Ordinary Women: An Arctic Adventure

Ordinary Women is the exciting chronicle of the first all- women ski expedition from the Russian side of the planet to the North Pole. Team selection, physical training, and the logistics of managing food, clothing, and shelter in an environment that "...wants you dead," are crisply presented in chilling detail, quite literally. Full of surprises from its inception to its execution nearly eight years later, this is an amazing story of women working together, taking on harsh critics, challenging each other, and reaching a common goal. The group, which expanded and contracted through the stresses that all major expeditions face, was made up of determined but fairly ordinary women, who dedicated their arduous trek to young women. From the pitfalls of fundraising to the perils of breaking ice, this intrepid band of adventurers not only achieved their common goal, but transformed themselves in the process.
      Sue Carter, the expedition’s organizer, describes the problems with group leadership, both in preparation for the expedition and while on the ice.
      Nevertheless, the women reached the top of the world, and a waiting NASA crew; for an international webcast to schoolchildren who had followed their expedition; and for a segment on Good Morning America.

"Ordinary Women is a chronicle of the first all-women ski expedition from the Russian side of the planet to the North Pole. Full of surprises from its inception to its execution nearly eight years later, this is an amazing story of women working together, taking on harsh critics, challenging each other, and reaching a common goal. The group, which expanded and contracted through the stresses that all major expeditions face, was made up of determined, but fairly ordinary women who dedicated their arduous trek to young women. From the pitfalls of fundraising to the perils of breaking ice, this intrepid band of adventurers not only achieved their common goal, but transformed themselves in the process." "Sue Carter, the expedition's organizer, describes the problems with group leadership, both in preparation for the expedition and while on the ice. Team selection, physical training, and the logistics of managing food, clothing, and shelter in an environment that "wants you dead," are presented in chilling detail, quite literally." Nevertheless, the women reached the top of the world, and a waiting NASA crew, for an international webcast to schoolchildren who followed their expedition, and for a segment on Good Morning America.

Sue ( L. Susan) Carter is a Professor in the Michigan State University School of Journalism. She has served as the Secretary of the MSU Board of Trustees and Executive Assistant to the university President. Sue is a member of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame (April 2007) and has worked for many years as a radio and television broadcaster in Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. Among her recognitions is a national award from the United Press International for running in the Detroit Free Press International Marathon while broadcasting it.