Alain Hubert
Alain Hubert is a Belgian explorer. He is a certified mountain and polar guide, a civil engineer, the President of the Board and one of the founders of the International Polar Foundation.
He is the founder and president of the International Polar Foundation. With the Foundation and its private partners, he built and financed the construction of the scientific research station ‘Princess Elisabeth’. This station is the first ‘Zero Emissions’ station in Antarctica, designed under the spirit of the Madrid Protocol establishing in 1992 the strictest environmental rules to date for a continent through the Antarctic Treaty System.
Biography
Alain Hubert obtained his Civil Engineering diploma from the University of Louvain in 1974. As an adolescent, he became an avid practitioner of outdoor sports: marathon, canyoning, ski and para-gliding.Professionally, he founded a cooperative specialized in carpentry and joinery and established himself in the Belgian Ardennes. Alain Hubert has been going on major polar and mountaineering expeditions. His achievements include being the first Belgian to ever reach the North Pole in 1994 with Didier Goetghebuer, a world record crossing of the Antarctic continent with Dixie Dansercoer in 1998 and 5 attempts at summitting Mount Everest. The Arctic Arc expedition with Dixie Dansercoer in 2007 was the First ever Siberia-Greenland crossing via the North Pole.
During his expeditions, Alain Hubert witnessed the pace and magnitude of climate change first hand and dedicated himself to that cause. He collaborates with scientists and collects ground data for them during his expeditions. He is one of the founders of the International Polar Foundation, with André Berger and Hugo Decleir. The International Polar Foundation supports polar scientific research, and promotes informed action on climate change and the development of a sustainable society.
During the 2004-2005 and 2008-2009 BELARE Campaigns, the International Polar Foundation builds the first ever "Zero Emissions" Antarctic Research Station: Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. The project is initiated by Alain Hubert and is funded by private partners and the Belgian government.
Distinctions and awards
- 2003: "Georges Lemaître International Award" - for services to science, University of Louvain, Belgium.
- 2003: "Grand Officier de l’Ordre de la Couronne", Belgium.
- 2005: "European Descartes Prize" Nominee – for excellence in science communication.
- 2008: "Climate Change Award" by the Prince Albert II de Monaco Foundation - for his clairvoyance and commitment towards climate change-related issues, Monaco.
- 2009: "Doctor honoris causa", University of Hasselt - for his general merits as explorer and scientist who encourages more care for environment in economic development, and in particular for his merits on disposal of the CO2 neutral Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica, Belgium.
- 2009: "Harvard Leadership Award" – for having provided a means to address climate change through an innovative and scientific approach, Belgium.
- 2015: "Geographical Award", Royal Geographical Society - for furthering the understanding of polar scientific research in Antarctica, UK.
Publications and films
- "L’Enfer Blanc" - "The Witte Hel", North Pole Expedition, Éditions Labor, Brussels, 1994.
- "In the Teeth of the Wind, the Great Antarctic Crossing", Bluntisham Books, London, 2001.
- "Cent jours pour l’Antarctique, La grande traversée", Éditions Labor, Brussels, 1998 - "In de tand of de wind", Van Hallewyck, Leuven, 1998.
- "Chaos sur la Banquise", the book of the 2002 Arctic Expedition, Labor, Brussels, 2002 - "Chaos op het ijs", Van Hallewyck, Leuven, 2002
- "Deux pôles, Un rêve", Arthaud, Paris, 2004.
- "La décision, entre passion et raison", De Boeck, Brussels, 2006.
- "L’Appel des glaces", Mardaga, Brussels, 2007.
- "antarctica.org", 1998, documentary film on the Great Antarctic crossing, which won the Toison d’Or at the Adventure Film Festival held in Dijon in 1999, and the First Price of the Mountain Film Festival held in Trente in 2001.
- "Chaos sur La Banquise", 2002, documentary film of the attempt at the longest Arctic crossing.
- "The Testament of Ice", multilingual DVD pack on polar expeditions with several original bonus, michel de wouters productions, 2005.
- "Beyond Silence", 2008, documentary film on the first arctic crossing from Siberia to Greenland, which won a "Special mention" and the "Toison d’Or de l’Aventurier de l’Année" at the Adventure Film festival in Dijon, 2008.
- "The Base", documentary film on the construction of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the first zero emission scientific station in Antarctica.
- "Princess Elisabeth Antarctica" –, Racines / Lanoo, Brussels, 2012.
Expeditions
Mountaineering expeditions
- Ama Dablam – First ascent of the East Ridge and first crossing, Nepal, 1983, and winter ascension of the Southwest face, Nepal, 1992.
- Kanchenjunga South – Attempt at a solo ascent of the Southwest face, Nepal, 1987.
- Cho Oyu – Attempt at the winter ascent of the Southeast face, Nepal, 1989; Ascent of the North-west face, Tibet, 1990.
- Everest – 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1999. Attempt at the ascension of the North face, Tibet -1991. South ridge, without oxygen, Nepal, -1992, 1994 and 1996. North Ridge without oxygen - 1999.
- Gasherbrum I & II, Pakistan, 2001, Attempt.
- Musthag Ata, China, 2003.
- Denali, Alaska, 2004.
- Mt Cook, solo ascent of the East face, New Zealand, 2004.
- Various climbs in the Himalayas, the Andes, Antarctica, Patagonia, Africa and Alaska, 1989-2015.
Arctic and Antarctic expeditions
- Geographic North Pole, Polar expedition – first Belgian to ever reach the North Pole, 76 days on ski and in autonomy, 760 km, Arctic Ocean, 1994.
- Greenland, polar trek on ski and with kites, 620 km, 1995 and 1997.
- World record crossing of the Antarctic continent, 3924 km in 99 days in autonomy, Antarctica, 1997-1998. The longest crossing ever made on foot and ski, using innovative new power kites.
- Queen Maud Land, - First ever ascent of the south summit of Holtanna Peak and a dozen of other rock peaks. International expedition, Antarctica, 2000-2001.
- The Arctic - Compaq Pole II - attempt at the longest crossing of the Arctic Ocean, in autonomy with Dixie Dansercoer, Arctic Ocean, 2002. The Expedition was forced to abandon after 68 days because of poor ice conditions.
- Mount Vinson, Antarctica, 2003.
- North Pole guiding treks - The last degree, Arctic Ocean, 10 expeditions from 2001 to 2014.
- Sør Rondane Mountains - first ascent of Mount Widerøe and a dozen of other peaks, Antarctica, 2004-2014.
- The Arctic Arc - First ever Siberia-Greenland crossing via the North Pole. 106 days on the ice, 1800 km, Arctic Ocean, 2007.
- Belgian Antarctic Expeditions, Utsteinen, Antarctica, Expedition leader of all summer seasons since 2007.