Ice Warrior Team 2008 - so far

Catherine Vincent – 23, having decided at a young age that she wanted to visit all the places she had heard about from her father (ex Royal Navy) she studied Geography at university and found the perfect excuse to spend holidays abroad.  Mostly seeing the funny side to extreme discomfort, sea-sickness whilst hitchhiking on an 80 year old ketch back from Spain or wearing soggy socks for 9 days whilst camping in Amazonian Ecuador she now works as an Event Manager for The D Group, an exclusive networking company in London. The Ice Warrior training weekends in the Welsh hills and training trips to Norway offer the perfect counterbalance to all things urban.

 "I'm excited about the possibilities of the 2008 expeditions, the diversity of a trip like the North West Passage or the day-in-day-out gruelling slog of the Geographic Pole, any of the expeditions would be incredible!  The simplicity of life, camping and travelling on the ice is so uncluttered; the sense of pride that comes from working efficiently in a team in such a beautiful but hazardous environment - who could ask for more?"

James McLoughlin – 25 year old PhD Research Student from Sussex University who spends his days trapping atomic particles and tutoring fledging Einstein’s.

James discovered Ice Warrior at the time he was completing his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. He was inspired by the opportunity to develop skills he had already acquired and to train alongside like-minded people towards a common goal.

He is excited to be part of such a worthwhile expedition. He is greatly motivated by the mental and physical challenge and, as a scientist, views the research which the teams will undertake a very important aspect.

James anticipates that completing his PhD will be a lot less difficult once he returns from the Arctic.

Janey Rogers – I am 28 years old and originally from the wilds of the Westcountry. After leaving University I found myself (after a brief stint working - by accident - as a lumberjack in France) living and working as a busy London solicitor. 

Having been brought up with a healthy love of the outdoors, I was looking for a new challenge and a good reason to get out from behind my desk. Then I met Jim, who told me about the Ice Warrior project with its unique aims and its emphasis on making the expedition experience open to all. It sounded too good to be true but, after a little cross-examination of Jim about the project and the planned expeditions, I needed no more convincing and jumped at the chance to join the training programme.

For me, Ice Warrior combines the cleansing experience, physical and mental challenges of an expedition, from planning to fruition, with the serious need to highlight the plight of that most fragile environment, the arctic, and to do whatever we can to protect it.

The expedition in 2008 - and all of the preparation required for it - will, without doubt, be the toughest thing I have ever done. But I can't wait to play my part in facing the test with such a great team of people and to start raising awareness as soon as I can.  

Paul Owens - 32 from Manchester.  Is currently working for his own company as an IT Consultant but also renovates houses in his spare time.

He joined Ice Warrior after seeing an advert in the paper and has been looking to get to the Geographic North Pole ever since. Paul's fitness comes from playing badminton at a high level and his main outdoor experience has been gained from spending a large amount of time in the Parachute Regiment TA.  He has always liked the cold and is very competitive so it makes sense for him to try one of the hardest, coldest places he could find.

Vicky Stuart – I’m 22 and from Coventry. I am a recent Geology graduate from the University of Durham, and as part of my degree I studied about global climate change in depth. Global warming is a subject that greatly interests me as it is affecting all of us everyday. Being part of Ice Warrior will allow me to apply the ‘textbook’ knowledge I gained about climate change to a real life situation, seeing its results firsthand.

Taking this opportunity to be part of the Ice Warrior project will be a real life changing experience for me, as I would be doing it as a personal ambition, aiming to test numerous skills such as endurance, commitment, team work, leadership, empathy, decision making, and determination, as well setting myself a goal and pushing myself to achieve that goal.

The outdoors gives me a great a sense of freedom. I love the feeling of being in a vast, open space and being ‘humbled’ by my surroundings, and the extreme Arctic environment would definitely enhance this sensation.

I know that this expedition is not going to be easy, but I am looking forward to the fantastic challenge and adventure the Arctic environment is going to offer.

Rebecca McKnight – 27, is an artist/filmmmaker born in Blackburn, Lancshire. She was recently funded by Arts Council England to undertake Ice Warrior training and to develop ideas for a new body of visual art work. Rebecca is currently working on three short films inspired by her recent Arctic training which investigate desire and introspection.

Mike Davies – 48, Occupation Engineering Manager for company making high power lasers. 

I joined Ice Warrior as I wanted a genuine experience in the Arctic, not a pre-packaged holiday experience. The Polar Regions, especially the Arctic have fascinated me since I was a child and I have read avidly accounts of many of the great polar expeditions. In Ice Warrior we’re trained to be full expedition members rather than just people who are guided in the environment. I’m a scientist by training and am particularly interested to contribute to the scientific aspects of Ice Warrior.

Regarding the expedition I’m looking forward to it although naturally slightly nervous, especially about the fund raising aspects although of course this is an element of a genuine expedition. While uncomfortable, I hope to feel that I am fully prepared to meet the challenges so that I am not merely surviving but enjoying the environment.

Kate Lock – Mum and Marine biologist/scientific diver based at the Skomer Marine Nature Reserve in Pembrokeshire.  With a marine science background I have always dreamed of travelling to the Arctic Ocean and this dream has been magnified by the rapid changes occurring in this region due to climate change.  Ice Warrior provides this opportunity and I am keen to assist with furthering our knowledge of this marine environment.   I also want to do something completely ‘different’ in my ‘40th’ year.