The 21-year-old from Årdal in Hjelmeland will set a new world record. She will ski 1,130 kilometers in what is called the world’s longest downhill. – The strongest motivation is probably the feeling of mastery. To show myself what I can do alone, says Karen Kyllesø. The target is 2,800 meters above sea level. The average temperature on the trip is minus 25 degrees. – The record is not really that important to me. What I think is a bit tough is that I am a girl and will be the youngest. Not that it’s a girls’ record, but that we’re better than the boys too, says Karen. As of today, Frenchman Pierre Hedan holds the record. He was 26 when he reached the pole on January 7 this year, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Hedvig Hjertaker from Bergen went to the South Pole as a 28-year-old in 2023, and is currently the youngest woman to have walked the distance alone. Now both records may be about to fall. Karen Kyllesø has been on many ski trips in ice and cold in recent years, to prepare. Photo: Private Youngest – and smallest – to the South Pole Karen Kyllesø has trained for six years to do this. Among other things, there have been ski trips on Hardangervidda, Finnmarksvidda, northern Sweden and Svalbard. Recently, the goal has been to gain weight and train strength. She set herself the goal immediately after she skied across Greenland as a 15-year-old. – Then I quickly realized that there is one larger glacier in the world than Greenland, and that is Antarctica. Kyllesø is only 153 centimeters on the plinth, and must pull two sledges that weigh around 100 kilos together. – There are many people who have joked with me that if I don’t become the youngest, I will at least be the smallest to the South Pole. But I think I just need a little more practice. It’s not that much more difficult for me than for others, says Karen. And she has been creative to get the weight in the sleds down as much as possible. The thermos has been given a new cup, which she has made from a cut-up seat pad and duct tape. Washcloths are cut from the clothes. The toothbrush is cut in half. Karen Kyllesø found that she could make a lighter cup for the thermos, by cutting up the seat base and using duct tape. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news – The washcloths weighed just over thirty grams. In theory, I should be able to move as much as a two-metre man. So it helps quite a bit to save the little spaces I can. – Long, hard and cold – It is a very demanding trip, and it is just as demanding mentally as it is physically, but she is well prepared, says Lars Ebbesen, who has gone to the South Pole himself. Lars Ebbesen was at the South Pole in 1994, with Cato Zahl Pedersen and Odd Harald Hauge, and helped Karen on the trip to Greenland. Photo: Astrid Johanne Sørnes / news He has been a sparring partner for Kyllesø, and helped her on the trip to Greenland. According to Ebbesen, one of Karen’s strengths is that she is a very good and well-trained skier. – The only thing she knows is that it will be long, hard and cold. The temperature will change for the worse. The height is extreme at the end. It goes from comfortable snow to what Roald Amundsen called fish glue – i.e. slippery snow. You become thinner, freeze more and recover more poorly. Everything goes in the wrong direction and you still have to keep your spirits up. – Why is it still worth it? – She knows that this will be 100 per cent her victory and her goal. There is not much you do in life where it is indisputably only your effort. It’s a fantastic feeling, says Ebbesen. Karen Kyllesø was only 15 years old when in 2018 she was the youngest person to cross Greenland. Photo: Jon Kolstø Letter from the family The plan is for the ski trip itself to start on 20 November. The goal is to complete in 50 days, with the finish line between 10 and 15 January. This means that Karen has to celebrate both Christmas and New Year alone in the ice desert. It is this loneliness that she both dreads and looks forward to the most. – I feel both because it is the biggest challenge – being alone for so long. Then it helps that both grandparents, parents, brother, boyfriend and cousins have written letters to Karen. The letters state when they must be opened. E.g. on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. – It’s really nice to get motivational words and greetings from those at home. Karen’s grandmother, Inger Kyllesø, has written a letter that the grandson will open during the trip, as support and comfort. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news – Lump in the stomach Technical equipment will help her on the way. Kyllesø has two GPSs with him to find his way. She can also use them to communicate with those at home and send messages. Included in the luggage is also a satellite phone, MP3 player with music, and solar panel for charging. – In Antarctica, there is midnight sun when I walk down there, so it is possible to charge all day. For the family, it will be a special time. – We have worked a lot to make it as safe as possible. Karen already has extensive experience with what she is going to do. I have a big lump in my stomach, and I think it will be sad to be without her for so long. But it will also be very, very exciting. I’m looking forward to it on her behalf, says father Håkon Kyllesø. Karen’s father Håkon Kyllesø is proud, but has a lump in his stomach before his daughter’s journey to the South Pole. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Karen has over 8,000 followers as @friluftsjenta on social media. Updates will be posted there along the way. She will also write a book about the expedition herself. These days she travels to Chile, and the trip continues from there by plane to the Union Glacier main base, then a flight on to Hercules Inlet, where the ski trip begins. The 21-year-old wants to be a role model for others. – I hope I can inspire more people to follow their dreams, and stand out a little from the crowd. Karen Kyllesø hopes she can inspire others to follow their dreams. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Published 14.11.2024, at 05.54
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Karen Kyllesø (21) can become the youngest ever to go to the South Pole alone – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
