering. First attempt to open a new route in alpine style on a virgin summit of 6,670 m with climber Stéphane Schaffter. Reached 6,100 m. September-October.
2008 Alaska - Kodiak Island
Deck hand on fishing vessels "Mythos" (longlining) and "Norma Kay" (seine fishing). June-September.
2006 Argentina & Chile - Tierra del Fuego. Solo with assistance - cycling, trekking, kayaking and skiing around Tierra del Fuego. 1,000 km, 2 months. July-August.
