Miroslav Jakeš was a Czech polar explorer, traveller, mountain guide and mechanical engineer.
Svalbard was not merely a destination for his expeditions – it was a place he kept returning to and loved deeply. He visited Svalbard more than fifty times. He crossed its remote Arctic landscapes on skis on numerous occasions, and in 1997, at the age of 46, he made a solo crossing of Western Svalbard. In the following years, he undertook solo expeditions to the northernmost parts of the archipelago, and in 2008, at the age of 57, he travelled by ski from Ny-Ålesund to Longyearbyen.
His polar experience extended far beyond Svalbard. On 10 May 1993, he became the first Czech to reach the North Pole on skis. During his lifetime, he travelled to the North Pole a total of nineteen times. In 1996, he also became the first person to make a solo crossing of Greenland from east to west, without outside assistance or communication with the outside world.
Miroslav undertook dozens of polar and mountain expeditions, led Czech and international expeditions, and shared his experience as a guide and lecturer. Two documentary films were made about his expeditions.