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No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women And Their Extraordinary Journey Across Antarctica
Chronicles and celebrates the journey of two modern-day heroines who crossed Antarctic on foot. Though modern technology could not ensure rescue, website transmissions and satellite phone calls enabled more than 3 million school children from 65 countries to bear witness to Ann and Liv's journey.
In February 2001, former schoolteachers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen became the first women to cross the Antarctic continent on foot.
Against all odds, they walked, skied, or ice-sailed for nearly three months in temperatures as cold as -35°F, towing their 250-pound supply sledges across 1700 miles of terrain riddled with rotten ice and deadly, hidden crevasses.
Haunted by the failures of those who had attempted the crossing before them, they raced to complete the journey before the harsh Antarctic winter set in and 24 hours of daylight became 24 hours of impenetrable darkness.
Though modern technology could not ensure rescue should they need it, website transmissions and satellite phone calls enabled more than 3 million children from 65 countries to bear witness to the journey.
In accomplishing the seemingly impossible, Ann and Liv inspired classrooms and re-ignited the aspirations of more than twenty-thousand adults who wrote to thank and encourage them. Chronicling the dramatic details of this historic expedition, No Horizon Is So Far explores what drove Ann and Liv across the ice and ultimately into hearts and history books around the world. It traces the birth of their dream, its re-emergence when they were adults, their tenacious work to assemble the necessary money and gear, and their brutally taxing trek from the Norwegian sector to the American base at McMurdo Bay. About journeys both literal and figurative, each marked with suspense, danger, and incredible endurance No Horizon Is So Far celebrates two modern-day heroines and that which is heroic in all of us.
In February 2001, former schoolteachers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen became the first women to cross the Antarctic continent on foot.
Against all odds, they walked, skied, or ice-sailed for nearly three months in temperatures as cold as -35°F, towing their 250-pound supply sledges across 1700 miles of terrain riddled with rotten ice and deadly, hidden crevasses.
Haunted by the failures of those who had attempted the crossing before them, they raced to complete the journey before the harsh Antarctic winter set in and 24 hours of daylight became 24 hours of impenetrable darkness.
Though modern technology could not ensure rescue should they need it, website transmissions and satellite phone calls enabled more than 3 million children from 65 countries to bear witness to the journey.
In accomplishing the seemingly impossible, Ann and Liv inspired classrooms and re-ignited the aspirations of more than twenty-thousand adults who wrote to thank and encourage them. Chronicling the dramatic details of this historic expedition, No Horizon Is So Far explores what drove Ann and Liv across the ice and ultimately into hearts and history books around the world. It traces the birth of their dream, its re-emergence when they were adults, their tenacious work to assemble the necessary money and gear, and their brutally taxing trek from the Norwegian sector to the American base at McMurdo Bay. About journeys both literal and figurative, each marked with suspense, danger, and incredible endurance No Horizon Is So Far celebrates two modern-day heroines and that which is heroic in all of us.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
December 6, 2017
Onvan : No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women And Their Extraordinary Journey Across Antarctica - Nevisande : Liv Arnesen - ISBN : 738207942 - ISBN13 : 9780738207940 - Dar 272 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2003
June 15, 2017
It is about two women who crossed Antarctica in the southern summer of 2000-2001, skiing by themselves using brute strength and sails attached to their packs. It is about their joy and wonder of the accomplishment and the dangers and frustrations of the trip. At times I was almost in tears reading the pure poetic prose and at times I was in tears sharing their frustrations. At other times I raced through the pages to read how they managed to conquer the dangers. By completing their trek they inspired millions of school children around the world via satellite transmissions and school curriculums. They got girls excited and boys as well to start to develop plans of their own. I have rarely come across a non-fiction book that has touched me so thoroughly. I am sharing it with my DH and recommending it to all my friends.
August 28, 2023
i love women!!
October 24, 2019
The expedition and amazing accomplishment is 5 stars for sure. I wanted more description of the journey i guess. I to feel the environment.
Very inspiring book and amazing people! Definitely worth the read!!
Very inspiring book and amazing people! Definitely worth the read!!
August 22, 2021
Dieses Buch kann ich uneingeschränkt jedem empfehlen und tatsächlich auch jedem ans Herz legen.
Es geht um die Norwegerin Liv Arnesen und die US-Amerikanerin Ann Bancroft, die die Antarktis zusammen durchquerten. Beide haben bereits langjährige Erfahrungen bei Expeditionen ins Eis gesammelt. Für die Durchquerung der Antarktis haben sie sich zusammengetan. In diesem beeindruckenden Buch schreiben sie über ihre Motivation, über ihre Erfahrungen auf dem Eis und natürlich auch über Schwierigkeiten, die sie bewältigen mussten- und die waren gewiss nicht nur in der Antarktis zu bewältigen. Außerdem lassen sie es zu, reflektiert über Fehler und auch über Persönliches zu berichten.
Ich fand den Bericht der beiden starken Abenteurerinnen intensiv, inspirierend und informativ. Ich finde, dass solchen Frauen viel mehr Aufmerksamkeit entgegen gebracht werden sollte. Denn sie erfüllen sich nicht nur ihre Träume, sie unterstützen Mädchen und Frauen weltweit damit, selbst zu träumen und sie geben ihnen als Vorbild Kraft, daran zu arbeiten.
Es geht um die Norwegerin Liv Arnesen und die US-Amerikanerin Ann Bancroft, die die Antarktis zusammen durchquerten. Beide haben bereits langjährige Erfahrungen bei Expeditionen ins Eis gesammelt. Für die Durchquerung der Antarktis haben sie sich zusammengetan. In diesem beeindruckenden Buch schreiben sie über ihre Motivation, über ihre Erfahrungen auf dem Eis und natürlich auch über Schwierigkeiten, die sie bewältigen mussten- und die waren gewiss nicht nur in der Antarktis zu bewältigen. Außerdem lassen sie es zu, reflektiert über Fehler und auch über Persönliches zu berichten.
Ich fand den Bericht der beiden starken Abenteurerinnen intensiv, inspirierend und informativ. Ich finde, dass solchen Frauen viel mehr Aufmerksamkeit entgegen gebracht werden sollte. Denn sie erfüllen sich nicht nur ihre Träume, sie unterstützen Mädchen und Frauen weltweit damit, selbst zu träumen und sie geben ihnen als Vorbild Kraft, daran zu arbeiten.
December 7, 2009
Most inspiring book I have read in quite some time! 2 women raising the money to make the first female expedition to cross the continent of Antartica. The writing is very simple, almost as reading their journals from the trip. But overall worth the read, especially if you are looking for a motivating/inspirational story.
July 27, 2017
I asked my library for non-fiction books about adventurous spinsters. This was one of the books. (Previously in this series: Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer and Amazing Traveler Isabella Bird: The Biography of a Victorian Adventurer)
This one had non-fiction adventure, but failed very, very hard on spinster. Not only were both of them partnered, they talked about them quite a bit. Grrrr.
Apart from that, it was an interesting book. I have read a book or two about polar exploration around the Northwest Passage, although apparently that predates me keeping this book log. Pity. So this was a bit outside that. For one thing they had modern gear and GPSes, which Johns Franklin and Rae certainly didn't have. The modern logistical challenges are certainly different.
It was an interesting enough story, of how they raised funds, and did the crossing. There were interesting bits (chocolate instead of butter!), but, well, no one got killed and possibly eaten, so it also lacked some of the drama of some of other stories *cough Adolphus Greeley cough*. Overall pleasant enough...but definitely not spinsters.
This one had non-fiction adventure, but failed very, very hard on spinster. Not only were both of them partnered, they talked about them quite a bit. Grrrr.
Apart from that, it was an interesting book. I have read a book or two about polar exploration around the Northwest Passage, although apparently that predates me keeping this book log. Pity. So this was a bit outside that. For one thing they had modern gear and GPSes, which Johns Franklin and Rae certainly didn't have. The modern logistical challenges are certainly different.
It was an interesting enough story, of how they raised funds, and did the crossing. There were interesting bits (chocolate instead of butter!), but, well, no one got killed and possibly eaten, so it also lacked some of the drama of some of other stories *cough Adolphus Greeley cough*. Overall pleasant enough...but definitely not spinsters.
September 7, 2020
Book Review: Clearly an expedition across Antarctica isn’t for me based simply on this breakfast menu: coffee/cocoa mix and oatmeal with nuts, dried fruit, and cooking oil. I could handle the can of crushed Pringles for dinner but not the fish. I know my diet could be adjusted, but that doesn’t change my awe for Ann Bancroft’s and Liv Arnesen’s traverse of Antarctica from November 2000 to February 2001. I read about it in No Horizon Is So Far.
Their story of overcoming challenges on the ice is inspiring, but it was hard to get there as a reader because they spent time recalling the pre-expedition challenges. Finding sponsors, building curricula for students, and coordinating flights all took far more time for this female adventure than they should have. I hope that when my daughters are adults they will face less of that overt and clandestine discrimination but I’m not naive enough to believe it will disappear.
Mechanically the book moves from narration by co-author Cheryl Dahle to recollections from Bancroft and Arneson. Fortunately, the switches are identified clearly. It’s clunky initially; when the story reaches the ice its flow smooths (unlike the ice).
I grabbed it from my dad’s shelf because while I have largely postponed (if not stopped) my pursuit of knowing him better, I remain fascinated by this frigid continent that held such a warm place in his heart.
Their story of overcoming challenges on the ice is inspiring, but it was hard to get there as a reader because they spent time recalling the pre-expedition challenges. Finding sponsors, building curricula for students, and coordinating flights all took far more time for this female adventure than they should have. I hope that when my daughters are adults they will face less of that overt and clandestine discrimination but I’m not naive enough to believe it will disappear.
Mechanically the book moves from narration by co-author Cheryl Dahle to recollections from Bancroft and Arneson. Fortunately, the switches are identified clearly. It’s clunky initially; when the story reaches the ice its flow smooths (unlike the ice).
I grabbed it from my dad’s shelf because while I have largely postponed (if not stopped) my pursuit of knowing him better, I remain fascinated by this frigid continent that held such a warm place in his heart.
January 6, 2024
It's difficult to imagine embarking on an expedition such as this — a self-supported crossing of Antarctica by ski and kites, where the distances are so great that to ski alone is impossible within the short summer season. Kites are completely at the mercy of the weather — they only work in mostly favorable winds. Completion of the distance more or less requires a lot of luck, along with a lot of pain. Kite skiing across crevasses and sastrugi and ice sounds awful. The women were constantly battered by the terrain and continuously fixing their gear. Ultimately, they lost that last blast of wind they needed and fell short of the goal.
This was an admirable effort, but I can't help but feel cold toward an expedition that required vast resources, money, volunteers, and time, and yet was so dependent on forces well beyond anyone's control. The book itself was written in a disjointed manner (first-person accounts from both women as well as a third commentator who rarely had much to add.) The book heavily focused on logistics, which was interesting but not riveting reading. I found it difficult to connect, although I do admire what these women accomplished.
This was an admirable effort, but I can't help but feel cold toward an expedition that required vast resources, money, volunteers, and time, and yet was so dependent on forces well beyond anyone's control. The book itself was written in a disjointed manner (first-person accounts from both women as well as a third commentator who rarely had much to add.) The book heavily focused on logistics, which was interesting but not riveting reading. I found it difficult to connect, although I do admire what these women accomplished.
November 26, 2021
No Horizon Is Too Far, Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica, by Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft with Cheryl Dahle (2003, 240pp). This is a well written inspirational book about the first women (one from the U.S. and the other from Norway) to walk, ski, and sail-ski across Antarctica, a 2,300 mile journey. Like all books in this genre — at least the several dozen I’ve read — it chronicles the trials, tribulations, and near death experiences of the Polar adventures. However, to impart greater meaning to their trip, these women, both former teachers, created an academic curriculum that was used by hundreds of thousands of school age students to learn from their adventure in real time, assisted by regular updates and even satellite phone calls to select classrooms. Their total reach was to 3 million people. The challenging adventure itself is reason enough to read the book, but as sappy as it may seem, their contacts with the kids adds an incredibly touching element to their adventure. Loved it.
November 13, 2020
I really liked-loved this book. It was so inspiring. These two women in their 40s crossed Antartica alone and in freezing, and sometimes blizzard weather and with deep crevasses. They were in pain a lot of the time. This book tells how they planned the trip, raised money, and got millions of children in 2001 involved in listening every day to their stories about their trip. They created a curriculum for the children to follow. It inspired these children to have women heroes and helped them see that they too could do inspiring things. I cried several times reading it and was proud of what they had done even though just 400 miles from the end they were running out of time and winter was coming on and the ship that was to pick them up would leave without them because of the ice in the sea. But they left their impression on the world.
January 19, 2025
I found this book fascinating. Personally, I would never want to cross Antarctica on foot—even with the help of skis and sails. Negative 35 degree temperatures and icy crevasses of doom do not sound like a fun time to me. However, it was interesting to read about Liv and Ann’s reasons for taking that trek. The idea of using the expedition as a learning opportunity for children across the world was especially striking to me. I also liked learning how they prepared for the expedition in terms of not only physical training and building skills like ski sailing, but also financial backing, securing technology, creating a supply list, and developing curriculum.
It's an intriguing book that recalls of perilous journey by two determined and inspiring women.
It's an intriguing book that recalls of perilous journey by two determined and inspiring women.
November 21, 2022
Liv Arneson, a Norwegian, and American Ann Bancroft, set out to become the first women to cross Antartica at ages 47 and 45. This is the story of not only the crossing, but also the preparation and difficulty in obtaining funding and support as women in the year 2000. I give five stars for their journey, but had to drop a star as I wish there was a bit more about their physical preparation and the writing was not as engaging as another book I read about crossing the continent. These women are amazing and inspiring and I loved reading about how they involved and inspired millions of school children across the globe as they virtually took them along on the adventure.
January 15, 2018
This book is the inspiring first-hand account of the first two women who crossed Antarctica. Journal-style entries from Ann and Liv document the inner journey that opens up for each as they prepare for and then cross the continent. How they face their emotional challenges and the challenges thrown up by the icy terrain are equally compelling and inspiring. The book also documents the journeys of the support crew and how they come to find deep purpose in their work. I highly recommend to anyone looking for inspiration or how to find meaning in their life and work.
April 17, 2021
Like many non-fiction books, there were times that this book was a slow read. I found the women and their commitment to education very inspiring but the occasional slowness of the book itself kept it at 3 stars, rather than 4.
However, that being said, if you are a wanna be adventurer or a teacher looking to inspire your students, this book would be full of ideas. I do believe that they made a lasting impression on the students that followed the journey. This happened 20 years ago. I would be interested in a follow up article on both the women and some of the students.
However, that being said, if you are a wanna be adventurer or a teacher looking to inspire your students, this book would be full of ideas. I do believe that they made a lasting impression on the students that followed the journey. This happened 20 years ago. I would be interested in a follow up article on both the women and some of the students.
January 27, 2025
I read this for the library's book club. It is the story of Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen's historic crossing of Antarctica on skies. For over three months they traveled across the continent, continuing on despite injuries and working together to persevere. One thing unique about their trip is that they hired staff to fundraise and create an entire curriculum around their journey, with 3.5 million school children following along.
February 19, 2020
I don't often read nonfiction but this book was worth it. It details the experiences of two women who crossed the Antarctic continent by themselves during late 2000 - early 2001. I especially liked the connection they had to over 3 million schoolchildren who followed the journey in their classrooms. It's a very inspiring story.
April 20, 2020
A great account of two women’s incredible feat.
Mrs. Arnesen’s and Mrs. Bancroft’s enterprise, to ski and sail unsupported across Antarctica, is audacious in the extreme, and one cannot help but be awed by the perils they encounter along the way.
A great read about courage, determination, exploration, and friendship.
Mrs. Arnesen’s and Mrs. Bancroft’s enterprise, to ski and sail unsupported across Antarctica, is audacious in the extreme, and one cannot help but be awed by the perils they encounter along the way.
A great read about courage, determination, exploration, and friendship.
February 4, 2021
A wonderful inspiring story about 2 woman (my age!) who crossed Antarctica. As much as the journey sucked me in the educational component that reached kids around the world was amazing to learn about. I wish I had been paying attention to the news back in 2000 so I could’ve participated first hand.
March 18, 2020
I highly admire these women for taking on such a dangerous and influential journey. Thanks to their journey, I now know it's okay to laugh through life-threatening situations, it's okay to enjoy the scenery without words, and you can survive for quite a while on oatmeal and chocolate.
May 26, 2020
Book format is a little wonky- I would have liked to see more of their journey, thoughts, and journal entries, rather than what random educators thought, but what they did was amazing and super cool. Worth the read.
January 16, 2023
Well-done and interesting memoir of an exciting, yet terrifying journey. The format kept it moving, and the interspersed memories of family and previous expeditions gave the explorers life and heart.
July 19, 2023
I cried 🥲🥲
The idea of these ex-schoolteachers developing curriculum around their adventure in the hopes that children around the world get inspired is just so beautiful. Honestly still tearing up.
Would definitely love to develop a unit around this book for high school
The idea of these ex-schoolteachers developing curriculum around their adventure in the hopes that children around the world get inspired is just so beautiful. Honestly still tearing up.
Would definitely love to develop a unit around this book for high school
November 29, 2025
A freebie audio from Viking prior to my trip to Antarctica. The authors were the first women to cross Antarctica by foot/ski and ski sail although they were is disappointed in themselves for coming up a little short on the Ross Ice Shelf. A tale of endurance, determination and dreams.
July 14, 2017
This was a good book but a little too intense for me. Just a personal preference.
February 24, 2019
Perfect book for the beach to keep you cool in the summer heat. Great story.
June 17, 2021
The journey seems amazing; the book a bit dull
December 16, 2021
I love reading about expeditions like this. What brave and tenacious women they are. Bravo on your incredible accomplishments! Wish there was video of the journey as well!
May 13, 2022
Loved the book. Amazing Story and liked the format between the two authors. Knowing a key part of the team, also added considerably to my enjoyment of the book.
April 6, 2023
The authors chronicle their sled trip across Antartica. Amazing women. Now I want to be a polar explorer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews