Eric Philips

Dream big. Live bigger. Begin!

Astronaut

I was Mission Specialist and Medical Officer on board the historic Fram2 polar orbital mission.

Launching on March 31, 2025 from Cape Canaveral, the Fram2 crew spent almost 4 days in space, completing 55 orbits over the North and South Poles. Although we see curated photos of these regions on Google Earth and other platforms, there is something quintessentially human about seeing things with our own eyes and yes, they look different.

On April 4 we completed the first human splashdown off the west coast of the USA.

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Polar Explorer

Since 1992 I've been exploring the Earth's high latitudes.

Exploration has been at the core of my instinct. From my inaugural 1992 expedition to Canada's Ellesmere Island, to pioneering new routes through the Transantarctic Mountains to the South Pole, skiing from Russia to North Pole and North Pole to Canada, to snowkiting solo to the iconic peak of Ulvetanna, I've followed the urge to go where others haven't. To explore the path less travelled.

It's what drives me every day of my life.

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IPGA Polar Expedition Guide

Since 2004 I've been guiding ski expeditions and training in the Arctic, Antarctica and Australia. Any opportunity to introduce people to our wonderful ice environments is a privilege that I will forever appreciate.

In 2011, together with a team of guides spanning 6 nations, I launched the International Polar Guides Association, steering the organisation as President until 2024. Polar guiding is an awesome profession, one that combines my loves of adventure and education.

Contact me if you want to join a trip, need help with your own or are interested in becoming an IPGA guide.

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Polar Equipment Designer

Like many of the polar enthusiasts who use my products, I place absolute trust in the ability of my designs to do what's required of them.

Whether I'm guiding a short trip or on a long demanding expedition, I don't want the anxiety of worrying about gear failure or poor performance so I base my design work on a simple credo: Design and build things to perform dependably in the harshest conditions on the planet.

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Polar Expedition Consultant

In the harsh reality of a polar environment there's often only one chance at success. Don't squander that opportunity with guesswork, assumptions or bad advice.

I offer 4 levels of consultation, giving you the opportunity to balance your growing knowledge with my professional advice to create your optimum polar journey.


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Photographs

Most of the images on my website were taken by professional photographers. Martin Hartley, Petter Nyquist, Christian Åslund and Nick Cobbing are widely known for their work in the fields of polar adventure, conservation and science and I've enjoyed working with them immensely.

They all possess the rare ability to render an ordinary moment as an extraordinary event, an ephemeral blur as static motion, a fleeting nuance as an indelible memory.

My sincere thanks to these superlative artists.

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Eric - thank you for making the whole trip possible for us. I've had an absolute blast and have to pinch myself for reassurance that I really did make it to the North pole!

Fiona Johnson. UK (North Pole Flight 2017)

When I think about North Pole, the 2 things that spontaneously flash in my mind are the spectacular beauty that my eyes and heart had the privilege to see/cherish/experience for 10 days and the friendly team that was always volunteering to help with a persistent smile stuck on their faces. I wish I could describe how much these great memories would mean. Thank you so much for this wonderful experience.

Sara Kameswaran. India (North Pole Extreme 2007)

Eric and his crew are the epitome of professional. I had a great experience skiing around Svalbard with Icetrek. Will definitely look to do more trips with Eric and Icetrek. Heath did an amazing job leading this trip, learned a ton and am looking forward to more adventures. Thanks again for having me.

Rob Berra. USA (Svalbard Training 2018))

This is just a quick note to say thank you for providing me with one of the most fantastic weeks of my life and a life experience I will cherish for the rest of my days. I always felt comfortable in your care and guidance and felt we were assisted to achieve our goals but always within the boundaries of safety and you put us ahead of your own comforts. Above all, it was a lot of fun.

Don McDonald. Australia (North Pole Odyssey 2010)

I just came back from "Last Degree Trip to North Pole". The whole trip was an incredible experience. Already getting to the starting point at 89° north was an adventure. 3 hrs flight to camp Barneo, then 25 min helicopter transfer. It was great to see with how much enthusiasm and professionalism these transports in an extremely unfriendly environment were executed by the Russian staff. Thereafter came the "meat" part of the trip: 6.5 days walking in a stunning, overwhelming nature, letting me feel like an ant. The guiding by Eric was EXTREMELY safe and client-oriented! We continuously took profit from Eric's 20Y experience in Arctic travelling and behaviour. It was great to see our progresses day by day. To my opinion, You do not have to be a SUPER-athlete to complete this trip. Some continuous training, stamina and tolerance to the cold will allow to enjoy it.

Lorenz Gürke. Switzerland (North Pole Ski Last Degree 2018)

Just wanted to say thanks again so much for an awesome week, I learned an absolute heap and had a great time as well.

Scott Sears. UK (Australian Alps Advanced - Polar Training)
Eric Philips, IPGA Polar Expedition Guide
International Polar Guides Association
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