Richard Weber

Richard Weber was a highly successful Canadian skier, cross-country runner, expedition explorer and courageous competitor.

Born in Edmonton in 1959, Richard was on skis at age two and began competing in cross-country events by six. At 18, he joined the Canadian cross-country ski team and, by the time he retired in 1985, had won 20 national titles and represented Canada at four world championships. While attending the University of Vermont, he was named an All-American in 1982 and 1984 and broke the Vermont state cross-country running record.

In March 1986, he joined the Steger International Polar Expedition to replicate Robert E. Peary’s 1904 journey to the North Pole using dog teams, without outside help or resupply. The expedition set off from Ellesmere Island and endured a hazardous 800-kilometre journey, reaching the pole after 55 days.

In 1988, Richard joined the Russian-Canadian Arctic Transpolar Ski Expedition, known as the Polar Bridge Expedition, skiing 1,730 kilometres from Cape Arktichesky in Siberia’s Severnaya Zemlya islands to Ward Hunt Island, at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island. The journey took 92 days.

In 2009 and 2012 Richard skied to the South Pole.

Canada’s prime minister Brian Mulroney said the expedition “captured the hearts and imaginations of both Soviets and Canadians, forging a higher degree of cooperation and understanding between the two nations.” The expedition also received congratulations from Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and Queen Elizabeth II. On Jan. 9, 1989, at a ceremony in St. Catherine’s Hall in the Kremlin, Weber received the Order of Friendship of Nations medal from Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov — a rare award requiring a law change to allow it to be presented to a foreign national.

In 1992, Weber led a small team attempting a human-powered, unsupported ski journey to the North Pole and back. After 102 days, open water forced them to abandon the effort and be airlifted to safety. Undeterred, they succeeded on a second attempt in 1995 despite poor conditions, abnormal temperatures and open water. They became the only people to ski to the North Pole four times and the only team to ski unsupported to the pole and back — described as “the greatest feat in polar history.”

In March and April 2006, Weber and British explorer Conrad Dickinson completed the 880-kilometre journey on snowshoes over 52 days.

Weber has received numerous awards, including the UNESCO International Fair Play award for the Polar Bridge Expedition (1989), the Medal for Personal Courage from Russian President Boris Yeltsin (1993), and the Confederation Medal from the Government of Canada (1993).

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 1975: 1st place, 7.5 cross-country event, Canadian Junior Championships; 2nd place, 3 x 5.0 km cross-country relay event, Canadian Junior Championships

• 1976: 1st place, 5.0 km and 7.5 km cross-country events, Canadian Junior Championships

• 1978: 2nd place, 10.0 km cross-country event, Canadian Junior Championships

• 1979 – 1st place, 10.0 km cross-country event, Canadian Junior Championships; 1st place, 15.0 km cross-country event, Canadian Junior Championships

• 1980: 1st place, 3 x 10.0 km cross-country relay event, Canadian Senior Championships

• 1981 – 1st place, 3 x 10 km cross-country relay event, Canadian Senior Championships; 1st place, 20.0 km cross-country/shooting event, Canadian Biathlon Championships

• 1982: 1st place, 50.0 km and 3 x 10.0 km cross-country events, Canadian Senior Championships

• 1983: 1st place, 10.0 km cross-country relay event, Canadian Senior Championships

• 1985: 3rd place, 50.0 km cross-country event, Canadian Senior Championships

• 1994 & 1996: Received the Meritorious Service Medal

• 2009 & 2012 – Skied to the South Pole

• 2015 – Received the Order of Canada

Note: The information gathered in this biography was compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For personal and/or educational use only. All rights reserved.