The crew can make or break an adventure. It can deliver you alive and safe or it can be the reason for never being seen again and being remembered as that guy who went on an adventure once…
The crew of White Desert was the best in the business.
The Captain
The captain of the ship was Patrick Woodhead. Patrick leads the life that people dream of. Coming out of college having studied ancient history he worked for Transworld sport documenting some of the most extreme sporting events in the world. He then moved in front of the camera becoming an expeditioner himself. With two Antarctic expeditions under his belt and many visits to the continent he thought it fitting to share this great expanse with those who share a passion for this environment. White Desert was the result. He is also a published author, published in 14 languages-impressive!
Jenna Viney
Jenna Viney is the official camp manager and chef. She leads a similar enviable life of an adventure chef. Yes, an adventure chef. Together with Patrick she has built White Desert into the camp that it is today and if you ask any guest of White Desert what the highlight of their trip was, food will definitely rank high on the response list. When not in Antarctica, Jen chefs in Russia, Greece and on expedition. This year she is going to be cooking up a storm in the Himalayas and at the North Pole. She has a fat Passport.
Steph Husson
Steph Husson is best described as a king. A world Champion Ice Cimber and philosopher, Steph can keep you thinking around the camp fire well into the morning. He hails from Chamonix France where he is developing for himself an impressive career as a Reggae artist. He manages an Ice Climbing wall where he is nurturing the new wave of world class ice climbers. Steph has some impressive peaks to his name and has completed many expeditions in the fjords of Norway climbing frozen waterfalls and opening new peaks in Antarctica.
Sam Beaugey
Sam Beugey is a crazy individual that will make you seriously reconsider why you sit behind a desk day in and day out. This man climbs mountains and jumps off them. He flies like a bird and sometime crashes like thunder. With an intimate knowledge of the edge of the envelope Sam is living proof of making every second count. He has snowboarded down Mt Everest, Base Jumped all over the world and does an incredible impersonation of UPee (the unidentified penguin).
Bill Dwyer
Bill Dwyer is a machine. A high mountain guide on Denali (the highest peak in North America), Bill knows how do live in the cold and to show people the cold. He lives in Juneau, the capital of Alaska and the Alaskan wilderness is his playground. He paddles with whales, runs with bears and has his very own glacier that acts as a frozen sandpit to play in. Juneau only has 40km of paved roads, so to get out and explore the great beyond one moves into the bush, and Bill is the guy who explores that bush like no other in Alaska.
Gareth Brauteseth
Oh, and then there is me, Gareth Brauteseth. My forte is Africa, chaos, people, tropical sun, water, surfing, swimming, running. My altitude is Table Mountain and my cold is swimming in the Cape Town water. I was a bit out of my depth, I needed all these guys to help me survive this place.
These are the crew that bring the White Desert to life, they make you laugh, make you scream out in anger and share with you one of the most incredible landscapes this planet has to offer. They became a family and they became pretty impressive brothers and sisters at that.
