Mr. Bernd Ade

Bernd Ade was the founder of Youth Sports Foundation in 1997. From successful business ventures, Bernd sponsored many athletes to travel around the world in order to achieve their goal of obtaining specialised and elite personal training. Some athletes were financially assisted to participate in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Bernd also ventured into the production of documentaries of extreme sporting events like the Simpson Desert Race in Australia in 2002.

http://www.impactimages.com.au/ simpsondesert/race.htm

Bernd started his adventures by walking around Corsica and Sardinia in 1968, travelled across to the USA in 1970 and explored the most northern part of Europe in 1973 and to many other places, too many to mention. In March 2004, Bernd travelled north across Alaska in extreme winter conditions (- 40 degrees Celsius) and spent 4 days in the mountains of Alaska to experience the cold he might encounter in the Antarctic.

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Mrs. Linda Beilharz

Linda is the first Australian woman to ski from the edge of the Antarctic to the South Pole. During her epic 56-day quest, Linda endured treacherous conditions, including blinding snowstorms and minus 50 degree temperatures.

Linda's extraordinary triumph is testament not only to her physical strength and courage, but also to her determination that pushed her, inch by inch, across that vast and dangerous landscape.

Linda is also a fascinating and engaging public speaker. Linda eloquently paints a picture of the drive, resilience and courage it takes to face any of life's challenges. Linda is a recognized leader in her professional career, speaking regularly about the creation of healthy and safe communities. In addition to public speaking Linda conducts one or two day training workshops in "Building Communities of Hope", a workshop aimed at community leaders and community workers.

Mr. Brian Horner

Brian Horner is a survival expert and well experienced in rescue operations of all kinds. Brian will be assisting all team members with survival training, developing skills and knowledge to solve life-threatening situations in the Antarctic.

Here are just some of Brian's Qualifications:

* Over 30 years instructing and researching aviation, marine and wilderness survival & rescue techniques as a career.13 years of this time as a US Army and US Airforce SERE instructor.

* Formal education in the design, coordination and implementation of advanced learning programs, preparation of visual aids, lesson plans, technical publications and HSE programs.

* Extensive emergency medical training coupled with expedition level rescue experience International lecturer on the subjects of remote medicine, human adaptations to hazardous environments and aviation crash survival.

* Owner and president of a successful HSE training corporation for the past 20 years.

Employment History

Current: President, LTR Training Systems, Inc. An Alaskan based safety and survival training corporation providing 20 years of international support to oil production, law enforcement and US Military Forces.

Mr. John Dunn

John Dunn is an outstanding and well-experienced NSW fire fighter with a strong drive to succeed in business and in his personal ventures.
John is sharp, ambitious, determined, and persistent with a lot of will power and has a strong personality. No is not an answer for John. John is also well experienced in many aspects of business:

• Logistic Management
• Administration Management
• Planning & Budgeting
• Risk Analysis
• Risk Management
• Hazardous Material Control
• Supervising Teams

John also has a vast list of qualifications such as:

• Australian Army Lieutenant (regular)
• Australian Army (Reserve) Rank: Captain Commander
• Bachelor of Social Science
• Private Pilots License (Aerobatic Endorsement)
• Anti-Discrimination & Harassment Contact Officer
• Occupational Health & Safety Committee Member
and many others…..

In June 2005 John attempted to cross the Great Victorian Desert unassisted. His long training and experience was cut short due to heavy rain in the area. John still managed to walk 300 km through a very muddy, wet, dangerous and unforgiving area of Australia. It needs skill, experience and incredible fitness to attempt such a crossing.

Ralf Dujmovits

Ralf is the director of "Amical alpine" and lives with his partner Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner based in the Black Forrest in Germany. Whenever there is a possibility for another adventure Ralf and Gerlinde will take part. Ralf climbed the highest mountains in the world in the vicinity of 8000m. The public eventually recognised Ralf due to his 33-hour life telecast climbing the Eiger Nordwand. Ralf has over 40 expeditions and trekking behind him including the Himalaya and their Antarctic, the Andes and Karakorum. Ralf is one of only a handful of experienced mountaineers. Ralf's expertise will add extra comfort and security to the Antarctic Expedition 2009 - 2011.

Ralf reached the summit of Everest on Oct 4th 1992 by the South East Ridge. One of a very few men in the world to have reached the Summits of Everest and K2. German, climber, 40-year-old bachelor, mountain guide, director since 1989 of 'Amicalalpin' (an Expedition and Trekking Agency), technical adviser. Multiple ascents in the Alps, including most of the classic itineraries. UIAGM Mountain- & Ski guide

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

To be fair to our European readers I would like to use at this occasion the German language. Not everyone speaks English and it is important that some German readers also have the opportunity to identify that we are a highly experienced team.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is also Ralf Dujmovits partner! (See above)

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Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner - (Team Member 6)

Geb. 13.12.1970
Wohnhaft Schwarzwald (D)
Beruf Profibergsteigerin

Das Interesse von Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner für das Bergsteigen wurde schon in jungen Jahren geboren und gepflegt. Den markanten Einstieg in die Welt der Berge bewirkte der Leiter der Jugendgruppe ihrer oberösterreichischen Heimatgemeinde Spital am Pyhrn - der Gemeindepfarrer Dr. Erich Tischler. Er nahm Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner nach der sonntäglichen Messe auf zahlreiche Bergtouren mit - zunächst auf die heimischen Berge rund um die Heimatgemeinde. Im Alter von 13 Jahren, während ihrer Ausbildung in der Schihauptschule Windischgarsten, unternahm Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner erste leichte Klettertouren am heimischen "Sturzhahn", die auch ihre Kletterbegeisterung weckten und den Weg zum Alpinismus ebneten.

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Vern Tejas

C.V. to follow

This is the story of Vern Tejas. One of the leading mountaineers in the world and one of the best. Vern and his experience will be a huge asset to all of us.

Lucie Orsulova

* Born 1975 in the Czech Republic
* Attorney at law
* Mountaineering and ski-mountaineering instructor officially approved in Austria
* Member of the Czech national ski-mountaineering team, the Czech ski-mountaineering champion
* April-June 2005 - Mt. Everest, North Face through the Superculoir, broken off after many days working in the wall at approx. 7200 due to unsuitable weather conditions, especially extremely strong jet winds
* Number of ascents including some classical ones and ski-descents in the European Alps

More details will follow soon

www.skimountaineering.cz

Josef Woodward

Josef is 37 years of age and a former Senior Director of an international property recruitment company. Josef now currently lives half the year in London and the other half in Switzerland.

Josef is passionate about his outdoor pursuits and is at his happiest out in the wilderness. Joe has extensive expedition experience gained from expeditions around the world but first started getting a taste for the cold on expeditions in northern Norway and Sweden, where he would ski with a pulk or dog sled with a team of huskies through the mountain plateau regions.

After this, Josef then moved onto further developing his skills in the methods of Polar travel by training with the legendary Matty McNair in northern Canada. (This is where John Dunn and Josef met).

Josef's most recent expedition was on the Greenland Icecap and is currently training to become a guide in Switzerland. His approach to any challenge is one of bold determination to succeed; He commits himself 100% to a project ensuring he knows exactly what is required of him and his team.

Josef does have the experience and knowledge to lead, together with John Dunn, one of the teams to the South Pole. Extra training and experience will benefit the Antarctic Challenge Project.

Veikka Gustafsson

Veikka Gustafsson is a 41-year-old professional mountain climber. Veikka lives in Kirkkonummi, Finland. Veikka (pronounced "Vey-ka") began his climbing career in 1986 by climbing Europe's tallest mountain, Mont Blanc in France. Since then his adventures have taken him to all fourteen 8,000-meter peak summits without supplemental oxygen. He is the ninth person in the world to do this. Veikka has also conquered the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest, three times.

Finland's and Lapland's winter seasons are close to the conditions of the Antarctica. Veikka has done a lot of different outdoor activities around mountain climbing guiding, fishing and hunting in Finland and abroad but mainly in Russia and in the neighboring countries of Finland. Veikka has on many occasions acted as an expedition leader on different expeditions around the globe, both in hot and cold climates but mainly in the colder environment.

Veikka is also well known publically in Finland and is used to working behind and in front of cameras. Veikka has had his own travelling show on Finish television several years ago so we welcome Veikka as a "semi professional" in filming and taking photographs.
Veikka has been involved with Cannon in Finland since 1994 when he climbed K2 with Ralf Dujmovits.