April-May 2004: Gelladandong, central Tibet



Through modern and ancient China to the fabled city of Lhasa , Tibet – launch point for Everest summitters from Hillary to Krakauer, and a magnet for extreme travelers and athletes. From there, it's four-wheeling through dramatic backcountry and a trek through unpredictable weather and crevasse-laced ice-fields to base camp, above 21,000 feet – all to the timeless soundtrack of porters, yaks and horses, prayer bells and the labored breathing of super-high altitude, just 4,000 feet below the “death zone”… The team's objective is to collect ice cores from a south to north transect across the Himalayas into the Tibetan plateau.

Oct – Nov 2004: Tasman Glacier, South Island , New Zealand



New Zealand has captured the world's imagination since the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy swept the globe. This is the setting for the second 2004 expedition, from the earthy Kiwis who inhabit this land to the high peaks where those LOR bonfires signaled a call to battle. While the glacier team is focused on clues below the ice, their findings may also signal a call to action… The teams' objective is to obtain the first long, detailed, high resolution climate record from the South Pacific that – with luck – will show the difference between pre- and post-European occupation.

Early 2005: Cordillera Darwin , Chile or other Andean site, South America



Patagonia 's razor-sharp peaks and unbelievably blue lakes are a travelers' mecca – if you're up to the challenge! As one of the last and least explored places on Earth, the southern Andes are accessible to only the best – expeditions like ours with guides from that unique brew of ancient and European blood.

Spring or Fall 05: Possible sailboat crossing of Drake Passage to sub- Antarctic islands



A sailboat crossing of the Drake Passage, from Tierra del Fuego – Land of Fire – to the ice-fields ringing the Antarctic, a crisis zone of global warming. This is a trip to the end of the Earth... and back.