Scott is an expedition leader and professional mountaineering instructor from the Highlands of Scotland. Before joining ALE, Scott worked as a field guide for the British Antarctic Survey, completing six summer seasons and two over-winters. Out of the Antarctic, Scott has led mountaineering and skiing trips to Mongolia, Greenland, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and other remote locations.

Eli has been guiding in the mountains of Alaska for nearly 15 years and has been on approximately 50 expeditions in Alaska. He shares a simple, off -grid home with his wife and two dogs, in remote, McCarthy, Alaska. Eli is forever drawn to wild places and looks forward to exploring “Terra Incognita”.

Wesley began guiding in 1993 and His adventures have taken him to many of the world’s great ranges. He has always taken great delight in movement through interesting terrain. When not working, he finds himself ski touring, bike touring, and hanging out with his many canine friends.

Darren completed a PhD in geology and physics, before deciding to pursue a career in mountaineering and snowsports. He has been guiding/instructing for 25 years, being a qualified Mountaineering Instructor (MIA) and ski/snowboard teacher. Darren ran his own guiding service for 10 years, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He now lives in La Grave, French Alps where he runs French Alps Treks. This will be his 10th season with ALE.

Larry has been guiding full-time since 2007, primarily on the mountains and rivers of Alaska. He also works on many safety, science and industrial support projects which have taken him around the globe. In his free time he likes to thaw out from the mountains in tropical locales.

Tim started with ALE as a mountain guide on Mount Vinson. A veteran of high-altitude and polar expeditions in Alaska and Antarctica, he has extensive professional experience in mountaineering, overland vehicle travel, bush aviation, and remote project management. He oversees our entire Antarctic field program and the talented team that make it successful. When not directing field operations from Union Glacier or planning the next season with the teams in Salt Lake City and Punta Arenas, he can be found at his home in Alaska, or more likely nipping out on his next adventure via packraft or paraglider. Read Tim’s Staff Spotlight.

Carolyn is an experienced expedition leader and field guide in both North and South polar regions. She has also worked as a cancer researcher, management facilitator, and London bus driver! Carolyn coordinates with all departments on the ice and also our Guest Services teams in Punta Arenas and Salt Lake City to make sure we deliver the most incredible experience to all of our guests.

Avi divides her year between Denmark, New Zealand, Greenland and Antarctica. Her work takes her onboard cruise ships and on land-based tours with guests. Her dream of Antarctica came true in 2016 when she started working for ALE. She has also done one season at the Antarctic Peninsula, where South Georgia was a personal highlight, but Union Glacier is the place that has stolen her heart.

Juan is a Spanish globetrotter and enthusiastic mountaineer. He has worked on various tourism projects including building capacity in Nepal, community-based programs with Quechua people in Peru, and guiding tours in the Atacama Desert and on Eastern Island. Juan is passionate about Andean culture, Asian philosophy, and flamenco!

Gerardo was born and raised in Argentina but has also lived in Spain. He now resides in Norway where he works as a Restaurant Manager and receptionist in a mountain hotel.

Julia is from Boston, USA but has spent the past 10 years between the USA, Chile, and Antarctica. When she is not on the ice she is usually travelling, working with goats, and developing her skills as a medical interpreter. Read Julia’s Staff Spotlight.

Alan comes from England and prior to ALE, worked for the British Antarctic Survey for several seasons. He’s completed many overland tractor traverses across the continent and truly keeps our camp running as the head mechanic. If anything breaks, he’s the man that can fix it! Read Al’s Staff Spotlight.

Martin has been our Chief Medic since ALE was formed. He’s proud to be from Sheffield but has also lived in the French Pyrenees. Martin is qualified in both France and the UK in Emergency Medicine and General Practice. He is a wilderness medicine specialist and ensures all of our guests remain safe and well throughout their time in Antarctica.

Dean hails from the great country of Wales and leads our Operations Team in Antarctica overseeing communications and IT at Union Glacier. He’s also our go to engineer, ready to fix, install, and maintain all of our communication equipment on the ice.

Simon is a professional IFMGA certified Mountain Guide based in the French Alps. He’s worked around the world since 1987 and in Antarctica since 1992. Simon researches and maintains safe routes around our main camp at Union Glacier as well as assisting field teams with risk assessment and route planning. Read Simon’s Staff Spotlight.

Josh began climbing in 1999 and moved to Alaska because of the endless climbing potential. He has taught and guided at Alaska Pacific University and Alaska Mountaineering School and has helped guide numerous successful Denali ascents. Josh has a passion for vertical rock and the science behind the art of climbing. He also plays a mean guitar.

Marc joined the Belgian Air Force in 1983 and became an operational meteorologist in 1990. He spent 17 years working on operational air force bases, supporting F-16 planes. In 2000, he joined the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium where he works as a marine meteorologist in the harbor of Ostend. Prior to ALE, he also worked in Antarctica for the British Antarctic Survey and the Australian Antarctic Division. Read Marc’s Staff Spotlight.

Fritz was born and raised in Flanders, Belgium. He studied Chemistry at the University of Leuven (KUL) followed by a postgraduate degree in Environmental Sciences. He began sailing at age 13
and became a passionate competitor in regattas, where meteorology played an important tactical role. This allowed Fritz to start working at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium as an Operational Forecaster. He was then lucky enough to combine his two passions, working as a Weather Router for sailors as well as forecasting for Kite driven Arctic/Antarctic expeditions.

Fred grew up in the western United States and has traveled and worked all over the world. When not in Antarctica managing our ski-way, Fred is a wildland firefighter specializing in aircraft management. He also functions as our fire and safety advisor for camp and field operations.

Hannah lives in Vermont. She splits her time there between farming and doing research at the University, on topics related to agriculture and climate change. Hannah is also a yoga instructor and really appreciates a good adventure and meeting new people.

Hannah set the world speed record for skiing solo and unsupported to the South Pole in December 2006, a record she held for four years. Hannah completed the 690 mile (1110 km) journey in 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes. She has completed six expeditions to the South Pole and over 6000 miles (9656 km) of Antarctic sled‐hauling. Hannah has also undertaken expeditions on the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, South America, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Namibia, Afghanistan and the Amazon, not to mention sailing around the world twice!

Cedar is from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. He spends his summers guiding canoe trips in northern Canada and working carpentry jobs in Whitehorse. Photography, skiing, mountain biking and paddling keep him busy during his spare time. He is looking forward to returning to Antarctica and making our guests comfortable at ALE’s South Pole Camp!

Nestor was born and raised on the island of Borneo. He now resides in New Zealand and considers himself lucky to have the best of both worlds, tropical sun and sea, plus the cool weather. When not working for ALE he does chefing work all over New Zealand and at the North Pole during the Arctic summer.

Pato is known for dishing up fantastic breakfasts and plenty of laughs in the Union Glacier dining tent each season. If you’re passing through Vina del Mar, Chile be sure to stop by his family’s restaurant, La Cuisine, and say hello.

Lucy spends most of the year working as an Outdoor Instructor in the UK. She is based in North Wales in the summer and Scotland in the winter. She enjoys anything outdoors and is a keen mountain and road biker, climber, mountaineer and ski tourer – always with a smile on her face!