Jade Hameister facts for kids

Jade Hameister (born June 5, 2001) is an amazing Australian adventurer. When she was just 16 years old, she achieved something incredible! She completed the "polar hat-trick." This means she skied to both the North Pole and the South Pole. She also crossed the huge Greenland icecap.

Jade traveled over 1,300 kilometers (about 800 miles) on these three trips. She spent almost four months on the ice! Her adventures were even featured in a National Geographic documentary in 2018.

Skiing to the North Pole

In April 2016, Jade went on her first big adventure. She skied 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) across the moving sea ice. Her goal was to reach the North Pole. She became the youngest person ever to ski to the North Pole from that starting point.

Every day, Jade skied for 8 to 10 hours. She pulled a sled that weighed 50 kilograms (about 110 pounds)! She had to go around open water and climb over big ice ridges. Temperatures were super cold, sometimes as low as -40 degrees Celsius (-40°F). She also faced dangers like falling through thin ice or seeing polar bears.

For her North Pole trip, Jade won the Australian Geographic Society's Young Adventurer of the Year award. Her journey was shown in a National Geographic documentary. It was called On Thin Ice: Jade’s Polar Dream. This film was seen in 170 countries!

Crossing the Greenland Icecap

Jade's second big trip was across the Greenland icecap. She completed a 550-kilometer (about 340-mile) journey. She started on the west coast and finished on the east coast. This happened on June 4, 2017.

She covered about 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) each day. She finished the whole trip in 27 days. This made her the youngest woman ever to cross the Greenland icecap! Early in the trip, a blizzard hit. But because it was warm, it rained instead of snowed. This made her shorten her daily travel. She had to dry out her gear in her tent.

Reaching the South Pole

Jade started the last part of her "Polar Quest" in November 2017. She skied over 600 kilometers (about 370 miles). She went from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. She finished this amazing trek in 37 days. She reached the South Pole on January 10, 2018.

Jade earned several new titles. She became the youngest person in history to ski from the coast to the South Pole. She was also the first Australian woman to do it!

After one of Jade's TEDx talks, some people left mean comments online. They told her to "make me a sandwich." When she reached the South Pole, she took a photo. She was holding a ham and cheese sandwich! She posted it online and invited the commenters to "ski 37 days and 600 kilometers to the South Pole and you can eat it."

Inspiring Others

Jade has given many talks to inspire young people. She gave a TEDx Talk in August 2016. In 2017, she spoke to over 12,000 students. These talks were part of an event called ImagiNATION. She also attended the National Geographic Explorers Symposium.

Her Book

Jade wrote a book about her amazing "polar hat-trick" adventures. It is called My Polar Dream. It was published in September 2018. In the United States, it was published as Polar Explorer.

Awards and Recognition

Jade has received many honors for her achievements.

• In March 2018, Vogue Australia named her one of their 2018 Game Changers.
• In September 2018, she was named one of The Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence. This was in the Young Leader category.
• In 2019, Jade received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This award was for her "service to polar exploration."