BREAKING RECORDS AT AGE 75My Quest to Ski Both Poles
Architects of Change
Barbara Hillary, Public Motivational Speaker
An interview with Barbara Hillary
Need a little inspiration to help you achieve your goals? Look no further than Barbara Hillary. At age 75 she decided to ski to the North Pole -- setting the record as the first African American woman to do so. This January, she's planning to set another record by skiing to the South Pole. Find out what keeps her going -- and the advice she has for you.
What motivated you, at age 75 and as a lung cancer survivor, to ski to the North and South Poles?
When I retired I wanted to do something interesting. I looked around and saw that many retired people go on cruises, but I could think of nothing worse than being stuck on a ship with married people!
I saw an ad with a photograph of polar bears in Manitoba, Canada, and that sounded exciting. So I went up and photographed polar bears and fell in love with the beauty of the arctic. Then I learned “mushing” or dog sledding – then how to operate a snowmobile – and as a natural progression, I started to read about the North Pole. And lo and behold I discovered Matthew Henson, a black gentleman who went with Robert E. Peary on the first expedition to successfully reach the North Pole. I discovered that no black woman had ever gone to the pole. So I made it my personal mission to go.
Did your family and friends support you?
When I retired I wanted to do something interesting. I looked around and saw that many retired people go on cruises, but I could think of nothing worse than being stuck on a ship with married people!
I saw an ad with a photograph of polar bears in Manitoba, Canada, and that sounded exciting. So I went up and photographed polar bears and fell in love with the beauty of the arctic. Then I learned “mushing” or dog sledding – then how to operate a snowmobile – and as a natural progression, I started to read about the North Pole. And lo and behold I discovered Matthew Henson, a black gentleman who went with Robert E. Peary on the first expedition to successfully reach the North Pole. I discovered that no black woman had ever gone to the pole. So I made it my personal mission to go.
Did your family and friends support you?
