Our Polar Experience team remains guided by Dixie's expertise and his energetic spirit. We actively continue to honour his legacy.  Dixie is by our side in all that we do.  Onward and upward.

Dansercoer ventured to the poles on countless occasions, for personal or guided expeditions, photo and film productions and lectures aboard polar cruises. His impressive list of achievements earned him the title of Master Guide in the International Polar Guides Association. 

Dixie's breakthrough came with the 1997-98 South Through the Pole Expedition, an Antarctic traverse completed together with Alain Hubert.  The duo later crossed the Arctic Ocean from Siberia via the North Pole to Greenland in 2007 during their 106 day Arctic Arc Expedition.

In 2012, together with Sam Deltour, Dansercoer broke the world record for the longest non-motorised expedition in Antarctica. On skis, and assisted by a kite, the pair travelled at least 5013km. In 2014 Dixie, together with Eric McNair-Landry, completed a world record ski-kite circumnavigation of Greenland. Beyond his extreme expedition projects, Dansercoer happily shared his extensive knowledge by consulting aspiring polar explorers. 

2015 - Expedition CV 1995-2014

As an author, Dixie wrote a myriad of books about polar expeditions and the parallels with corporate life. Polar Exploration – A practical handbook for North and South Pole expeditions, was published by Cicerone (UK) in 2012.  For corporate audiences, Surpassing Sastrugi, together with Julie Brown, was published by Snoeck in 2014. Empowering Outperformance by Die Keure reached the bookstores in 2017.  Dixie's latest publication, Snowkiting, Freedom of Flow was published in 2019.

Dixie leaves behind his parents Arlette and André, his sister Christiane and her family, his wife Julie, his four children Jasper, Evelien, Thijs and Robin and their partners, and his first grandchild, Ender Dixie Dansercoer.

Dixie Dansercoer

Julie serves as project & communications coordinator for Polar Experience.  Julie also develops & executes a variety of corporate activities, including keynote presentations and interactive workshops.

Julie was guided by Dixie Dansercoer during her first polar expedition, Antarctica 2000, a six-week baptism which included a Mount Vinson ascent.  She has since served as the project coordinator for expeditions such as Bering Strait Odyssey in 2005 (based in Nome, Alaska) and In the Wake of the Belgica in 2007-2008 (based in Ushuaia, Argentina), Antarctic ICE in 2011-2012 and Greenland ICE in 2014.  

Julie has worked on a number of polar expedition cruises as both a lecturer and guide in the Antarctic Peninsula, Greenland, Svalbard and Norway.  She has also guided with Dixie on corporate ICE Campaigns in Iceland, Spitsbergen and Switzerland.

Julie is first and foremost a writer who has published several expedition-related accounts since 1998.  Together with Dixie, she co-wrote Surpassing Sastrugi , a book with relevant links for the corporate audience, in 2014.  Her latest book Discover Your Pivot is set for release in both English and Dutch in May 2025.  Julie also pens our Polar Experience blog.

Married to Dixie Dansercoer for 22 years, together they have four children Jasper, Evelien, Thijs and Robin and have recently been blessed with the arrival of two grandsons.

Julie Brown

Expeditions Unlimited is a world leader in polar expeditions and has built its reputation step-by-step thanks to a world class team of guides and explorers together with a high level of service for its very demanding expedition participants. 

Eric and his team offer dedicated personalised attention to every travel-related detail of each unique expedition. His unparalleled ability to navigate the intricacies of polar logistics enables our global clients to journey with confidence and ease to the literal ends of the earth. 

Eric's adventurous spirit allows us to develop together uniquely bespoke expeditions which can be fully customised upon request.

Expeditions Unlimited is one of four top travel brands managed under Eric's Secret Planet umbrella.

Eric Bonnem

Manu's passion for exploration has taken him on numerous expeditions where he has guided extensively in Canada, Svalbard, Lapland, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica.

Constantly upgrading his skills in multi-disciplinary courses, he impresses expedition clients with his unwavering patience and provides them with the knowledge and confidence necessary to complete grand goals.

Manu generously aids our team of guides in maintaining their high level of medical expertise, particularly regarding first aid in the extreme cold.  Together with Dixie, he coordinates our co-guide activities for expeditions and he assists in the continuous task of equipment inventory and maintenance.

Manu earned his IPGA Guide status in May 2018.

Manu Poudelet

Henk-Jan has repeatedly explored the winter beauty of the Swedish highlands, Finnish lakes and Norwegian wilderness.  He loves cross country skiing and dog sledding under the Northern Lights and regularly shares his Scandinavian passion with clients via Arctic Adventure.  

Together with Dixie, Henk-Jan specialises in guiding our snow-kite enthusiasts ranging from initial trainings to ambitious expeditions on the Greenland Icecap.  His successful Greenland West to East Traverse in 2019 was a highlight so far in his extensive guiding career.

Henk-Jan recently earned the respected honour of IPGA Guide in October 2020.

Henk-Jan Geel

His passion for fauna in the polar regions has brewed since early childhood.

Educated as a mountain and wilderness leader in Sweden and fuelled by many outdoor courses, Brecht puts theory into practice with regular winter treks in Scandinavia and Iceland. Working as a glacier guide in Iceland, he eagerly shares his experienced knowledge with fellow globetrotters.

At Polar Experience, Brecht specialises in guiding both our Russian Lake Baikal and Greenland Arctic Circle Trail Expeditions.

A polyglot able to converse with our global participants, Brecht has resided in Russia, Georgia, Sweden and Iceland.

Brecht De Meulenaer

Rob's love for the mountains steadily developed into a deeper passion that led him to study courses in mountaineering and climbing.  He noticed that he could naturally manage the cold which made him decide to explore the Arctic.  Rob built his experience over the years with additional trips in Sweden and Norway, with a particular specialty for the nuances of Spitsbergen/Svalbard.

Rob works extremely well with large groups and has assisted Dixie on multiple occasions with ICE Campaign corporate teams in Switzerland and Spitsbergen.  His energy and humour are repeatedly mentioned by our clients as golden traits, especially in the challenging moments of polar travel. 

Rob Vercauteren

Mika has been guiding in the polar regions for 20 years and is a specialist in snowkiting expeditions, with over 15,000 km of « wind travel » in the boreal and arctic areas.

His interest in the wilderness in general, and the large ice caps in particular, is crystallized in the realization of long-distance snowkiting expeditions, a specific discipline that combines endurance, technical skills and logistical capacities. 

His achievements include a circumnavigation of the Greenland ice sheet (the longest unsupported ski trip of more than 5,000 km for five years [between 2014 and 2019]) and the third longitudinal snowkiting crossing of Greenland in 2008.

Over the last ten years, Mika has become the specialist of snowkiting trips in Norway in "touring" mode - he no longer counts the months spent exploring this country in snowkite, from the mountainous plateaus of the south to the fjords of the extreme north... He is also one of the few to have a real alpine practice of snowkiting (at home, in the French Alps): ascents of summits & crossings of massifs...

In addition, in 20 years of guiding and organising trips on skis, on foot or on sailboats, he has spent time in Greenland (more than 400 days of guiding, mainly on the east coast), in Iceland (15 years of guiding in the Highlands), in Svalbard (800 km on skis, 3 months alone on board a sailboat in winter), in the Kerguelen Islands (sub-Antarctic islands ; hiking complete crossing), Scandinavia (south-north crossing on skis, 100 days, 1800 km). Always off the beaten track. ..

Michael Charavin

As an endurance athlete and outdoor lover, the expedition world combines two of Karin's biggest passions. She loves going back to basics and enjoying nature to its fullest, and the polar environment provides the perfect setting for intense experiences. Karin never expected herself to do well in the cold, but after jumping into a two-week expedition in the Swedish Sarek National Park, she was immediately sold for more snow adventures.  In addition to organised expeditions, Karin also began to seek cold mountain challenges with minimal equipment in order to improve her survival skills.  If the weather permits or the opportunity for creating a good shelter is present, Karin opts for sleeping outside rather than in a tent.  She loves exploring and pushing her limits beyond the comfort zone, even more when she is able to share her valuable experience with others in a safe manner. 

Karin continues to hone her impressive skills as a wilderness and Arctic guide.  She is very grateful to be given the opportunity to share her fondness for these extreme environments in the hope of creating unforgettable experiences for her clients. 

Karin also works together with Henk-Jan Geel at Arctic Adventure.

Karin Sloove

Olivier is a MILLET ambassador athlete, sports mental trainer, certified trekking guide, and specialist in outdoor adventure training.  Olivier's passion for the polar regions has grown exponentially in recent years, culminating so far in a 2023 Greenland traverse from west to east together with Brecht De Meulenaer.  

Olivier runs our introductory cold training programs from his little slice of French paradise in the Rhône-Alpes.  He specialises in introductory Level 1 (novice) and Level 2 dedicated sessions for both French and English language attendees.  Olivier's keen ability to actively engage his participants enables remarkable growth for any adventure lover looking to embark on a polar expedition.

Meet our team of polar experts.