Mike oversees ALE’s government and expedition contracts. His first experience in the Antarctic came in 1976, working for the British Antarctic Survey where he met fellow ALE partner, David Rootes. In 1988, Mike guided ALE’s first expedition to the South Pole. With plenty of his own mountaineering experience on Denali and St. Elias, his favorite ALE experience is our Mount Sidley expedition. His longest record for no shower is 180 days which he earned kayaking and skiing the length of Baffin Island. Mike resides in Sheffield, UK with his long term partner Olga with whom he enjoys sea-kayaking, hiking, skiing, and mountain biking.

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, at the same time as Mike Sharp. 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.   

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.

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.

Rachel has been a part of our team for nearly half of her life! Not surprisingly she loves wild places and has a background in guiding and adventure education. Over her tenure, Rachel has worked as a field guide, cook, guest services manager, and Punta Arenas Operations Manager. Since 2007, she has managed special projects for ALE from her home in Squamish, British Columbia.

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

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.

Larry coordinates all shipping logistics and equipment and inventory purchases. Each year he researches, purchases, and ships more than 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) of freight to Chile.

Leslie develops and executes our marketing and public relations strategy, maintaining our website, social media, and printed materials. She maintains our network of guide company and travel agent partners and coordinates our branded apparel for staff and merchandise for guests. Read Leslie’s Staff Spotlight.

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.

Jessica is one of the newest additions to ALE’s Salt Lake City crew. She assists our sales team on all aspects of the booking process. Originally from Colorado, Jessica loves trail running (like really LOVES it), ultra-mountain running, and rock climbing. Her ultimate goal is to one day live the van life.

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.

Ramon 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Prior to joining ALE, Tomi lived in Argentina and worked for an American diesel company on a large drilling tower.

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.

Daniel has lived in Punta Arenas for 23 years and previously worked in Naval intelligence. He specializes in dangerous goods handling for our airport operations and assists with RAAL administration.

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.

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.

Julia was born in a small town outside of Boston and previously lived in northern Vermont studying anthropology. Since then, she’s moved to Valparaiso, Chile where she works in education and tourism. Julia focuses on practicing yoga and exploring Chile’s 5th region during the off-season. 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 began guiding for Alaska Mountaineering School in 2006. He has guided many successful Denali ascents and plays a mean guitar. He has a deep passion for vertical rock and the science behind the art of climbing.

After a formal education in chemistry, Ian decided to ditch the laboratory to work in Antarctica as a field assistant for the British Antarctic survey. He has over wintered three times and has spent seven summer seasons supporting science from the polar plateau to the subantarctic islands.

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.

Riet lives in Dilbeek, near Brussels, Belgium. He has worked in the Antarctic since 2005 and spent 2 winters at Rothera Station plus seasons at Union Glacier, Halley VI Station and the Belgian Station Princess Elisabeth. When not in the Antarctic, he tries to see as much of the rest of the world as possible, and when at home, he works in local catering companies. Riet loves running and skiing!

Joe provides water, heat, and power to all of our facilities at Union Glacier Camp. Outside of Antarctica, he has managed logistics for Mt. Everest expeditions and guided Yak trips in the Talkeetna mountains of Alaska. Read Joe’s Staff Spotlight.

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.

Jenny loves remote places and working with the type of people who choose to be there. She has worked in the mountains of Norway, Svalbard, and the far Northwest of Scotland. When not managing the blue-ice runway at Union Glacier, she loves skiing, climbing, and anything outdoors. Jenny is originally from the UK but currently lives in Alberta, Canada.

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.

Phil is a quintessential jack-of-all-trades, skilled in repair and new construction, notably working six seasons as a glacier guide and camp construction/maintenance in Alaska. He is originally from New York State and in his free time enjoys skiing, ice climbing, backpacking, and many other outdoor pursuits.

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.

William lives in Shropshire, England where he works in conservation as a Countryside Ranger and a Tree Surgeon. He says “if I’m outside I’m usually happy!”.

César is from Patagonia, Chile and loves new challenges. He is passionate about his work and tries to deliver the best hospitality to our guests and the rest of ALE team.

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.

Roxanna enjoys pursuing new and rewarding experiences and has experience working in tourism with people all over the world. She currently resides in Beijing, China, where she is studying Mandarin and teaches Spanish to Chinese teachers from the Confucius Institute.

Siren is from Norway and has been working as a cook on ships and platforms. She likes to travel, see new places, and meet new people.

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.

Tony has been a meteorologist with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for the last 27 years, forecasting in various roles around Australia including at an air-force base and several postings to Antarctica. Tony is a keen private pilot in his spare time as well as anything in the outdoors.

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.

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.

Clare has spent much of her working life as a search and rescue coordinator in Australia and the UK. She has also spent three seasons as a communications operator with the Australian Antarctic Division and worked at sea, aboard historic sailing ships.

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.