Tim is proud to be a veteran of 20 years of expedition leadership, both on the ground and behind the scenes. When away from Antarctica, he resides in rural Alaska, or travels the world. With fifteen Antarctic seasons under his belt, he can confidently say that he keeps returning partially because of the beauty of the environment, but mostly because of a fascination with the strange fauna that inhabit the remote outposts that many of us call home. Read Tim’s Staff Spotlight.

Fred has traveled and worked all over the world as a wildland firefighter specializing in aircraft management, as a professional mountain guide, and in avalanche mitigation. This background gives him a unique perspective on risk and operations in dynamic environments. After eight seasons at ALE, Fred has taken on the role of Union Glacier Camp Manager, leveraging his experience to support new programs, science projects and polar adventures.

Martin has been Medical Director of ALE since 2003. He is a wilderness medicine specialist and ensures all of our guests remain safe and well throughout their time in Antarctica. Martin trained in Emergency Medicine and General Practice in Sheffield, and is now back there, having lived and worked in France and Spain. Life is busy with teenagers and dog, but he still loves to road and mountain-bike, ski and climb mountains 

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 is a full-time, year-round guide, who splits his time between working in Alaska as a climbing guide and in Antarctica as a Travel Safety Manager. He began climbing in 1999 and moved to Alaska in 2003 because of its endless climbing potential and motivated outdoor community. He values teaching students outdoor pursuits skills and the science behind climbing systems.

Dean hails from the great country of Wales and oversees 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.

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.

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.

Carolyn began her working life as a Geneticist in Cancer Research, before deciding to change direction to work in the outdoors. She has been an Expedition Leader in the Arctic, Antarctic and other countries, leading teams of both adults and young people in cold, challenging and often technical terrain. Her Antarctic career began in 2001 as a Field Guide with the British Antarctic Survey and she has been a Departmental Head with ALE since 2011. In total, she has spent one winter and 14 summers in the Antarctic.

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.

Tim is our Ski Aircraft Coordinator, having previously worked in the mechanical services department and as the Ski Aircraft Assistant. In his free time, when not in Antarctica, he enjoys going scuba diving, four wheel driving and work maintaining his family’s farm property.

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!

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.

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.

Kasper is an expedition professional in both polar regions. He has cruised the Northwest Passage and Ross Sea by sailboat and he has undertaken ski expeditions in Greenland, northern Canada and Svalbard. Back home in Norway, Kasper runs a ski and dog sledding company.

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!

Gerardo (Gordo) was born in Argentina, has lived in Svalbard, Norway and currently resides in Spain. He has spent last eight years working and living in Antarctica and the high Arctic, including as part of the expedition team on board expedition vessels. In his free time Gordo enjoys bike touring, skiing and discovering new beaches.

Robert, from Slovakia, has always had a passion for outdoor life. While visiting Svalbard, he fell in love with the polar climate, became a sea kayak activity leader, a snowmobile guide, and an enthusiast of harsh cold conditions. Nowadays, he is still based in Svalbard, where he works as a guide and enjoys the snowmobile season, paragliding, kayaking, snowboarding and meeting people from all over the world.

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.

As one of ALE’s meteorologists, Marc provides forecasts for our intercontinental and ski aircraft flights, field camps, climbing groups and ski expeditions. When not working for ALE, he works as a meteorologist for the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. He also has his own business called Facta (weather4expeditions.com), supporting operations and expeditions in remote places. Prior to working for ALE, he worked in Antarctica for the British Antarctic Survey and the Australian Antarctic Division. Read Marc’s Staff Spotlight.

Tony is from Australia and has worked for the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for 30 years, including several deployments to the Antarctic stations of Casey, Davis, and Mawson. He enjoys traveling generally, especially into the remote Australian deserts, and flying light airplanes whenever he can afford to.

Brooke grew up in Utah but has called Alaska home since 2016. Over the past decade she has worked in a variety of positions within the tourism industry, from Alaska to Antarctica, New Zealand to Norway. Her favorite part is sharing incredible wilderness areas with guests and spotting wildlife. When not at work, Brooke escapes the crowds by exploring new trails, backcountry snowboarding, performing circus acrobatics and scuba diving.

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!

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.

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”.

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.

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.

Sue is one of the most seasoned members of the ALE team but don’t let her small stature and friendly accent fool you, she’s the toughest of the lot. She manages the Punta team and keeps all of the flight logistics and guest services running smoothly.

Olivia organizes all of the welcome briefings, gear checks, luggage pick-ups, and airport transfers for all of our guests travelling to Antarctica. Read Olivia’s Staff Spotlight.

Samuel Wild was born and raised in the United States before moving to Chile, where he organized adventure races and expeditions for the past four years. He studied International Business and Spanish, and enjoys playing soccer, basketball, and spending time with friends in his free time.

Priscilla was born and raised in Chile’s Atacama desert and is always looking for new adventures, new books, new movies and new recipes. Her friends often call her the ‘Queen of Desserts’ because of her sweet tooth! Prior to starting the ALE season, Priscilla traveled throughout the year to explore what lies beyond the Andes Mountains.

Hernan is a Punta Arenas native and previously worked in the Falkland Islands as a tour guide for 10 years. He is the first member of the ALE team many guests meet, so look forward to a happy face, ready to greet you outside baggage claim at the  Punta Arenas airport.

I am César from Patagonia, Chile. I am enthusiastic for new challenges and passionate in my work; to give the best hospitality to our guests and the ALE team. The place, work, and exchange of life experiences is pure gold and gives me another perspective on life and of the world.

Ricardo manages the Punta Arenas warehouse and coordinates the receipt of all our container shipments from Salt Lake City and transferring inventory on to the ice. Before joining ALE, Ricardo worked in airport operations.

Macarena was born and raised in Punta Arenas. She studied hotel administration and gained experience working for 10 years in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia Chile. She likes listening to music, watching movies, reading, and she loves drinking whiskey after a long day at work.

Eduardo worked as a truck driver for Civil Engineering Vicente and with Vilicic Construction in Tierra del Fuego. Lately he has been working as a fire truck driver/operator with the 8th company fire brigade in Punta Arenas.

Moises is married and has a beautiful daughter. He is a truck driver and has driven fuel tankers, transporting hydrocarbons for the National Petroleum Company. He also has experience with building pre-fabricated buildings from the USA.

Rene is a Punta Arenas local who served in the Chilean military and has worked in a variety of mechanical and warehouse positions. Most recently he worked for 13 years in mining. Outside of ALE, he enjoys spending time with his son and playing soccer.

Ramón started as a driver for the company more than 20 years ago and helped set up ALE’s Chilean entity, Red de Aventura a la Antártica Ltda (RAAL) in 2005.

Mel oversees sales, human resources, and accounting. She works closely with our seasonal teams in Punta Arenas and Union Glacier to ensure all guests have a seamless experience.

Steph works closely with all future guests to answer questions throughout the booking process and prepare them for their Antarctic experience. She also serves as an Account Manager for many of our travel agent and guide company partners.

Madison is a Travel Specialist at our Salt Lake City, UT office. She is originally from the Atlanta, GA area but is loving all the beauty that Utah has to offer. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Geology and loves rockhounding around Utah. She likes to hike, camp, and play with her dog Leela when she’s not working to ensure our guests’ smooth travels to and from Antarctica.

Jake joined ALE in September of 2022 on the heels of two years with the United States Antarctic Program. His time with USAP included one summer and two winters in Antarctica, where he served as a Heavy Equipment Operator on the South Pole Traverse and a Foreman/Operator for the maintenance, construction, and testing of Phoenix Airfield at McMurdo Station. Jake is from Patoka, Illinois, and he earned his engineering degree from nearby Kaskaskia College. His work experience includes LTL logistics management, logistics and inventory control management in biotechnology, custom wheat harvesting field operations management, and oil and gas midstream construction, testing, and maintenance. For recreation, Jake enjoys scuba diving, overland vehicle travel, 4×4 club involvement, and self-improvement in the form of continuing education, among other things.

Also known as our “Chief Chippy”, Walt constructs all of our specialized structures and adapts equipment for use on the ice.

Mike was born & educated in Australia. His career began on MacQuarie Island as a geophysicist with an Australian expedition in 1971. He would go on to found Quark Expeditions and pioneer tourism transit to the polar regions with Russian icebreakers. In the late 1990s, he sold Quark in order to focus on new ventures in space travel and deep ocean exploration. He currently serves on the board of Space Adventures which offers space travel to the general public and operates Deep Ocean Expeditions which has coordinated dive expeditions to the Titanic, the Bismarck, and the Mariana Trench.

David visited Antarctica for the first time in 1976 with the British Antarctic Survey. After serving as Station Manager for BAS until 1984, he went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Polar Studies at Cambridge. Now he manages all of the environmental logistics and permitting for our operation as well as overseeing the Salt Lake City office, sales, and marketing. In addition to ALE, he runs Poles Apart Ltd where he and Nick Lewis worked together for several years, and which offers environmental and logistical support to many polar film projects including several Shackleton productions. David has been married for over 30 years and has two children; he resides outside of Cambridge and is an excellent photographer & bird enthusiast.   

Steve started with ALE as a field guide and then served as Field Operations Manager for 6 years. Working from the UK as the Expeditions Manager, he is the main point of contact for all independent expeditions and also contributes to the operations planning for each Antarctic season.

John is ALE’s Human Resources Manager, supporting our seasonal and fulltime workers around the globe. He believes a positive employee experience translates into a great experience for our Guests and uses his strong HR background to achieve this outcome. John is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he teaches Human Resources in the College of Business. Before moving to a career in Human Resources, John worked as a wilderness canoe guide, backpacking guide, and wilderness trip leader.

Rachel has been with ALE since 1992, first working as a field guide and guest liaison in Antarctica, then as Punta Arenas Operations Manager in Chile. She now supports a variety of ALE projects from her home-office in Squamish, Canada. Rachel is a life learner, who is grateful for the many learning opportunities and challenges she has had over the years – from experiencing Antarctica, to learning to speak Spanish, and building ALE’s first booking database. In her free time, she enjoys being in nature and managing local citizen science projects. According to her friends, she spends way too much time doing yard projects and cruising dog rescue websites. 

Alice loves experiencing nature in all its extremes and enjoys exploring remote corners of the globe.

Carl made his first major expedition to the east coast of Greenland in 2004 and went on to Ski the Last Degree that same year. Since then he has completed multiple Ski South Pole expeditions in Antarctica and others in Greenland using dogs and kites.

A New Zealand native, Eddie  drove cat as part of the Pole of Inaccessibility expedition, helping to complete an overland traverse to the “farthest point from anything.” Eddie also helped move ALE’s main camp from Patriot Hills to Union Glacier in 2010. Back home, Eddie has served as head mechanic and cat groomer at Mt. Ruapehu ski area for more than 20 seasons.

Eric has spent the majority of his life between Utah and Alaska. His work experience includes wildland firefighting, commercial fishing, and two seasons as a Waste Operator and General Hand for ALE. He can usually be found climbing or snowboarding when he’s not at work.

Kimbra hails from Wanaka in New Zealand. She has spent the past four years snowmaking and grooming at her local ski resort and the four years before that in various other mountain related jobs. Kimbra is a lover of adventures and good food, particularly when they are combined.

Ben grew up in a small New Zealand town and is passionate about the outdoors. He enjoys white water kayaking and skiing.

Born and raised in Santiago, Chile, Angelo has a degree in Tourism Management and travels around the world working as a freelance tourist agent for many different companies. His passion
for traveling and seeing remote places has led him to work on cruises to Antarctica and South Georgia Island. He currently lives between the Falkland Islands and his hometown.

Santiago or as we all call like to call him, ‘Chago’, is probably the most enthusiastic member of the Communications team. He has a degree in Computer Science and began working for ALE in the Field Guide Store. When not in Antarctica, Chago has a passion for ski touring in the southern volcanoes of Chile.

Nigel is a mechanic from Cumbria, England. He keeps the ALE vehicles and generators operational as well as providing ground crew assistance for flight operations on the blue-ice runway. Nigel first worked in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey in 1994 and since then has spent 3 winter seasons and more than 15 summer seasons on the continent.

Originally from Wales, Martin currently resides in Colorado. He spends most of his time rock or ice climbing but you can often find him on high altitude mountaineering expeditions. When not in the mountains, he teaches rope access and rigging, and volunteers for the Alpine Search and Rescue Team.

Nick is originally from Wales and another British Antarctic Survey alum. He has an extensive climbing background and oversees our mountain and guiding operations on Vinson and in the Ellsworth Mountains as well as coordinating seasonal staffing. His favorite ALE experiences include Climb and Ski Antarctica which offer guests an authentic exploration that is totally unique. An environmental scientist by background, he worked on numerous polar and desert projects while a partner at Poles Apart. He met his wife while working on the Emmy Award-Winning NOVA Shackleton documentary. They now live in New England with their young daughter where they enjoy living close to the beach and the mountains.