Matty McNair

Matty McNair takes her life down the road less traveled, and her passion for Polar travel is truly remarkable.  In 1990 she traveled 4000 km around Baffin Island by dog sled. 1997 saw her leading the first ever all-female expedition to the Geographic North Pole. In 2000 she led an expedition across Ellesmere Island through Sverdrup Pass. Then in 2003/04 she led two ski-all-the-way expeditions to the South Pole, and in May/June 2003 crossed the Greenland Ice Cap with her children Sarah and Eric by ski-kites with dog sled support.  She is the first Canadian to ski to both the North and South Poles.

In late 2004 and January 2005, Matty and team completed an unsupported ski expedition to the South Pole.  She was again accompanied by her children Sarah and Eric, who became the youngest persons to ski to the South Pole.  This extremely ambitious expedition then used 'power-kites' to 'pull' themselves back to the edge of the continent.  In the process, they became the first Canadians to ski unsupported to the South Pole, and hold the record for the fastest return from the pole by kite and ski (17 days).

Her most recent adventures have again taken her to that unique spot on earth  from where all directions face South.  Matty was as a leader and member of the 2005 Barclay's Capital Ultimate North Expedition, which sought to solve one of the greatest mystery's in polar history - Robert Peary’s disputed expedition of April 1909, when he claimed to have discovered the North Pole in an astounding 37 days.

The expedition indeed proved that the controversial arctic "mission impossible" was in fact possible, and broke a world record in the process, becoming the fastest team ever to travel to the Geographic North Pole.  The team crossed the 413 nautical miles of frozen polar ice cap in just 36 days and 22 hours, some 7-miles ahead of Peary's expedition.

In her presentations, Matty shares her amazing adventures to the top of the world which are complimented by stunning photography.  Her dramatic presentation reflects her unique style of leadership that pays attention to both logistical details, and enhancing a positive. supportive team atmosphere. For Matty leadership is having the courage to move into the unknown, to lead others where you have not been yourself. It’s also about talking the right risks - knowing that to move forward you must take risks, but also that to move onto ice too thin can spell disaster.