1938-

American Arctic Adventurer

In 1988 Helen Thayer became the first woman explorer to plan and carry out an unsupported solo expedition to the magnetic North Pole. No one has successfully soloed to the North Pole by foot since her successful expedition.

Thayer was born in 1938 in Whangerei, New Zealand. Her parents were both amateur mountain climbers and instilled in her a lifelong love of outdoor adventure. At age nine she climbed her first mountain, Mount Egmont (8,258 feet) in New Zealand.

Thayer was educated in New Zealand and enjoyed an exciting career as a multitalented international athlete. As a discus thrower, she representing teams from New Zealand, Guatemala (where she lived for four years), and the United States. In 1975 she won the United States luge championship and represented the United States in Europe. Thayer also excelled as a Nordic ski racer and instructor, a kayak racer, a...