Exploratrice • France
I was never driven by the desire to be the first woman to achieve something, but I didn’t want it to hold me back either. Whenever my condition seemed to be an obstacle to achieving my dreams, I worked hard to find my own way to get there.
Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout is a French sailor, deep-sea diver and explorer. Trained in recreational sailing, she joined explorer Jean-Louis Etienne’s Clipperton expedition in 2004, then turned her attention to Svalbard and Norway, where she was second in command on Olivier Pitras’ polar sailing boat. For the past 15 years, she and her husband Ghislain Bardout have led the Under The Pole expeditions, which have taken them to the Geographic North Pole, two years in Greenland with their yacht wintering in the ice, across the Northwest Passage and to Svalbard.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated, even obsessed, by the sea. Growing up in Troyes, in the Champagne region, my dreams seemed unattainable for a long time. When I started working as a sailor, there were few women in the maritime world, but I was inspired by the stories of Ella Maillart, Ellen MacArthur, Isabelle Autissier and Sylvia Earle. Under The Pole was born out of my husband Ghislain’s and my fascination with the polar regions and our curiosity about the underwater world. Our first expedition to the Geographic North Pole in 2010 brought back an exceptional account of the hidden side of the ice cap. We were diving in water at -1.8°C; the Arctic Ocean has never been so aptly named. Beneath our fins, 3,000 metres below the surface, ice cathedrals plunged into crystal-clear water, and in the blue, ctenophores and sea angels swam… The difficulty and commitment required for this polar expedition combining skiing and diving reinforces my belief that, while physical preparation is fundamental, mental strength is decisive for the success of the expedition. I have never been driven by the desire to be the first woman to achieve a feat, but I have never wanted that to limit me. Whenever my condition seemed to be an obstacle to achieving my dreams, I decided to invent my own path to get there. This is a message I try to convey today in each of my speeches.