Paul Walker F.R.G.S. (dob 9/3/66)
By the age of just 23 Paul was already one of the youngest UK qualified Winter Mountain Leaders and had led three summer and three winter expeditions up on to Iceland's notorious Vatnajokull icecap as well as a two month alpine climbing expedition to the Schweizerland Alps of east Greenland. In '93 he led a three man team to make the first ascent of the 28 pitch northeast ridge route of Mont Forel in east Greenland. Since then Paul has worked exhaustively to open up new mountaineering ranges in Greenland and to become the world's leading authority and most experienced leader of mountaineering and ski-touring expeditions to Arctic Greenland. Over the past 19 years Paul has single handedly organised more than 140 expeditions to Arctic Greenland, Baffin Island and Svalbard and has made over 100 first ascents of new peaks in Greenland. In 1999 Paul led the first ever British guided ski crossing of Greenland, using kite traction for wind assistance. Since then he has organised six further crossings of the icecap. In March 2001 he led the winter "Polestar" expedition to Svalbard which made the first British ski traverse of Spitsbergen and the first ever north-south winter ski traverse of Spitsbergen by an all land based mountain route, a 38 day journey in temperatures down to -40 degrees. Paul trained as an Outdoor Education teacher and holds an honours degree in Outdoor Education and Mathematics. With with his wife Lucy they own and operate the expedition travel company Tangent Expeditions International which specializes in expeditions to Arctic Greenland, Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island and Svalbard. In February/March 2006 Paul led an 8 strong team to make the first winter ascent of Gunnbjørns Fjeld, the highest mountain in the Arctic. Paul lectures on Arctic mountaineering and organizes Greenland training expeditions for prospective North and South Pole attempts. His favourite outdoor passions are Telemark skiing, long Arctic ski journeys and extreme cold climate expeditions! He lives in the small village of New Hutton (near Kendal) in the northwest of England with Lucy and their two children Jonathan and Naomi.

Lucy Walker (dob 7/6/68)
Lucy graduated from Charlotte Mason College, Ambleside in the English Lake District in 1991 with an Honours degree in Applied Education, specialising in Science and Mathematics. Lucy then taught in a variety of primary schools in The lake District before leaving the teaching profession to join Tangent Expeditions part-time and begin a family. Her main responsibilities include the day to day administration within the office, the business finance/accounts and the provision and packing of expedition food supplies. Lucy enjoys mountaineering, Telemark skiing and fell walking and has been on several expeditions to Greenland, Iceland and Norway. Though no longer active on expeditions due to being a full time mum, as well as helping run the business, Lucy very much enjoys the family ski holidays which offer the chance to have some some good quality 'winter sports' time with the family which is otherwise unavailable during the main Greenland season. In 2006 this evolved in to the first "family Walker" Greenland expedition to Scoresbysund with the kids for dog sledding, snow mobiling and general all round fun!!

Tangent Expeditions
is a Business Partnership, owned and run by partners Paul & Lucy Walker

EXPEDITION LEADERS

Paul Walker
See above for full details. Paul still regularly leads expeditions every year and co-ordinates the flight and freight logistics in Iceland and Greenland during the season. Many of you will bump into him for a beer and Pizza at Isafjørdur whilst waiting for your Twin Otter flight to the mountains. He possesses several first aid and advanced medical certificates including 'Advanced Medicine for Remote Foreign Travel', the British Association Of Ski Patrollers 'Mountain first Aid' and the UK 'First Aid at Work' certificate. As Director Of Operations he attends Risk Assessment courses and is responsible for the Company's 'Risk Assessment and Crisis Management Plan'.

Nigel Edwards
Nigel began his career in the south west of England as a surf, canoe and climbing instructor. Tempted by the Himalayan mountains and rivers, Nigel headed to Nepal to run rafting and trekking expeditions for two seasons. Upon his return to the UK he settled in the Lake District as a freelance outdoor specialist, working for a variety of management training and outdoor activity centres. He is a course director at Brathay Hall Trust and his work is spread across the UK and into Europe. Nigel joined Tangent in 1997 and is now our principle expedition leader. He is a qualified Mountaineering Instructor (MIC), holds the M.L.T.B. Winter Mountain Leadership Award and the Advanced Medicine for Remote Foreign Travel* certificate. Nigel lives in Kendal with his wife Nicky and children Hanna and Jake.

Scott Umpleby
Scott graduated with a degree in Cartography and worked throughout the world for several years before embarking on a new career in the outdoors. Scott then qualified as a Mountaineering Instructor (MIC) and M.L.T.B. Winter Mountain Leader and has worked for many years as a freelance outdoor instructor. He has extensive European alpine climbing experience and has climbed in many parts of the world including the Canadian Rockies, Greenland, India and Nepal (Himalaya). Scott now works in a management role at Brathay management and Devcelopment in mbleside. Scott lives in Endmoor near Kendal with his wife Jane and family.

Simon Abrahams
Simon has climbed extensively throughout the greater ranges of the world, putting up major new routes and first ascents in Alaska, Ecuador, Peru and Antarctica. He has extensive alpine and big wall climbing experience and is an advanced ski and snowboarder. He is a qualified Winter Mountain Leader, Mountaineering Instructor (MIC) and IFMGA Mountain Guide. He has worked both Summer and Winter seasons in Antarctica as a Field Safety Officer for British Antarctic Survey and as a member of Whistler Ski Patrol Team. Simon is currently working as a freelance Mountain Guide and has recently left Penrith in Cumbria to settle in Chamonix with his wife Dee and daughter Isabelle.

Robin Beadle
Robin is a qualified UIAGM/BMG Mountain Guide and spends most of his time guiding private clients throughout the UK and the European Alps. He has led three of our Watkins Mountains expeditions and also to Liverpool Land, including guiding on the "Ian Wright's Excellent Adventure" programme which took Ian to the summit of the highest mountain of the Arctic for a Sky One TV documentary. He has made a successful ascent of the 8000m Broad Peak and has climbed in many of the world’s Greater Ranges. Robin is responsible for running alpine training programmes for those of you wishing to head out to the alps for private guiding or pre-expedition training. Along with Nigel Edwards, Robin helps run our Lakes based pre-expedition training weekends and skills courses. He lives near Newby Bridge in the Lake District with his wife and family.

Steve Ripley
Steve is a Director of Leading Edge Management and Team Development Ltd., specializing in human resource management and use of the outdoors for team building. For several years Steve was Director of Training at Brathay Hall Trust, Ambleside. Steve has climbed throughout the world including the Alps, Europe, Greenland, North America, South America and the Himalaya. He is a qualified outdoor eduction teacher and holds the M.L.T.B. Winter Mountain Leader Award. Steve lives with his wife and family in Silverdale, North Lancashire.

Brian Newham
Brian has considerable polar experience having spent no less than twelve seasons in Antarctica, in both summer and winter, both as Field Safety Officer and Base Commander. In 1992 Brian was awarded the Polar Medal by Her Majesty The Queen. He is an experienced alpine mountaineer having climbed throughout the European Alps, Canada, Nepal, Bolivia and Peru. He is an advanced skier and BASI Ski Instructor having worked for a variety of UK operators. His interest in sailing expeditions has taken him on a nine month expedition as owner/skipper of a 30ft boat from the UK to the West Indies, the Mediterranean, Vancouver and the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, and along the Newfoundland/Labrador coast to west Greenland and on up to Disko Bay in the Arctic. Brian splits his summer and winter time between his home near Penrith and his apartment in Meribel.

Jim Gregson
Jim has spent a lifetime climbing throughout the European Alps and is an experienced alpinist and ski mountaineer. In recent years Jim has joined many of our expeditions to Greenland as both member and co-leader. His interest in mountain literature has provided invaluable help in our research of Greenland mountaineering and Jim regularly writes articles for both the UK and overseas climbing press. As a keen rock climber and photographer his photographs can often be found adorning the pages of many climbing guidebooks and journals. Jim is a very active Nordic ski mountaineer and can often be found in Norway throughout much of the Winter season and has worked as ski leader in both Norway and led several of our expeditions to Greenland. Jim lives with his wife Sandy in Sale, Cheshire.

Keith Partridge
Keith is a professional film cameraman and sound recordist specializing in adventure film making. After leaving the BBC in 1990, Keith turned freelance and soon began to develop new techniques in the industry and to develop an excellent reputation in his chosen field. He has worked on many adventure documentaries including “The Edge”, “The Climbers”, “The Face”, “Wilderness Walks”, “Wild Climbs”, “Don’t Try This At Home” and Leo Holding's speed ascent for "Top Gear". Recently he was film cameraman on our 2005 expedition with ian Wright to climb Gunnbjørnsfjeld for the TV climbing documentary "Ian Wright's Excellent Adventure". Keith and Paul Walker go back a long way to when they both winter climbed together in their early 20's on Iceland's notorious Vatnajokull icecap and getting in to deep trouble on more than one occasion! Keith is a keen and experienced mountaineer and has climbed, travelled and filmed throughout the world. He currently lives in Lower Largo, Fife with his wife Andrea and son Jamie.

Phil Dowthwaite
Phil is an experienced alpinist with over 70 ascents of major routes in the European Alps over the last 15 years, including the North Faces of the Drus, the Droites, Liskamm and the Piz Badille to name but a few. He is an experienced MIC holder and is an associate mountaineering instructor at the UK's Plas Y Brenin and Glenmore Lodge National Centres for mountaineering. Phil lives in Kendal with his wife Kate (Manageress of Kendal Climbing Wall) and their border collie dog Jess (who climbs grade 2 in winter and solos moderate rock climbs!)

Paul Rose
Paul is a mountain and polar guide, leading Greenland Icecap crossing expeditions, polar science support logistics and mountaineering expeditions. He is a Mountain Safety consultant to the oil industry in the Middle East and advises on and provides operational support to expeditions, charities and business in Health & Safety, Fieldwork, Diving Operations and Expedition Training. In addition to his mountain and polar guiding work, Paul is also a field logistics expert, professional diving instructor and yacht skipper. He was Base Commander of Rothera Research Station, Antarctica for British Antarctic Survey for 10 years and was awarded HM The Queen's Polar Medal. For his work with NASA and the Mars Lander project on Mt Erebus, Antarctica he was awarded the US Navy Polar Medal. His professional diving work includes science support diving in Antarctica, (as BAS Institute Diving Officer) & Indian Ocean (as Diving Ops Advisor to the RGS-IBG's Shoals of Capricorn project). He ran the US Navy diver training programme at Great Lakes Naval training Centre & trained emergency response dive teams including the Chicago Police. Paul was Council Vice President and Chair of Expeditions & Fieldwork Division 1999-2002 at the Royal Geographical Society (IBG), London.

EXPEDITION DOCTORS & MEDICAL OFFICERS

Dr. Jon Dallimore MSc, MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG.

CHARTER SALES MANAGER

Fridrik Adolfsson

Twin Otter Pilots