Tom is a guide and outdoor safety professional hailing from New Zealand, but calls many places home. With a Kiwi father, American mother, German wife, it’s easy to see why. The wild West Coast on the South Island of New Zealand, where he started guiding on the mighty Fox Glacier, is where discovered his passion for extreme and remote environments.
Tom was inspired by the stories of polar explorers, particularly Shackleton’s remarkable experiences and dreamed of venturing to Antartica. In 2019 he finally got the call, and has returned multiple times since. Highlights include a 1300km traverse across the Ross Ice Shelf to build a camp and air-strip for scientific research and spending winter at McMurdo Station leading the Search and Rescue Team in the extreme cold and darkness. Since then, Tom has worked in outdoor safety incident prevention and has completed a science degree in Geography and Economics at the University of Otago. Tom resides in Bavaria with his wife, Anne, and can usually be found riding his bike or flying a plane. He also enjoys film, great food and sharing stories of travel and adventure.
Tom looks forward to watching guests ‘hear’ the unique sounds of the polar regions for the first time. His advice: find a moment to put the camera away, be silent, and soak it all in.