Jean-Louis Étienne (born 9 December 1946) is a French

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

and

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

. He is well known for his

Arctic exploration Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

s, where he was the first man to reach the

North pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

alone in 1986, and his Antarctic explorations, including the famous 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition.

Early life and education

Jean-Louis Étienne was born in Vielmur-sur-Agout in the department of Tarn. He studied at the technical high school of

Mazamet Mazamet (; Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Masamet'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in southern France. It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolit ...

where he graduated with a CAP (Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle) in

machining Machining is a process in which a material (often metal) is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The processes that have this common theme are collectively called subtractive manufacturing, which utilizes ...

, then his technical high school graduation in

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administ ...

, and at the Faculté de Médecine of the

Paul Sabatier University Paul Sabatier University (''Université Paul Sabatier'', UPS, also known as Toulouse III) is a French public university, in the Academy of Toulouse. It is one of the several successor universities of the University of Toulouse. Toulouse III was ...

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. He obtained a doctorate in general medicine graduated with a DESS (Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées) in Dietetics and food, as well as a diploma in biology and

sports medicine Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the ...

. Jean-Louis Étienne is also a licensed doctor of the Merchant navy.

Career as explorer

Jean-Louis Étienne got interested in medical matters and human psychology in extreme conditions. In order to further his research, he participated in several expeditions in

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

(

Broad Peak Broad Peak ( ur, ) is a mountain in the Karakoram on the border of Pakistan and China, the twelfth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. It was first ascended in June 1957 by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger, an ...

and North of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

and

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

. He was a teammate on the '' Pen Duick VI'' under

Éric Tabarly Éric Marcel Guy Tabarly was a French Navy officer and yachtsman, born 24 July 1931 in Nantes and died 13 June 1998 of drowning in the Irish Sea. He developed a passion for offshore racing very early on and won several ocean races such as the Osta ...

for its race around the world in 1977–78. He is well known for his expeditions in the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

and

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, with scientific as well as pedagogical goals, which attracted media coverage, disseminating knowledge and research, and promoting protection of the environment. He became famous with the feat of the 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition, a 6,300 km crossing on foot, with dogs, of the Austral continent. In 2007 and 2008, Jean-Louis Étienne was the general director of the Institut océanographique de Paris and the

Oceanographic Museum of Monaco The Oceanographic Museum (''Musée océanographique'') is a museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. This building is part of the Institut océanographique, which is committed to sharing its knowledge of the oceans. History The ...

List of expeditions

*March–April 1986 : he was the first to reach the

, with continuing aerial resupply, skiing solo for 63 days. *July 1989–March 1990 : co-leader with

Will Steger Will Steger (born August 27, 1944 in Richfield, Minnesota) is a prominent spokesperson for the understanding and preservation of the Arctic and has led some of the most significant feats in the field of dogsled expeditions; such as the first confi ...

of the International Trans-Antarctica Expedition, a seven-month expedition during Austral summer, where he and four other men of different nationalities (Russian, Chinese, Japanese and English), fully crossed with their dogs and sleighs, the 6,300 km of the Antarctic continent, on the geographical

South pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

. *1991–96 : on the schooner ''Antarctica'' (currently the '' Tara''), he led scientific expeditions to Antarctica and

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norw ...

. *April–July 2002 : the Mission Banquise on the ''Polar Observer'' drifted for three months near the North pole to study

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. *January–April 2005 : Clipperton expedition on the

Clipperton Island Clipperton Island ( or ; ) is an uninhabited, coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is from Paris, France, from Papeete, Tahiti, and from Mexico. It is an Overseas France, overseas state private property of France under direct authori ...

in the

Pacific ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

to establish an inventory of biodiversity. *April 2007–March 2008 : Total Pole Airship, a scientific expedition to measure the thickness of the floe of the

Arctic ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

, via the geographic North pole, for the

International Polar Year The International Polar Years (IPY) are collaborative, international efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor in 1875, but died before it first occurred i ...

. The accident of the airship on 22 January 2008, which broke its moorings after strong wind gusts, forced Jean-Louis Étienne to announce that the expedition could not take place in 2008. *April 2010 : first crossing of the

in a

rozière balloon A Rozière balloon (or simply Rozière) is a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas (such as hydrogen or helium) as well as for a heated lifting gas (as used in a hot air balloon or Montgolfière). The design ...

, which started in Spitsbergen. Jean-Louis Étienne landed in

Eastern Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

after a flight alone in 5 days 2 hours 15 min and a path of 3,160 km.

Honours

Jean-Louis Étienne was named Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

in 2007, after being named Chevalier, then Commander in 2016 and Grand Officer in 2020. He was also named Chevalier of the National Order of Merit in 1991 and Chevalier of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

. He received the gold medal from the

Société de géographie The Société de Géographie (; ), is the world's oldest geographical society. It was founded in 1821 as the first Geographic Society. Since 1878, its headquarters have been at 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. The entrance is marked by two gig ...

and is a member of the

French Academy of Technologies The National Academy of Technologies of France (''Académie des technologies'') is a learned society, founded in 2000, with an emphasis on technology, and the newest of French academies. In 2007 it acquired the status of ''établissement public'', w ...

. He also received two prizes from the French Academy of Sports in 1990 for his scientific and sport achievements.

Publications

*''Médecine et sport de montagne'', éditions Favre (1983) *''Le Marcheur du pôle'', éditions Robert Laffont (1986) *''Transantarctica'', éditions Robert Laffont (1990) *''Pôle Sud'', éditions L'Esprit du Temps (1991) *''Les Pôles'', éditions Flammarion (1992) *''Antarctica'', éditions Gallimard (1992) *''Expédition Erebus'', éditions Arthaud (1994) *''Le Pôle intérieur'', éditions Hoëbeke (1999) *''La Complainte de l'ours'', éditions Jean-Claude Lattès (2001) *''Mission banquise'', aux éditions du Seuil / 7^e Continent (2002) *''Médecine des randonnées extrêmes : des pôles aux plus hauts sommets'', aux éditions du Seuil / 7^e Continent (2004) *''Clipperton, l'atoll du bout du monde'', éditions du Seuil / Septième Continent (2005) *''Jean-Louis Étienne, 30 ans d'expéditions'', éditions du Chêne (2009) *''La Traversée du pôle Nord en ballon'', éditions du Chêne (2010) *''Nouvelles Histoires naturelles'', éditions Jean-Claude Lattès (2011)

Documentary films

* ''Erebus : la mer, la glace, le feu'' by Pierre-Antoine Hiroz, Gedeon Programmes productions, FR3 (1994) * ''Nuit blanche sur la banquise'' by Marc Jampolsky, Gedeon Programmes productions,

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services providing ...

(1997) * ''Le Monde d'Étienne'' by Olivier Julien, Gedeon Programmes productions,

La Cinquième France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowledge network). ...

(2002) * ''Le Pôle intérieur'' by Emilio Maillé, Gedeon Programmes productions, France 3 (2003) * ''Les Mystères de Clipperton'' by Luc Marescot, Gedeon Programmes productions,

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

(2005)

References

External links

Official website of the Association Océan Polaire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etienne, Jean-Louis 1946 births French explorers Explorers of the Arctic Explorers of Antarctica 20th-century explorers 21st-century explorers French sailors French oceanographers People from Tarn (department) Knights of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Living people 20th-century French physicians 20th-century sailors