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S2 EP04 Howard Whelan - Part 2 - Tales from three decades of polar expeditioning

Antarctic Stories

Release Date: 03/07/2021

S2 EP09 Jerome Viard - Bon appétit: Tales from the French Pastry Chef that Helped Feed South Georgia's Rat Team show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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' show art 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.

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More Episodes

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.

We also discuss the challenges of organizing single-day climbs on the Antarctic Peninsula, and Howard remembers climbing a new route on Mount Demaria which sits across the Penola Strait from Vernadsky Station.

Howard also reflects on changes in the tourism industry. Notably, the increase in the number of vessels and the coordination provided by IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators), and how experiences can vary greatly depending on the flexibility and timing of the operation. Finally, we take a moment to appreciate that sometimes the truest of connections to Antarctica can be experienced in the simplest of moments.

HIGHLIGHTS

1:30  Being on the leading edge of tourism-based mountaineering excursions on the Peninsula

3:42  Observations of changes in the glacial landscape of South Georgia

7:45  Howard becomes involved in the production of the award-winning film, Happy Feet

12:25  Months spent collecting data to create the animated world of Happy Feet

15:30  Howard’s mentorship by successful businessmen and adventurer Dick Smith

17:37  Reflections on the tourism industry then and now

22:00  The challenge for today’s expedition leaders

25:04  A lesson learned about celebrating true connection with Antarctica

 

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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