Ann Bancroft
Personal Information
Born: 1955
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
University of Oregon BS Physical Education 1981
Professional Life
Field of Study: Polar Exploration
Institution/Corporation: Ann Bancroft Foundation
Degrees & Memberships: Member: Board of Youth Frontiers; advisory board of Melpomene Institute & Medica
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1995 National Women's Hall of Fame; 1987 Woman of the Year, MS Magazine; 2001 Glamour Magazine's One of the Women of the Year; 2011 named one of History's Greatest Polar Explorers
Achievements: first woman to finish a number of expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic; 1986 the only female in the Steger International Polar Expedition that travelled to the North Pole by sled & skiing travelling 1,000 miles in 56 days; 1st female to travel to the North pole by foot; 1993 led a 4-person, all-female team as part of the American Women's Expedition to reach the South Pole on foot after travelling 660 miles in 67 days; 1st female to reach both poles on foot; 1992 leader of the 1st team of women to ski across Greenland; 2001 with Liv Arnesen the 1st women to sail & ski across the Antarctic landmass travelling 1,717 miles in 94 days
spent 5th & 6th grades in Kenya with her three siblings & parents while her father was a volunteer social worker & her mother taught English
likes adventure books, polarfleece & chickens; dislikes naysayers & frostbite
loved being outdoors & at age 8 would convince cousins & friends to join her in her backyard expeditions & campouts in Minnesota
has overcome dyslexia & is a vocal supporter of dyslexia causes
taught physical education, special education & was a wilderness instructor in Minnesota before quitting teaching in 1986 to join a polar expedition
is co-owner of Bancroft Arnesen Explore with Liv Arnesen a Norwegian explorer
established the Access Water Project & explored the Ganges River to bring awareness to the importance of clean water; Ganges Expedition took 60 days & travelled 1,500 miles of the river
has co-authored 3 books about her expeditions
was on the University of Oregon's rowing team