Antarctic Stories
39 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsAntArctic Stories is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes into the rich world of people who live, work, and undertake daring expeditions in the polar regions.
The podcast is produced by a merry band of career polar guides who primarily work in the expedition cruise industry, and is hosted by Heather Thorkelson. AntArctic Stories is our way of bringing the incredible lives of the people we meet and work with into your homes and headsets, no matter where you are in the world.
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Episodes
S2 EP09 Jerome Viard - Bon appétit: Tales from the French Pastry Chef that Helped Feed South Georgia's Rat Team
April 19, 2021 04:20 - 42 minutes - 50.8 MBJerome Viard grew up in France and moved to the UK 13 years ago where he has enjoyed a successful career as a chef, having been head pastry chef at some of the best hotels in Cambridge. In 2015, he was invited to embark on the adventure of a lifetime as a chef and field assistant for the South Georgia Heritage Trust’s habitat restoration field team during the rat eradication project. The team included 20 people from New Zealand, Australia, the UK and France. It was quite an adjustment co...
S2 EP08 Dr Lesley Cadzow - The Unusual Adventures of a Ship-based Expedition Doctor
April 12, 2021 09:30 - 53 minutes - 54.5 MBExpedition Doctor Lesley Cadzow was born in Scotland and spent her formative years pouring over medical books, with a keen interest in tropical diseases. She trained as a general practitioner before following an opportunity to New Zealand where she found herself working as a pediatric registrar flying premature babies around the North Island. She then settled in Australia and began her work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, providing treatment to indigenous communities all over the co...
S2 EP07 Five Reasons to Avoid Crowdsourcing your Trip To Antarctica (and what to do instead) with Heather Thorkelson
April 05, 2021 06:00 - 11 minutes - 15.3 MBWith 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. Today on the podcast we run through five reasons to avoid crowdsourcing your trip to Antarctica and what to do instead.
S2 EP06 Theo Crutchley-Mack - Being an Artist in Residence on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia
March 22, 2021 07:00 - 24 minutes - 29.7 MBTheo Crutchley-Mack is a contemporary British artist whose work appears globally in private and public collections. He strives to record the obscure landscape, often abandoned and remote, spending many hours outside drawing in sketchbooks that later become a reference for larger studies. His studio paintings start out as deeply textured wooden bases that form the foundation for a sculptural approach to painting. In 2018 he was invited to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia as part of...
S2 EP05 - Alexia Spencer - Growing Greens 650 miles from the North Pole
March 15, 2021 14:18 - 30 minutes - 33.9 MBAlexia Spencer is Chief Operating Officer running day-to-day operations of Polar Permaculture, founded by visionary chef Benjamin Vidmar. They are based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard and their mission is to improve accessibility to fresh and nutritious food through sustainable and resilient systems. Polar Permaculture currently produces and distributes microgreens, culinary herbs and ornamental flowers to local restaurants and grocers, and their new hydroponic equipment will allow them to grow...
S2 EP05 Alexia Spencer - Growing Greens 650 miles from the North Pole
March 15, 2021 14:18 - 30 minutes - 33.9 MBAlexia Spencer is Chief Operating Officer running day-to-day operations of Polar Permaculture, founded by visionary chef Benjamin Vidmar. They are based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard and their mission is to improve accessibility to fresh and nutritious food through sustainable and resilient systems. Polar Permaculture currently produces and distributes microgreens, culinary herbs and ornamental flowers to local restaurants and grocers, and their new hydroponic equipment will allow them to grow...
S2 EP04 Howard Whelan - Part 2 - Tales from three decades of polar expeditioning
March 08, 2021 12:00 - 30 minutes - 37.9 MBWe 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 Pen...
S2 EP03 Howard Whelan - Part 1 - Tales from three decades of polar expeditioning
March 01, 2021 19:05 - 46 minutes - 54.1 MBHoward Whelan is a polar expedition treasure having worked in the industry for three decades. But his story begins long before, starting with working in the dangerous environs of the Alaskan fishing industry as a teen, working at ski resorts and eventually becoming a journalist who moved to Australia and started up Australian Geographic. Not to mention he was part of the team that made the first Australian ascent of Mount Everest. And this was all before he ever set foot in Antarctica. How...
S2 EP03 Howard Whelan - Tales from three decades of polar expeditioning
March 01, 2021 19:05 - 46 minutes - 54.1 MBHoward Whelan is a polar expedition treasure having worked in the industry for three decades. But his story begins long before, starting with working in the dangerous environs of the Alaskan fishing industry as a teen, working at ski resorts and eventually becoming a journalist who moved to Australia and started up Australian Geographic. Not to mention he was part of the team that made the first Australian ascent of Mount Everest. And this was all before he ever set foot in Antarctica. How...
S2 EP02 Crimes in Antarctica - The cold, cruel, and desperate happenings on earth's most remote continent
February 22, 2021 11:00 - 50 minutes - 53.1 MBThis episode is a slight departure from our usual programming. Buckle up for a deep dive into a truly fascinating topic...Antarctic crime. Crimes which occur in Antarctica may be rare, but they are rife with drama and intrigue. In this episode, Heather Thorkelson and Lauren Farmer discuss the complicated legal background of investigating and prosecuting a crime on the white continent, where multiple countries can claim jurisdiction based on where the crime occurred and who was involved. S...
S2 EP01 Caitlyn Webster - Exploring the icy underworld through the eyes of a polar expedition diver
February 15, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 79.7 MBSouthern California-based Caitlyn Webster is an “Undersea Specialist” who interprets the natural history of everything and anything under the sea. Through stunning videography, she’s able to bring the underworld to the surface and share it with others. As an experienced dry suit diver, she is simply blown away by being able to breathe underwater and has been able to develop a truly unique career in marine biology and ocean exploration. Her background as a kelp forest monitor recording ecol...
S1 EP 14 Tami Harris + Dave Weisman - How to choose the right adventure once you've caught the 'polar bug'
September 30, 2019 12:28 - 27 minutes - 50.8 MBToday on AntArctic Stories we have a different kind of guest. In fact, there are two: Tami Harris and Dave Weisman. We've received a number of requests to feature "regular travellers" who have been to the polar regions so we invited Tami and Dave on the program to share their experiences. Since retiring in 2012/2013, Tami and Dave have been spending about 75% of their time travelling, mostly internationally. Listen to today's episode to hear about how the pair decided on whi...
EP 14 Tami Harris + Dave Weisman - How to choose the right adventure once you've caught the 'polar bug'
September 30, 2019 12:28 - 27 minutes - 50.8 MBToday on AntArctic Stories we have a different kind of guest. In fact, there are two: Tami Harris and Dave Weisman. We've received a number of requests to feature "regular travellers" who have been to the polar regions so we invited Tami and Dave on the program to share their experiences. Since retiring in 2012/2013, Tami and Dave have been spending about 75% of their time travelling, mostly internationally. Listen to today's episode to hear about how the pair decided on whi...
S1 EP13 Stephen Eastaugh - A landscape artist that overwintered in Antarctica
August 31, 2019 06:58 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBStephen Eastaugh is an Australian contemporary artist from Melbourne, Australia. He is known for producing semi-abstract, mixed media art, and his work is informed by his decades of experiences travelling. He has made nine trips to Antarctica: three trips as the official Australian Antarctic Arts fellow (2000, 2002–3, 2009), and six times as an artist-in-residence on tourist ships. On Eastaugh's third official trip to Antarctica, he over-wintered at Mawson station. In fact, he was the fir...
EP13 Stephen Eastaugh - A landscape artist that overwintered in Antarctica
August 31, 2019 06:58 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBStephen Eastaugh is an Australian contemporary artist from Melbourne, Australia. He is known for producing semi-abstract, mixed media art, and his work is informed by his decades of experiences travelling. He has made nine trips to Antarctica: three trips as the official Australian Antarctic Arts fellow (2000, 2002–3, 2009), and six times as an artist-in-residence on tourist ships. On Eastaugh's third official trip to Antarctica, he over-wintered at Mawson station. In fact, he was the fir...
S1 EP12 Sarah Lurcock - Six months a year, every year: A story of living on South Georgia for love & preservation
August 15, 2019 18:21 - 49 minutes - 112 MBFew faces in the sub-Antarctic world are as familiar as that of Sarah Lurcock, South Georgia Heritage Trust's Director on South Georgia. Tireless in her management of the annual team that heads to Gryviken to manage the museum, the post office, and various goings-on in this remote outpost, Sarah is one of the strongest ambassadors for an island that so many love so dearly. Photo by Heather Thorkelson Many travellers recognize Sarah as the first local face they see upon arrival i...
EP12 Sarah Lurcock - Six months a year, every year: A story of living on South Georgia for love & preservation
August 15, 2019 18:21 - 49 minutes - 112 MBFew faces in the sub-Antarctic world are as familiar as that of Sarah Lurcock, South Georgia Heritage Trust's Director on South Georgia. Tireless in her management of the annual team that heads to Gryviken to manage the museum, the post office, and various goings-on in this remote outpost, Sarah is one of the strongest ambassadors for an island that so many love so dearly. Photo by Heather Thorkelson Many travellers recognize Sarah as the first local face they see upon arrival i...
EP11 Alexander Feldt - The Life of a Park Ranger in Russia's High Arctic
July 31, 2019 16:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBAlexander Feldt has spent the last decade working as an Arctic guide both on land and on expedition cruise ships in Russia’s Far North and Northern Norway, as well as serving as a Park Ranger for the Russian Arctic National Park. Originally from Arkhangelsk on Russia’s northern coast, he's spent his entire career focused on learning about and sharing his love for the history of this region. Along with his insight into the recent history of the area, hear his stories of when he was on ...
S1 EP11 Alexander Feldt - The Life of a Park Ranger in Russia's High Arctic
July 31, 2019 16:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBAlexander Feldt has spent the last decade working as an Arctic guide both on land and on expedition cruise ships in Russia’s Far North and Northern Norway, as well as serving as a Park Ranger for the Russian Arctic National Park. Originally from Arkhangelsk on Russia’s northern coast, he's spent his entire career focused on learning about and sharing his love for the history of this region. Along with his insight into the recent history of the area, hear his stories of when he was on ...
S1 EP10 Ted Cheeseman - Photographing whales to tell their story - for fun + science - with happywhale.com
July 15, 2019 09:33 - 49 minutes - 114 MBTed Cheeseman is the founder of happywhale.com, a project that aims to photo identify the world's whales through Citizen Science and as such, better understand these mysterious creatures, both for fun and scientific purposes. In just a few short years happywhale.com has become one of the greatest contributors to whale science both in the volume of whale identification images but also, in understanding their migration patterns. Furthermore, Ted is one of the founding membe...
EP10 Ted Cheeseman - Photographing whales to tell their story - for fun + science - with happywhale.com
July 15, 2019 09:33 - 49 minutes - 114 MBTed Cheeseman is the founder of happywhale.com, a project that aims to photo identify the world's whales through Citizen Science and as such, better understand these mysterious creatures, both for fun and scientific purposes. In just a few short years happywhale.com has become one of the greatest contributors to whale science both in the volume of whale identification images but also, in understanding their migration patterns. Furthermore, Ted is one of the founding membe...
EP09 Michael Andersson - Patrolling Greenland's coast by dogsled as part of Denmark's elite naval unit - the Sirius Patrol
June 30, 2019 12:49 - 41 minutes - 95.5 MBDanish 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...
S1 EP09 Michael Andersson - Patrolling Greenland's coast by dogsled as part of Denmark's elite naval unit - the Sirius Patrol
June 30, 2019 12:49 - 41 minutes - 95.5 MBDanish 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...
EP08 Sarah Woodall - From OCD event planner in Washington DC to the slow life in remote southern Greenland
June 15, 2019 17:33 - 26 minutes - 61.7 MBWhat happens when you thought your destiny would take you closer to the equator to a Spanish-speaking country, and then discover that your heart is actually in remote, chilly, and wild Greenland? Our guest on the podcast today is Sarah Woodall, a Paraguayan-born naturalized US citizen who was raised in Washington DC and found her way to Greenland on an internship. As it turns out, Sarah would not be returning to the US. Rather she has settled in the southern Greenland town of Qaqorto...
S1 EP08 Sarah Woodall - From OCD event planner in Washington DC to the slow life in remote southern Greenland
June 15, 2019 17:33 - 26 minutes - 61.7 MBWhat happens when you thought your destiny would take you closer to the equator to a Spanish-speaking country, and then discover that your heart is actually in remote, chilly, and wild Greenland? Our guest on the podcast today is Sarah Woodall, a Paraguayan-born naturalized US citizen who was raised in Washington DC and found her way to Greenland on an internship. As it turns out, Sarah would not be returning to the US. Rather she has settled in the southern Greenland town of Qaqorto...
S1 EP07 Bob Gilmore - From fuel guy in Antarctica's interior to polar Citizen Science trailblazer
May 31, 2019 12:00 - 27 minutes - 63.2 MBToday we bring you the story of Bob Gilmore, a former McMurdo base staff member and longtime polar expedition guide who supported both the on-the-ground research projects on the continent and then went on to spearhead polar citizen science programs on tourism expedition vessels. In this episode, Bob tells his story of how he came to work in Antarctica to begin with in charge of fuel which allowed him the amazing opportunity of going deep into the continent and learn first hand about glacial...
EP07 Bob Gilmore - From fuel guy in Antarctica's interior to polar Citizen Science trailblazer
May 31, 2019 12:00 - 27 minutes - 63.2 MBToday we bring you the story of Bob Gilmore, a former McMurdo base staff member and longtime polar expedition guide who supported both the on-the-ground research projects on the continent and then went on to spearhead polar citizen science programs on tourism expedition vessels. In this episode, Bob tells his story of how he came to work in Antarctica to begin with in charge of fuel which allowed him the amazing opportunity of going deep into the continent and learn first hand about glacial...
S1 EP06 Felicity Aston - Spending two months alone in Antarctica + other tales of doing what no woman has done before
May 15, 2019 13:49 - 1 hour - 127 MBFelicity Aston's story is absolutely incredible - going from someone who didn't particularly like Phys Ed class in school to being the first woman to ever cross the Antarctic continent alone over the course of two months, she has shown that courage, tenacity, and mindset are more important in achieving massive goals than pure physical capability. In this episode, Felicity shares how she first fell in love with Antarctica while working as a meteorologist on a research base, what made her g...
EP06 Felicity Aston - Spending two months alone in Antarctica + other tales of doing what no woman has done before
May 15, 2019 13:49 - 1 hour - 127 MBFelicity Aston's story is absolutely incredible - going from someone who didn't particularly like Phys Ed class in school to being the first woman to ever cross the Antarctic continent alone over the course of two months, she has shown that courage, tenacity, and mindset are more important in achieving massive goals than pure physical capability. In this episode, Felicity shares how she first fell in love with Antarctica while working as a meteorologist on a research base, what made her g...
EP05 Graham Charles - Achieving 'world firsts' & helping professionalize the polar guiding industry
April 30, 2019 18:34 - 49 minutes - 89.9 MBOn this episode of AntArctic Stories, we speak with Graham Charles, one of New Zealand’s most versatile outdoor professionals, with over thirty years of professional outdoor experience and qualifications to the highest levels. He is also the founder and President of the Polar Tourism Guides Association. Graham shares with us his experiences of being part of the first team to kayak the length of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2001, unsupported and without anything to communicate with other than...
S1 EP05 Graham Charles - Achieving 'world firsts' & helping professionalize the polar guiding industry
April 30, 2019 18:34 - 49 minutes - 89.9 MBOn this episode of AntArctic Stories, we speak with Graham Charles, one of New Zealand’s most versatile outdoor professionals, with over thirty years of professional outdoor experience and qualifications to the highest levels. He is also the founder and President of the Polar Tourism Guides Association. Graham shares with us his experiences of being part of the first team to kayak the length of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2001, unsupported and without anything to communicate with other than...
S1 EP04 Allison Cusick - Changing the data-gathering game through Citizen Science
April 12, 2019 08:39 - 32 minutes - 75.3 MBAllison Cusick is a wildly interesting 'woman scientist' and key member of the Polar Citizen Science Collective who spent 10 years as a research biologist before taking on PhD studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In this episode, she shares how she turned her passion for science and travel into numerous opportunities to engage with the natural environment in ways most people only dream of, including a 53-day scientific expedition to the Ross Sea Antarctica on board the icebreak...
EP04 Allison Cusick - Changing the data-gathering game through Citizen Science
April 12, 2019 08:39 - 32 minutes - 75.3 MBAllison Cusick is a wildly interesting 'woman scientist' and key member of the Polar Citizen Science Collective who spent 10 years as a research biologist before taking on PhD studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In this episode, she shares how she turned her passion for science and travel into numerous opportunities to engage with the natural environment in ways most people only dream of, including a 53-day scientific expedition to the Ross Sea Antarctica on board the icebreak...
EP03 Mikolaj Golachowski - Life at a polar research station and falling down a crevasse...alone
April 12, 2019 08:30 - 47 minutes - 109 MBMikolaj Golachowski, a biologist by training, lived and worked at Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station off-and-on over the course of several years, including taking on the role of base commander in his final season. He shares stories of lessons learned about human nature, his self-rescue after falling down a crevasse while alone, and the unusual opportunities presented while living in one of the most remote places on earth. HIGHLIGHTS 3:05 - How Miko’s study of elephant seals ...
S1 EP03 Mikolaj Golachowski - Life at a polar research station and falling down a crevasse...alone
April 12, 2019 08:30 - 47 minutes - 109 MBMikolaj Golachowski, a biologist by training, lived and worked at Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station off-and-on over the course of several years, including taking on the role of base commander in his final season. He shares stories of lessons learned about human nature, his self-rescue after falling down a crevasse while alone, and the unusual opportunities presented while living in one of the most remote places on earth. HIGHLIGHTS 3:05 - How Miko’s study of elephant seals ...
S1 EP02 Johanna Davidsson - Skiing to the South Pole and kite-skiing back again (solo)
April 12, 2019 06:07 - 30 minutes - 68.7 MBJohanna Davidson is a Swedish adventurer and self-described 'cheerful ski bum' who has gone further than most humans in chasing her dreams of a life outdoors in extreme polar conditions, among them skiing alone across Antarctica to the South Pole and then kite-skiing back out to the coast. Listen as she recounts the planning, funding, and endurance challenges on her way to becoming an accidental world record holder for the fastest female to the South Pole, unsupported. She was also the...
EP02 Johanna Davidsson - Skiing to the South Pole and kite-skiing back again (solo)
April 12, 2019 06:07 - 30 minutes - 68.7 MBJohanna Davidson is a Swedish adventurer and self-described 'cheerful ski bum' who has gone further than most humans in chasing her dreams of a life outdoors in extreme polar conditions, among them skiing alone across Antarctica to the South Pole and then kite-skiing back out to the coast. Listen as she recounts the planning, funding, and endurance challenges on her way to becoming an accidental world record holder for the fastest female to the South Pole, unsupported. She was also the...
S1 EP01 Paul Hart - Crossing the Antarctic Peninsula by man-haul
April 09, 2019 09:24 - 46 minutes - 107 MBPaul Hart, former Army and Royal Navy officer, takes us along on the recounting of his incredible journey across the Antarctic Peninsula by man-haul, a feat that had never been done before. Leading a team of eight, we learn how the original well-planned route had to be abandoned due to inaccessibility, leaving Paul and his team to cross this crevassed and inhospitable mountain range with very little data, relying on their wits and expertise to get them safely to the other side. HIGHLIGH...
EP01 Paul Hart - Crossing the Antarctic Peninsula by man-haul
April 09, 2019 09:24 - 46 minutes - 107 MBPaul Hart, former Army and Royal Navy officer, takes us along on the recounting of his incredible journey across the Antarctic Peninsula by man-haul, a feat that had never been done before. Leading a team of eight, we learn how the original well-planned route had to be abandoned due to inaccessibility, leaving Paul and his team to cross this crevassed and inhospitable mountain range with very little data, relying on their wits and expertise to get them safely to the other side. HIGHLIGH...