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F.A.Q
Frequently asked questions
General questions
Dr Heïdi Sevestre is a French glaciologist, polar explorer, author and climate-change keynote speaker. She works as Deputy Secretary at AMAP (the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme), is an International Fellow of The Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, and won the 2022 Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions.
Glaciology is the study of ice in all its forms — glaciers, ice sheets and the frozen parts of our planet, known together as the cryosphere. It matters because melting ice raises sea levels, disrupts freshwater supplies, affects entire populations and ecosystems, and reveals how fast our climate is really changing. Dr Heïdi Sevestre is a glaciologist who brings this science to life for every audience.
Dr Heïdi Sevestre took her baccalauréat at ISETA, an agricultural college near Annecy, before studying physical geography at Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. An Erasmus exchange semester in Svalbard in 2008 changed everything — it sealed her passion for the polar regions. She went on to earn a master’s in glaciology at Aberystwyth University in Wales, then joined research expeditions in Nepal (on glacial-lake hazards) and Greenland. That fieldwork led to a PhD at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), where she spent four years studying fast-flowing “surge” glaciers, followed by a post-doc at St Andrews in Scotland.
Dr Heïdi Sevestre never planned to do outreach during her studies, but the opportunity came right at the start of her PhD in Svalbard. With no formal training, she found herself sharing her research with journalists, ministers, even heads of state and royal families. Her advice to anyone wanting to start: create your own opportunities. Tell your university you want to do more outreach, reach out to local schools, and use social media — but never lose sight of why you’re doing it, and stay faithful to the facts, because that’s what builds trust. She recommends practising speaking to any audience, anywhere, and trying it without slides: people remember stories and emotions far more than numbers.
Dr Heïdi Sevestre gives keynote talks on climate change, glaciers and the cryosphere, life on the frontline of climate change, the world’s ice sheets, the last tropical glaciers, polar expeditions, and leadership and teamwork in extreme environments. She makes climate science accessible and inspires audiences to act — with hope rather than despair.
You can reach Dr Heïdi Sevestre through the Speaking page, or through her agent Nathalie Myriam from Cruel Talent. Share your audience, date and objectives, and a tailored talk will be built with you. For any other topics, and to send a direct message to Heïdi, please use the contact form on the website.
Accounts of her expeditions are on the Expeditions page of this site, from ski-kiting across Greenland to crossing Antarctica. The most recent updates and field journal appear on the blog, and the Under Antarctica expedition — a 4,000 km ski-kite traverse — has its own dedicated website: underantarctica.com.
It's her great pleasure to share them here, it's one of the questions she gets asked most often!Below you'll find her gear lists from two recent expeditions. First, a polar one in Antarctica, for the Under Antarctica expedition with Matthieu Tordeur, travelling by ski kite:Gear list — Antarctica 2025 (her most detailed list, it even includes the food she brought, with as many links as possible)And two expeditions on the tropical glaciers of Uganda (2024-2025):Gear list — Rwenzori glaciers, Uganda 2024These lists cover the essentials.A few things aren't included: toiletries, first aid kit, and personal items, but she's tried to add as many links as possible!
A polar expedition is prepared on four fronts. Physical first: these journeys mean weeks of effort in extreme cold, so Dr Heïdi Sevestre builds endurance and strength through running, cycling, swimming and weights — her favourite (and most dreaded) session being to drag car tyres for hours, several days a week. Technical next: depending on the expedition, that ranges from ice climbing to avalanche safety, winter camping, even rifle handling in the Arctic. Mental too: mindfulness, stress management and a strong support network. And finally team and logistics: teammates sometimes trust one another with their lives, and success depends as much on meticulous preparation of equipment as on the team’s cohesion.
Thank you for your interest. Because of the costs, logistics and risks involved, the team is usually made up of people Dr Heïdi Sevestre already knows or who bring expertise essential to the project. Those with significant experience in high-mountain or polar environments, or in a relevant scientific field, are welcome to write and introduce themselves — though no new expedition members are being sought at this time.
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