To have an outstanding adventure vacation one needs outstanding leadership, and indeed this is what we experienced with Ice Axe on our skiing and trekking trip to the Antarctic Peninsula. Doug Stoup’s leadership skills are unparalleled in our experience. He scouts out and intimately knows the place where we are heading. He can accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of the participants. He knows how to have fun, yet can mark clear boundaries for safety. But most of all, Doug has two intangible but essential qualities of leadership that set him apart from most others—caring, really deep caring, for the members of his group, and accurate judgment when making critical decisions. Thank you, Doug, for this trip of a lifetime.

Doug Stoup and Ice Axe changed my life. By guiding me to the Geographic North Pole I fulfilled a lifelong ambition to achieve something extraordinary. I was also able to raise over $40,000 for UK cancer charity Macmillan, which supported my Dad through his fight against terminal lung cancer. To reach the North Pole in his memory and to help others win their fight, was my life’s most fulfilling achievement. Doug was an amazing guide and mentor who taught me so much about leadership and humility as well as survival. I now work as a professional speaker, inspiring others to do extraordinary things for charity and themselves. I plan to reach the South Pole in January 2012.

I was thrilled to be a participant in the Ice Axe 2009 Antarctic Ski Expedition.  It was the adventure of a lifetime for me!  The folks at Ice Axe did a fabulous job organizing and executing an incredibly complex expedition.  There was excellence in the performance of the guides, the cruise staff and the ship’s crew, and safety was always an important component.  An unexpected bonus was that I was very surprised and thrilled by the beauty of the mountains, the ice, the wildlife, the sunsets.  I checked Antarctic cruise prices for comparable cruises, and the Ice Axe trip was significantly less costly than others I saw.  Finally, the enjoyment of the trip was hugely enhanced by the spirit and positive attitude of the participants themselves–the whole experience was twice as fun because of who we were with!

As a veteran outdoor adventure journalist of 30 years I’ve prided myself on my travels – whether it be heavy weather Trans oceanic crossings; climbing forbidding peaks; skiing Yosemite backcountry, or expeditions into Central American rainforests.

My wonderful and high-octane adventures to Antarctica with expedition leader Doug Stoup during the Ice Axe 2009 Ski Cruise made any of my past accomplishments pale in comparison.

From the moment I stepped aboard our ship headed toward the “White Continent” I knew that my life would never be the same, only richer in experience.

From first sightings, the Antarctic Peninsula proved so otherworldly it was as if our ship had wandered through a window into a prehistoric earth that wore the aspect of an unknown planet.

Indeed, it was astonishing: a world of surpassing beauty, so perfect and intense that at first I couldn’t imagine my return to modern life. But what really made this a trip of a lifetime wasn’t as much the splendid Southern Oceanic scenery and wildlife, but the fun, safe and professional leadership of Doug Stoup and his staff.

My goal is to return to Antarctica with Doug for more adventures and good times. If only more guide services offered such complete and rewarding trips!