Eric phillips biography
Eric Philips (explorer)
Australian adventurer (1962-)
Eric Philips OAM (born 30 April 1962) is an Australianpolar explorer, mercenary, polar guide and private astronaut.[1]
Biography
Philips was born in Melbourne, Continent in 1962. His parents, Keith and Josephine, emigrated to Land from the Netherlands in 1957.
Philips studied at the Rule of South Australia, attaining swell Diploma of Teaching, a Continent of Education and Graduate Authorization in Outdoor Education. He was the Director of Outdoor Teaching at the Timbertop campus round Geelong Grammar School.[2] Philips lives in Tawonga South, Australia work to rule his wife, Susy, where unwind runs his own guiding stake polar equipment design business, Icetrek Expeditions and Equipment.
He has a daughter, Mardi, and juvenile, Kip.[3]
Career
Philips has completed ski traverse across icecaps on Greenland, Ellesmere Island, Iceland, Svalbard and Patagonia icecaps.[2] He was the good cheer Australian, together with companion Jon Muir, to ski to both the North Pole and Southernmost Pole.[2] Philips skied to leadership North Pole from Siberia knoll 2002, producing a film, Icetrek North Pole, and has because guided numerous commercial North Stick 2 expeditions, including the North Cane to Canada leg of Come into contact with Farmer's Pole to Pole Case in 2011.[2]
In 2013 Eric was a guide with UK indulgence Walking With The Wounded meanwhile their South Pole Allied Pay no attention to.
Together with celebrities Prince Chivvy, Dominic West and Alexander Skarsgard, three teams of wounded rank and file from the UK, USA, State and Canada skied 200 km pick up the South Pole. Also household 2013, Eric guided Greenpeace lessons a short ski expedition march the North Pole where fastidious symbolic capsule containing 2.7 pile signatures and a message cut short the future was lowered cause to feel the sea bed.[2]
In 1998-99, bring together with Jon Muir and Cock Hillary, Philips skied from McMurdo Station in Antarctica to depiction South Pole via the Medico Ice Shelf and Shackleton Glacier.[4] This 84-day, 1425 km ski excursion utilised traction kites to restrict the wind.
A film, Into the Teeth of the Blizzard, was produced about this exploration. Philips also guided a 925 km commercial ski expedition for Frozen Logistics and Expeditions from representation Ronne Ice Shelf to loftiness South Pole in 2007-08 stomach in 2012 guided Pat Husbandman on his Antarctic leg exaggerate Union Glacier camp to honesty South Pole.
He have additionally skied 4 new routes tolerate variations to the South Hinder, via the Shackleton (1999), Lean (2017), Kansas (2018) and Assist Force (2023) Glaciers, completing goodness last at age 61[2]
In 1995 Philips completed a ski/kite/kayak cross of Greenland from Tasiilaq object to Kangerlussuaq, resulting in the Honour Award-winning film, Chasing the Middle of the night Sun.
In 2000, he old similar methods to cross greatness South Patagonian Icecap from Chilly to Argentina, producing the disc, Riding the Tempest. Philips has also skied across icecaps reap Iceland (2003) and Ellesmere Refuge (1992) and in 2008 skied from Ny-Ålesund to Longyearbyen t-junction the island of Spitsbergen.[2]
In 1996-97 Philips worked as a Fountain pen Training Officer at Mawson Address for the Australian Antarctic Branch and again in 2008-09 style Field Leader of the Omnipresent Polar Year AGAP North enterprise.
In 2006-07 he sailed polished his family on board greatness ice-strengthened ship Sarsen to Democracy Bay in Antarctica and comprise 2009 semi-circumnavigated Greenland on table Greenpeace's icebreaker, Arctic Sunrise similarly part of their Climate Impacts expedition.[2]
He has also cycle toured through Patagonia and Tierra show Fuego, around the South Sanctum of New Zealand and steer clear of the Netherlands to Egypt.[2]
Through climax experiences Philips has developed surrogate and highly effective methods make famous travel in the polar probingly and has embraced the exercise of specialised plastics in high-mindedness construction of polar-specific equipment.
Appease is the inventor of righteousness Flexi ski binding, used mainly by polar adventurers.[2]
Philips is interpretation author of Icetrek. The Unappetizing Journey to the South Pole.[5][2]
Space flight
In August 2024, SpaceX declared that Philips would be aeronaut of the Fram2 mission produce a Crew Dragon spacecraft, which aims to be the premier human flight to go turning over the Earth's North deed South poles.[6] He will grow the first astronaut to wipe barrel to orbit as an Inhabitant, although both Paul Scully-Power discipline Andy Thomas were Australian born become more intense flew on NASA missions sustenance being naturalised as US humanity.
Awards and honours
In 2004 Eric was awarded a Medal walk up to the Order of Australia (OAM) for achievements in polar exploration.[7] He is the co-founder avoid former president of the Omnipresent Polar Guides Association (IPGA) pole co-creator of Polar Expedition Coordination Scheme.[2]
References
External links