Pole to Pole 2000 was a human-powered expedition created by Martyn Williams who founded the Millennium Leadership Institute, based in 100 Mile House, British Columbia, Canada. The project took place during the year 2000 and culminated at the South Pole on December 31, 2000, shortly before the beginning of the new millennium.
The expedition aimed to travel from the North Magnetic Pole to the South Pole using primarily human power, while demonstrating global cooperation, leadership, and the potential for positive action by young people.
Pole to Pole 2000 was conceived as both an expedition and a symbolic act marking the transition into the twenty-first century. The South Pole was selected as the expedition’s destination because it is the only place on Earth where all global time zones converge and where the sun remains visible at midnight during the austral summer.
The project sought to highlight the idea that small, intentional actions—when taken collectively—can contribute to meaningful global change.
The journey relied primarily on human-powered travel, including:
Cross-country skiing
Cycling
Foot travel
The expedition began in the Arctic near the North Magnetic Pole, continued through North America, Central America, and South America, and concluded with a ski journey to the South Pole in Antarctica.
The polar segments required travel in extreme conditions, while other sections included support vehicles and logistical assistance.
A central element of Pole to Pole 2000 was its educational outreach. Along the route, expedition members visited schools and universities, including Brown University and Harvard University, to speak with students about leadership, environmental responsibility, and personal accountability.
Students were invited to write “promises of action”, describing specific steps they intended to take to contribute to a better world. These commitments were collected throughout the journey.
As the expedition progressed, the project gained international attention. The United Nations became involved and contributed additional youth pledges collected through its own global initiatives.
In total, over 60 million promises of action from young people around the world were symbolically associated with the project.
The team reached the South Pole approximately five hours before the beginning of the new millennium on December 31, 2000. At the pole, the collected promises of action were symbolically placed into the Antarctic snow as a gesture marking the transition from the twentieth century to the twenty-first.
The expedition team consisted of eight young people, selected from different regions of the world to represent a diversity of cultures and perspectives:
Martyn Williams - Canada
Heidi Hausman — United States
Dylan Spencer — Canada
Devlin Fogg — South Africa
Naoki Ishikawa — Japan
Jessica Casas — Colombia / United States
Renaud Richard — France
Mercedes Rosauer — Argentina
Jay - Korea
Pole to Pole 2000 is remembered as an example of combining human-powered exploration with youth leadership and global education. The project demonstrated how endurance, teamwork, and international cooperation could be used to inspire reflection and action at a moment of global significance.
Pole to Pole 2000 was organized by the Millennium Leadership Institute and took place during the year 2000.