All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson talks with Minnesota explorer Ann Bancroft. At this time a year ago explorer Ann Bancroft was on the polar plateau of Antarctica, pulling a 250-pound sled with teammate Liv Arneson. The pair became the first women in history to cross the continent on skis.

Bancroft's first attempt to cross Antarctic was not as successful. In 1992, she led the American Women's Expedition, a four-person 1500 mile trip across the continent. After 67 days and 660 miles, unusually bad weather, injuries and illness forced the team to end the expedition at the South Pole. A book, entitled Four To The Pole," recounts that journey using the group's journal entries, dispatches and letters. Bancroft says that format keeps the story true to the details of the expedition.