Rosie Stancer

Rosie Stancer is a British polar and desert explorer and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society whose major expeditions span the Arctic, Antarctic and some of the world’s harshest deserts. Since the late 1990s she has led or completed landmark journeys, including the McVitie’s All-Women North Pole Relay (1997), a South Pole expedition (1999/2000), a solo, unsupported ski to the South Pole (2003–04) and a record-setting North Pole solo attempt in 2007 that ended just 89 nautical miles from the Pole after self-amputating two frostbitten toes. In 2019, Rosie completed a 700+ km traverse of Siberia’s Lake Baikal. More recently, she launched a multi-year “Desert Trilogy,” crossing the Aralkum Desert (2021) and the Sinai Peninsula (2023), and is now leading The Incense Route Expedition (2025). She is also a public speaker and charity advocate (including Special Olympics GB). Media have memorably described Rosie as “a cross between Tinkerbell and the Terminator,” reflecting her small stature and formidable endurance.