Circumnavigating the Globe: An Artist’s Journey by Wind, Foot, and Ski

German artist Katharina Kneip is 900 days into an ambitious project to circumnavigate the top of the globe. Kneip started in January 2023 from Münster, Germany, and aims to hike, ski, and sail around the planet back to her starting point without motorized support.

Kneip has been on the road for over two years as part of a project she calls Round:Motion, which is based on the ethos of sustainability, cultural and artistic exchange, and a mindful pace. She aims to avoid competitive metrics often associated with long-distance adventure travel, like distance or records.

Traveling alone or occasionally accompanied by friends, the German artist turned adventurer travels by foot or skis on land, and by sailboat or kayak on water. Kneip relies on a network of sailors and helpful communities encountered along the way.

4,300km from Germany to Norway

Usually, Kneipp provides limited information on distances and the finer details of her journey, but we twisted her arm to reveal more.

The first phase of this multi-year odyssey began on Jan. 23, 2023, with a solo 4,300km hike and kayak leg from Münster to Kirkenes, near Norway’s northern tip. Most of this section was hiking, following well-known trails such as Norway’s Olavsleden and Sweden’s Kungsleden, but there were also short kayak segments between Denmark and Sweden. Kneipp arrived in Kirkenes in early September.

Katharina Kneip with a large backpack.

Undaunted by the large backpack. Photo: Katharina Kneip

 

Along the way, Kneip weaved in artistic collaborations, such as with Norwegian dancer Signe Alexandra Domogalla. The pair explored themes of movement and nature through workshops and exhibitions in Oslo.

Logistically, Kneip keeps things simple: “I don’t send food packages or anything like that ahead, and I don’t hitchhike or take public transport to reach supermarkets. But of course, I’m not carrying food for several months. I plan my route so that I reach a shop from time to time. The most food I carried was for 20 days while hiking, and 25 days in the Pulka [sled] while crossing Iceland.”

Winter sledding. Photo: Katharina Kneip

 

From Kirkenes, where she overwintered, Kneip resumed her journey in March 2024, with a long 900km leg south to Tromsø. She managed 750km on skis, with 150km on foot when snow conditions required detours. For some of this leg, Kneip was joined by two friends.

Crossing the Arctic

Kneip then secured passage by sailboat to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, working as both a guide and crew member during her stay. By late summer 2024, she had sailed to East Greenland, where she continued to Isafjordur, on the far west coast of Iceland. From there, she hiked a 500km route in September 2024, from Isafjordur to a farm near Akureyri, where she spent the next winter.

Careful navigation of closely packed ice has been required at times. Photo: Katharina Kneip

 

If that wasn’t enough, in March of this year, Kneip and companion, Dirk Langer, completed a 350km winter ski crossing of Iceland from near Akureyri in the north to Eyrarbakki in the southwest. Kneip then completed a solo 450km trek from Akureyri to Reykjavik in May and June.

All smiles on the water. Photo: Katharina Kneip

 

Kneip recently arrived in Labrador after sailing from Iceland to Greenland and then on to Canada. From here, she hopes to continue her journey, pending approval from Canadian authorities, by hiking around 7,000km and skiing another 3,000km before reaching Alaska. From there, she plans to sail across the Bering Strait into Russia. With much of the route still ahead and the unknowns of future travel in Russia, it will be several more years before she sees her finish line back in Germany.

Ash Routen

Ash Routen is a writer for ExplorersWeb. He has been writing about Arctic travel, mountaineering, science, camping, hiking, and outdoor gear for eight years. As well as ExplorersWeb, he has written for National Geographic UK, Sidetracked, The Guardian, Outside, and many other outlets. Based in Leicester, UK, Routen is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Member of the American Polar Society and an avid backpacker and arctic traveler who writes about the outdoors around a full-time job as an academic.