In this first in a series of video interviews with different adventure personalities, editor Jerry Kobalenko speaks to ExWeb ambassador Eric Philips about Antarctica, the sort of people who do best as polar travelers and the polar classification system that he has worked hard on for the last year, in the hope of clearing up the muddy terminology used to describe polar treks. What is unassisted? unsupported? a circumnavigation?
Eric Philips is a professional polar explorer and guide in both the Arctic and Antarctic. In 1995, he led one of the early kite-ski expeditions across Greenland, and in 2002, he and partner Jon Muir became the first Australians to ski to both poles. He has pioneered three new routes through the Transantarctic Mountains to the South Pole, completed first routes and variations on Ellesmere Island, Greenland and the South Patagonian Icecap.
In 2004, Eric was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to polar exploration, and in 2015, the Australian Geographic Society’s Lifetime of Adventure medallion. Eric is a co-founder and President of the International Polar Guides Association and founder and director of Icetrek Expeditions and Equipment.
