Changemaker
Oskar Kihlborg
TL;DR
Oskar Kihlborg became the first Swede to summit Mount Everest in 1990. Decades later he took on a different mountain problem, covering glacier ice with wool blankets to slow the melt. Our Beyond pick THAW follows that work on Kebnekaise.
Swedish adventurer and mountaineer. First Swede to summit Mount Everest, now leading the wool blanket glacier experiment on Kebnekaise shown in the documentary THAW.
Kihlborg reached the top of Everest in 1990 with Mikael Reuterswärd, the first Swedes to do it. Guiding groups on Kilimanjaro years later, he watched a glacier that has lost about 80 percent of its mass over the last century. His answer was wool. The glacier blanket project he helped build has protected around 1.5 meters of blue ice on the Björling Glacier, and the documentary THAW follows the same method being tested on Kebnekaise. He also guides people with disabilities up mountains.
Why OGSP Recommends It
Oskar Kihlborg was the first Swede to stand on top of Everest he could fall back on that achievement for the rest of his life. Instead he decided to drag wool blankets up Kebnekaise to see if it could help protect glaciers from climate change. Trading summit glory for change is the kind of changemaking that makes Oskar a perfect changemaker candidate.
Related Resources
Key Takeaways
- First Swede to summit Mount Everest, in 1990 with Mikael Reuterswärd.
- In 1994 he led an expedition to Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest mountain, and became the first Scandinavian to reach its summit.
- Guiding on Kilimanjaro, he watched a glacier that has lost roughly 80 percent of its mass in a century.
- The wool blanket project he helped build has protected about 1.5 meters of blue ice on the Björling Glacier.
- He also guides people with disabilities up mountains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first Swede to climb Mount Everest?
Oskar Kihlborg. He later became known for a very different mountain project, covering part of a glacier on Kebnekaise with wool to slow its melt.
What is Oskar Kihlborg doing now?
He leads a glacier protection experiment on Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest mountain, hauling wool blankets up to slow the ice melt. The documentary THAW follows the project across three seasons.
Why cover a glacier with wool?
Insulating material reflects sun and slows local melting, and alpine countries have used blankets on small glacier sections for years. Kihlborg’s experiment tests it on Kebnekaise.
Where can I see Kihlborg’s glacier project?
In THAW, the documentary in our Beyond section. It streams free on YouTube and is embedded on its page, the whole experiment, doubts included.