"I Am Aleksander Gamme, the cheez doodle loving guy that skied to the pole and back in 90 days - ask me anything."

Watching your video made my day!

Thanks! The response have been overwhelming

How many of your fellow polar explorers do you suspect of belonging to the communist party?

well...about zero ...plus minus 100 %

All right, I am new in this.. is this ok ?

http://www.facebook.com/aleksander.gamme

I would suggest putting "Doing an AMA on Reddit! [link]" on your wall, so we know you're who you say you are.

Yea, technically anyone could have done that too.... BUT I BELIEVE HIM!

Thank you.. :)

Hva tenker du på mens du går? Ser at du har headset, men regner ikke med at det går i musikk/lydbøker hele dagen.

Hva er det tøffeste du opplevde på turen, rent fysisk/psykisk?

jøss, nordmenn her også..

Jeg gikk rundt 900 timer underveis, så det sier seg selv at du må ha en plan for disse timene. Jeg gikk mye av dagen og hadde "skole", hørte på ting jeg ønsket å lære som språk, historie, verdt å vite-podcaster osv. Så ble det musikk og radioresepsjonen når jeg var for sliten til å tenke.. :)

Det er masse nordmen her:)

www.reddit.com/r/norge

www.reddit.com/r/norway

det er nordmenn overalt.. :)

Gee, I`m new in this.. give me a minute

It's okay, take your time!

Sharpens pitchfork

haha

Did it taste as good as you thought it would?

It was basicly amazing...hard to describe really. I mean, It`s hard to describe how hungry you are at this moment..

They're almost that good while drunk, I can only imagine how good they are while starving and freezing.

Come over to my place I can give you a first hand experience.

I'm pretty sure no one's ever going to accept that invitation from you.

I AM A GOOD PERSON!

Especially if your anus is a constant source of headaches..

you guys rock! hahah

If you walk around the South Pole in a circle, do you travel back in time since you are crossing the international date line?

Jepp, I spent one day running backwards as many rounds as I could manage and now I am two years younger. Cool trick ha ! ?

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Who says you go crazy being solo ?? It`s like mental healthcare if you manage to enjoy the situation... I go more crazy trying to keep up with this sick society.. :)

Did you have any (non human) life encounters during your trip?

Nope. Nada. Rien. NOt very much other creatures there..

In the translation it said, "What the fuck, Mentos?"

Were you surprised, mad, or confused, to see the package of Mentos?

No, I was happy... but I just couldn`t realize I had left so much stuff there..

• How did you train for your trip?
• How does one prepare for such a trip?
• How do you deal with the isolation?
• Have you seen The Thing?

Thank you for doing this AMA! (Hilsen en annen nordmann.)

Well..its a result of several long skitrips both in norway and greenland. Have crossed greenland several times, and it was time to lift up the ambitions and do something undone.. The isolation is your friend, if youre good at taking care of yourself and if you dont have any mental issues. If you can enjoy being a solo, you can enjoy a lot here in the world.. The Thing ?? ...hehe no, I dont think so

No question. Just stopping by to say you're awesome.

Love you! Just the fact that youre stopping by to tell someone that, shows that youre probably a lot more awesome...

What were the most and least awesome parts about your remarkable journey?

The beginning was quite rough..it snowed like hell and the pulk was already 175 kilo heavy.. most of the days I enjoyed being out there, it´s beautyful... and of course , getting back to the coast.. see the mountains..

OK IF no one else is going to ask what we all are thinking I will.

90 days... How the fuck do you jerk off on the south pole.

haha... what could possibly be so different ?

What did you miss most while crossing the south pole?

I didnt focus on what I didnt have, but what I had... thats one of the tricks you need to know in this game

What was the timespan between leaving the supplies and retrieving them? You really had no idea there would be snacks in there?

I hoped there would be, but it was almost three months since I left that place. On purpose I didnt write down what candy, for a motivational and surprising factor

Did you go all by yourself, without contact with people for 90 days?

I had a satelitte phone and I had to report my position and I called home once in a while.

• Did you use a Kite to travel with the Help of the wind?
• What was the longest distance you covered in 24 hours?
• How much weight did you lose?
• How heavy was the sledge when you started and when you finished?
• What was the worst moment of your the expedition?
• I read quite alot about Ranulph Fiennes (Thank you Top Gear) and his expeditions did you ever met him?

And thank you for sharing this with us.

good questions here! - nope, not using a kite - I did 56 km in 14 hours on day 74. That was my longest.. - about 23 kg - about 175 kg in sledge, and 10 kg in pulk. Maybe 60 kg at the end - Worst moment, day 6 - lost my termos, drinking bottle, broke a ski on the sledge, fell down a sastrugi, whiteout, 9 km.... shitty day - nope, never met Ranulph. He`s a legend.. but just half the size of Børge ( Ousland)

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no, unfortunately not.. saving weight

Can you please add English subtitles to your video?
What the fuck are you doing in Antarctica, that too, alone?
How many times do you go to Antarctica?

Some ask why... but you should definitely ask why not!

someone translated the text on the videos-site here on reddit

Sorry about being an ignorant American, but what language are you speaking/where are you from? Because that language sounds cool as fuck haha.

hehe...it s norwegian.

I noticed your headphones. What's your favorite thing to listen to whilst traversing the frozen wasteland?

And also, what media/mp3 -player? How did it cope with the cold?

Being a solo it is very important keeping your self mental busy listening to something educating. I had a lot of history podcasts, french and russian language course, harward lectures of physics, music, audiobooks etc etc

How do you charge the devices? Solar?

Yepp, I brough two solar panels... then you charge a interim battery to charge all your devices. It`s quite cool being all independent :)

3 x Ipods and a Samsung Galaxy to watch movies in the evening

Where do you plan to go next?

Do you leave hidden cache's of treats around your home?

hehe...maybe I should haha..that`s a good one.

I am home in norway now..enjoying being home for a while. It`s been a lot of fun... I probably going back to the himalyas this fall.

I want to marry a Viking man.

..haha...you dont know what youre talking about

You may want to be careful around JuicyGonorrheaNodule. Especially if she is contagious, I mean Danish.

haha... thats cool! Ok, if youre danish I think you know what youre talking about..

Vidoen din gjorde en ellers grå dag mye bedre! "It's the little things in life" er vel et uttrykk som passer fint her. Utrolig gøy å se at noe så lite som en pakke ostepop kan gjøre noen så lykkelig. Lykke til med fremtidige ekspedisjoner!

hehe...takk skal du ha. Utrolig moro at så mange syntes den var så moro, det var ikke det jeg hadde i tankene der og da akkurat. Men jeg lo godt selv når jeg kom hjem og satt og redigerte film og fant igjen det klippet her

youre awesome!

Thank you! I am sure you are too!

Who were you listening to throughout the whole trip? (I'm assuming those are ear buds in your ears?) I can only imagine having a special connection to the band/artist after an adventure like that!

Some norwegian artists as Susanne sundfør, Marit Larsen and Ane Brun amongst others. And then of course the magnificant norwegian Intrigue.no. But Pink Floyd, Beatles and Springsteen were all heroes of this trip

Fellow Norwegian here. Love the video. Joy in its purest form.

Planning any other trips? How long had it been since you left the cache until the time of the video?

Thank you. It was almost three months actually, it was the first cache, just 30 km from the start. It took me five days to get there on the way in though...

When you found the cheez doodles I was so happy. When you found the rest of the snacks I actually started cheering for you. That is that happiest I have ever seen anyone. I hope the trip was as amazing as it seems.

Now you made my day! And to realize how amazing this is , you need very good imagination..

Way to go, man. This video alone makes me want to give it a shot. I'll start by doing some hiking this summer, work my way up from there. Any beginners tips on survival/setting particular goals?

find yourself good mentors, get some books, and join a guided expedition to get experience. Otherwise I would say - GO FOR IT !!!! :)

How often did you have your skin exposed? It didn't look like it was chapped or damaged in anyway to me, and I'd think it would be.

I covered myself quite much into the wind...but you dont have to look like a crater if you are on an expedition. Its about taking care of your self

How can I get into what you do?

depends on what you already do... but start with living YOUR dream.. while you can

How old were you when you decided to travel?

Do you have a girlfriend? if so, how does she deal with you being away for such extended periods of time?

If not, would you bring her along (in case you meet someone in the future, and she wanted to)?

I HAD a girlfriend... a fantastic woman. But now.. I am FREE. And she`s still fantastic

How did that complete freedom feel? I mean, the fact that you could scream, as loud as you wanted, and just do whatever you felt like doing?

Freedom is a state of mind, not a place. But anyway, you have a point... it is a cliche, but it`s hard to describe.. absolute freedom... You feel more alive, more confident, more privileged, more happy....and still melancolic

Aleksander!

1. What are you thinking of when you're at the South Pole?
2. If you could choose any meal, what would you eat when you're at the South Pole?

hmm... I did´nt freak out when I was at the pole, then I knew I was just halfway.. The meal..I don`t know, you get so rational..I think it would be the norwegian "ribbe" ( ribs) that we make for christmas. With aqua vita :)

While not a question, watching this video made me extremely happy.

Thanks, appreciate that

The arctic seems pretty desolate and barren.

Nothing but a sea of white in every direction.

Did you every get extremely lonely? What would you do to keep yourself from going insane?

I have answered that further up, but i think its weird that everyone think you will get crazy if youre spending time on your own.. well, I guess you can, but it`s basically the other way. Sitting here in front of the computer makes me crazy. Living my dreams make me ...live and love it.

Any plans on keeping or regrowing that beard?

fortunately not... I dont have very much of a beard haha

How does it feel to sleep out there?! And do you need to sleep a certain amount of time?

It`s light all night long, so I was surprised how little I slept. But after hard work 10 hrs a day hauling a pulk, you definitely need some sleep..

What's your occupation? How to you afford this?

I work with adventures fulltime, and done it for years. This was my savings.. just prioritizing

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Believe it or not, I am not very found of candy. I am usually on a superfood diet.

Welcome to norway!! You will love it !

Being by yourself for that long, what did you do to keep entertained?

Did you ever hear something outside of your tent and secretly wish or think it was another person?

Did you ever run into anybody else trekking?

I was the first in and last out this season, so I didn`t meet very many... But on my way back I ran into some people still going in, among them Cas & Jonesy from Australia and Mark woodl from britain

What made you desire to do this? If one wanted to do this what steps you that person have to take to be able to do this? (the trek i mean.)

You need quite much experience from cold climates..for sure. That´s the easy part for me, as a norwegian. Then you should prepare your self with at least one greenland crossing ( 550 km, approx 20 days) This trip is four times that distance..

Where else have you traveled to? How did this trip compare? What's your favorite place you've been in this world?

Here are a summary of my trips:

• Verdens lengste skitur – Antarktis 2011/12 (solo) • Las Vegas på langs • Aconcagua (6962 m), guide, 2010 • Broad Peak 2010 ( til 7700 m) • Trans‐Sahara 2010 – Først på tandemsykkel gjennom Sahara.
• Kilimanjaro x 2 (guide) 2008, 2009 • Elbrus (guide), 2009 • Grønlandskryssing (guide) 2009, 2010, 2011 • Mt Everest, 2007 • Safariguideutdanning Sør-Afrika, 2007 • Shishapangma (til 7500 moh), 2006 • Rekonstruksjon Birkebeiner anno 1206, 2006 • Sverige, Finland på tvers (30 d, solo ski), 2005 • Mt Damavand 2004 • Mt Kenya 2004 • Pik Kommunizma (til 7000 moh), 2003 • Nord‐Norge på langs (50 d, solo ski), 2003 • Reportasjeoppdrag til bla Iran, Kroatia, Kenya, Peru, Kirgisistan, Uganda, Etiopia, Rwanda, Kongo, Borneo, Gambia, Sumatra, Borneo, Sør‐Afrika m.fler

wow, how did you finance all that?

like people are financing a new car... savings and loan:)

Snack endorsement deals.

hahahaha....would love to

Great accomplishment! I think the mental challenge that goes with this type of expedition is as great or greater than the physical.

What's your next plan? Do you have any other expeditions that you hope to do in the near future?

well.. the list is long, but its different projects.. I like learning about the jungle, desert and so on.. no tickets booked yet

Just wanted to say, your video made my day. :)

I am happy to hear that!

Seriously, how did you forget about the candy? If that had been me I would constantly think about how brilliant it would be to come back there to all that candy.

Fruktnøtt er forøvrig kongen av sjokkis!

First, its been almost three months since I left this cache behind. And on purpose I didnt write down what goodies I left behind, for a motivational and surprising cause... And I had 6 caches, so I didnt actually had a clue about this one.

How much time does it take to prepare for such things? Must this be a life choice, or can it be a hobby on top of your normal life?

You dont have to perform extraordinary to do such things, but you need to be dedicated.. I will keep you more videos later, but I found this the real funny one

Hva gjør du når du er hjemme i Norge? Flere turer, jobb etc?

Hei du! Jeg jobber med ulike prosjekter, blant annet er jeg medeier i Chillout butikkene i Oslo og Bergen ( Chillout.no), jeg gav ut en bok "Ekspedisjonsboka" før jul, jobber tidvis for Vi Menn, holder mye foredrag, og guider og arrangerer turer. Hvert år har jeg en grønlandskryssing bla

What was the most challenging part of the trip? Did you ever have a "what the fuck am I doing out here" moment?

pretty much every day when the weather was so shitty... haha.. the most challenging about this expedition was to decide to try to do it. The chances for failure are huge... but when you are there - it`s nothing like it.

In a previous post it says you "work with adventures full time." I'm not sure if I follow you, but it sounds EXCELLENT! What does it take to do this as a profession?

Well.. I do writing, lectures, guiding, photo and consulting with my main sponsors etc.

Whats the flight to Antarctica like? Where do you fly in to and out of when making the trip? I couldn't imagine the plane being very large, as there can't be many people heading that way.

You fly in from Chile or South Africa. Its cool..you fly an Ukrainian aircraft Il - 76 and you land on the ice. Then you fly twin otter around on the continent..

the plane actually takes 60 people..there is tourism in Antarctica as well !