S1 EP09 Michael Andersson - Patrolling Greenland's coast by dogsled as part of Denmark's elite naval unit - the Sirius Patrol
Release Date: 06/30/2019
S2 EP09 Jerome Viard - Bon appétit: Tales from the French Pastry Chef that Helped Feed South Georgia's Rat Team
Antarctic Stories
Jerome Viard grew up in France and later moved to the UK where he has enjoyed a successful career as a chef, having been head pastry chef at some of the best hotels in Cambridge.
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S2 EP08 Dr Lesley Cadzow - The Unusual Adventures of a Ship-based Expedition Doctor
Antarctic Stories
Expedition Doctor Lesley Cadzow was born in Scotland and studied to be a general practitioner in her home country before moving across the world to Australia, where she eventually landed a position with Aurora Expeditions as an expedition doctor on a polar expedition vessel.
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S2 EP07 Five Reasons to Avoid Crowdsourcing your Trip To Antarctica (and what to do instead) with Heather Thorkelson
Antarctic Stories
With an overwhelming amount of information about travelling to Antarctica on the internet, it seems like an easy way to narrow down your options is to ask other people on the internet (in FB groups or Lonely Planet travel forums, etc) what they recommend based on their experience when travelling there.
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S2 EP06 Theo Crutchley-Mack - Being an Artist in Residence on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia
Antarctic Stories
Theo Crutchley-Mack is a contemporary British artist whose work appears globally in private and public collections.
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S2 EP05 Alexia Spencer - Growing Greens 650 miles from the North Pole
Antarctic Stories
Alexia Spencer is Chief Operating Officer running day-to-day operations of Polar Permaculture, founded by visionary chef Benjamin Vidmar. Based in Svalbard, their mission is to improve accessibility to fresh and nutritious food through sustainable and resilient systems.
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S2 EP04 Howard Whelan - Part 2 - Tales from three decades of polar expeditioning
Antarctic Stories
We are joined once again by expeditioner Howard Whelan for Part 2 of his life story from the polar regions. In this episode, we continue Howard’s winding polar journey, including his involvement in the award-winning film Happy Feet, using laser scanners from a “bubble helicopter” to map grounded icebergs and sea ice.
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S2 EP03 Howard Whelan - Part 1 - Tales from three decades of polar expeditioning
Antarctic Stories
Howard Whelan is a polar expedition treasure having worked in the industry for three decades. His story begins long before, working in the dangerous environs of the fishing industry in Alaska as a teen, eventually becoming a journalist who started up Australian Geographic & then becoming part of the team that made the first Australian ascent of Mount Everest. And this was all before he ever set foot in Antarctica. In today's episode, Part 1 of 2, we'll get a front-row seat for Howard's fascinating stories.
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S2 EP02 Crimes in Antarctica - The cold, cruel, and desperate happenings on earth's most remote continent
Antarctic Stories
This episode is a slight departure from our usual programming. Buckle up for a deep dive into a truly fascinating topic...Antarctic crime.
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S2 EP01 Caitlyn Webster - Exploring the icy underworld through the eyes of a polar expedition diver
Antarctic Stories
Southern California-based Caitlyn Webster is an “Undersea Specialist” who interprets the natural history of everything and anything under the sea. As an experienced dry suit diver, in this episode, she regales us with stories of coming eye to eye with a Leopard seal underwater and exploring kelp beds amongst diving guillemots at Alkefjellet in Svalbard, while emphasizing the importance of keeping calm, being present and trusting in your dive partner.
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S1 EP 14 Tami Harris + Dave Weisman - How to choose the right adventure once you've caught the 'polar bug'
Antarctic Stories
Today on AntArctic Stories we have Dave Weisman and Tami Harris. Since retiring in 2012/2013, Tami and Dave have been spending about 75% of their time travelling internationally.
info_outlineDanish national Michael Andersson let his military training and certified carpenter skills lead him from Europe to Canada, Zanzibar to Greenland and Svalbard, and then back Greenland where his growing interest and skills led him to fulfill a childhood dream by being accepted into Denmark’s Sirius Patrol - an elite unit of the Danish Navy that enforces sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness of eastern and northern Greenland.
Today on the podcast we get a peek behind the door of what it's like to be in the Sirius Patrol - out with only one colleague, a sledge and 13 dogs for months at a time, eating dried food and sleeping with a weapon on your chest in the event of a polar bear approach.
Download the episode and listen to Michael's incredible tales from some of our earth's most remote Arctic environs.
HIGHLIGHTS
2:48 - What exactly is the Sirius Patrol and how was it developed?
4:00 - Michael shares what the requirements are for men and women to apply to be a Sirius patrol person
7:37 - How does the application process happen - how do they narrow down to the few that are accepted? Plus, intensive Sirius Patrol training...
9:43 - Dentistry in the Arctic when it’s you and one other person, weeks away from help.
12:50 - It’s official - you’re starting your two years of service. What happens then?
15:11 - Michael tells us about what a day looks like when it's just you, one colleague, and 13 dogs on those multiple-month patrols
18:13 - What to do when there’s an issue with one of the dogs
20:04 - What do you feed this many dogs and how do you manage supplies?
21:40 - Michael talks sledge maintenance, and the challenge of packing heavy and light at the same time
24:05 - Nature is king and the weather is your boss
25:02 - Navigating in polar bear country
28:09 - Being out for four months at a time…lots of time to get to know your work buddies
30:45 - What did Michael miss the most?
32:12 - Michael talks food and meals out in this environment
35:12 - What is it like out there in the polar isolation? What did Michael learn about himself?
36:43 - Lessons from solitude - The heart holds certain things dear after this type of experience.
39:20 - Michael just finished his master’s in nature-based tourism. What’s next?
LINKS
The Sirius Patrol recruitment video - https://youtu.be/iCTw6WNx_-4
AntArctic Stories is brought to you by Polar Tracks Expeditions - your experts in small ship expedition cruises and unique adventures to the Arctic and Antarctica. We are polar guide owned and run, and we love sharing our insider knowledge to help you find your next polar adventure.
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