Odd Eliassen was the first Norwegian to stand on the summit of Mount Everest. He was the first to climb Trollveggen, the first to cross Queen Maud Land on skis, has made countless first ascents in the Norwegian mountains, and has crossed Greenland in authentic Nansen equipment. Continue reading to learn more about the last adventurer.
In 1965, at the age of 21, Odd Eliassen climbed Trollveggen for the first time with three others. On the ground stood a cameraman from NRK and a nail-biting local population. Eliassen had little climbing experience. The feat has been described as quite hair-raising.
Odd Eliassen has never written about his expeditions or given a lecture. He always disappeared out the back door when a press conference began. But now he has shared his stories with author, mountaineer, and hiking buddy Stein P. Aasheim.
He is an adventurer of the old variety, from the time when he drove 6,000 kilometers in a Volkswagen bus to climb the highest mountain in Afghanistan or to climb in Africa. Almost eighty years old, Odd Eliassen still skis a couple of thousand kilometers every winter.
The book, “The Last Adventurer,” is about living out the dream – not to achieve anything else, but for genuine adventure and the pure joy of moving into the unknown.
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Related: Climbing Norwegian Mountains – Step by Step
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In 1975, NORAD was looking for a master carpenter who enjoyed working in thin air. The job advertisement seemed written for Eliassen. For three years, he and his family lived at Kilimanjaro, where he climbed all the classic routes, followed paths, and built huts toward the summit. His children spoke Swahili like the locals. Today, the world’s highest free-standing mountain is Tanzania’s biggest tourist attraction. Eliassen has probably reached the summit seventy-five times.
The book about one of Norway’s most accomplished climbers and expeditioners of all time is a story about a time when being an adventurer was an adventure.
About the author:
Stein P. Aasheim (b. 1951) is an author, mountaineer, and self-proclaimed fur trapper, living in Isfjorden in Rauma. His enthusiastic travel and nature stories have inspired several generations of Norwegian outdoor enthusiasts, with books such as Trango – triumph and tragedy (1985), Svalbard – The Hunting Family at 79° North (2003), In Roald Amundsen’s ski trail: The Cape Race to the South Pole – 100 years later (2012), and The Mountains Have Me Now (2022). All books are in Norwegian only..
The Last Adventurer, Tor Kjolberg reporting.
All images © Fri Flyt.