Fridtjof Nansen particularly in the polar regions. The Nansen family originated in Denmark. Hans Nansen (1598–1667), a trader, was an early explorer of the White Sea region of the Arctic Ocean. In later life he settled in Copenhagen, becoming the city's "borgmester" in 1654. Later generations of the family lived in Copenhagen until the mid-18th century, when Ancher Antoni Nansen moved to Norway (then in a union with Denmark). His son, Hans Leierdahl Nansen (1764–1821), was a magistrate first in the Trondheim district, later in Jæren. After Norway's separation from Denmark in 1814, he entered national political life as the representative for
Nansen Ski Club Nansen Ski Club The Nansen Ski Club is the oldest continuously-operating skiing club in North America. It was founded in 1872 by Norwegian immigrants in Berlin, New Hampshire, under the name Berlin Mills Ski Club, Berlin Falls Club, or North American Ski Club (in Norwegian, "Skiklubben Nordamerikansk"). The club later changed its name to Nansen Ski Club, in honor of Fridtjof Nansen. In the early 1920s the name was changed to Nansen Ski Club in honor of the explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930). The club soon built a small ski jump in an area of town called Paine's Pastures. In 1936,