REPLAY | Matthieu Tordeur, the urgency of living

At 28, Matthieu has already led expeditions in more than 90 countries, by electric bike, on skis, by pulka ski, snowkite, in a 4L, by sail or by kayak. He is also the youngest person in the world to have reached the South Pole solo and in complete autonomy. On the occasion of the release of his book about his Antarctic expedition, Le Continent blanc published by Robert Laffont, we sat down with him. A fascinating exchange with an adventurer whose talent does not wait for the years to accumulate.

Profession : adventurer

The microfinance world tour © Matthieu Tordeur

When he was young, Matthieu loved Tintin. Like him, he dreamed of crossing oceans, discovering jungles, deserts... A childhood dream that would not fade as he grew up, quite the contrary. As soon as he can, he leaves Rouen to study in England and Germany. After his baccalaureate at 19, he crosses Eastern Europe alone and by bicycle. Then everything accelerates in 2013, when Matthieu and his best childhood friend embark on a somewhat crazy project: travelling around the planet in a small 4L, with the underlying goal of meeting micro-entrepreneurs from all walks of life and supporting entrepreneurship through microfinance. Faced with the public's enthusiasm for their journey, the two friends release a book and a film. For Matthieu, his mind is made up, he will make adventure his profession.

The South Pole solo

Objective South Pole © Matthieu Tordeur

Among all the expeditions Matthieu has taken part in, the most ambitious is undoubtedly his solo adventure in Antarctica. In November 2018, he sets off to reach the geographic South Pole, choosing to complete this expedition under the same conditions as the explorers he so admires, that is to say alone, without assistance (no sled dogs or kite) and without resupply. A journey of 1150 kilometers in 51 days during which he encounters cold, exhaustion and solitude, true solitude, the kind he had come seeking. Upon his arrival, he becomes the first Frenchman in the world to have reached the South Pole under these conditions and, in doing so, claims the record as the youngest person in the world to have done so.

Witness to climate upheaval

South-North crossing of Greenland by snowkite © Matthieu Tordeur

Like many people of his generation, Matthieu is sensitive to environmental issues, all the more so as his travels allow him to witness first-hand the impact of climate change. During the South-North crossing of Greenland guided by Dixie Dansercoer last August, for example, his most recent expedition, he had the opportunity to witness the melting of the ice cap with his own eyes. Matthieu is aware that everything could stop tomorrow, a realisation that fills him with an urgency to live and drives him to commit even more to projects that have meaning. 

In the rest of our interview, Matthieu looks back on his physical preparation, how he became the youngest member of the Société des Explorateurs Français, the adventurers who have inspired him, the behind-the-scenes of his adventure in the white desert, and his upcoming adventures...

Find out more :

• The book Le Continent blanc, published by Robert Laffont.
• The Traversée Sud-Nord du Groenland en snowkite by snowkite with Dixie Dansercoer, in which Matthieu took part from August to September 2020.