December 1, 2022

Paradise Bay, Antarctica

Eight Year Old Boy Breaks World Record as Youngest Person to Ski on All Seven Continents

On the morning of December 1, 2022, Colorado second grade elementary school student Maddock Jefferson Lipp set a new world record as the youngest person to ski on all seven continents.  Maddock, age 8 years and 25 days, went from the Ocean Diamond ship just off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, via Zodiac craft to shore, near a gentoo penguin rookery.  From there, Maddock along with his older sister (Keira Lipp), father (Jordan Lipp), and IFMGA ski mountaineering guide (Jorge Kozulj) ascended the lower portions of Mount Hoegh in Antarctica.  With several inches of fresh powder, the four of them skied down the slopes of the glaciated mountain back to shore and the penguins.

Prior to skiing Antarctica, Maddock had, in addition to skiing all over North America, checked off the other continents by skiing in Cervinia, Italy (Europe), Thredbo and Perisher, Australia (Australia), Oukaimeden, Morocco (Africa), YongPyong and Jisan, South Korea (Asia), Portillo and Valle Nevado, Chile and the Martial Glacier, Argentina (South America).  And Maddock skied Deception Island, just north of the Antarctic continent two days earlier, on December 29, 2022.

In order to train to ski in the remote wilderness of Antarctica, Maddock trained with his father and older sister on skiing and climbing, as well as crevasse and avalanche rescue skills.  From Golden, Colorado, Maddock began skiing when he was two years old, and was proficient at skiing expert level terrain at ski areas by the age of six.  He started backcountry skiing at age five, honing his skills with his father who has both a ski patrol and ski mountaineering background.  Backcountry skiing – far from any ski resort – means one must climb up to ski down in a mountainous location without lifts, lodges, or ski patrols.

The Lipp family was guided in Antarctica by Jorge Kozulj, the lead guide of Andescross based in Argentina.  They were on a ski expedition arranged by Ice Axe Expeditions, and were on a ship operated by Quark Expeditions.

Maddock broke his older sister, Keira Lipp’s world record.  Keira set the record at age ten in Portillo, Chile in June 2022 after having skied the interior of Antarctica with her father on a trip arranged by South Africa’s White Desert in February 2022.  Keira remains the youngest girl to have skied on all seven continents.  Keira, in turn, had previously broken the record set in 2008 by Victoria Rae White.

After skiing in Antarctica, Maddock and his family celebrated on board the Ocean Diamond boat with a Fanta, nachos, and ice cream.  Maddock’s favorite part of skiing in Antarctica was skiing next to penguins.

“Las epidemias permiten entender la humanidad y la historia. Tocan las fibras más íntimas de nuestra naturaleza humana”  Frank Snowden

From the start, sorry about my poor english…I feel like what I am writing has already been written or thought about regarding the unprecedented times that we are living in with Coronavirus. But I feel like typing it anyway.🙂

One of the good parts is that finally, we all have found some free time to update our blogs…

Today is the 30th of March, 2020. We are in lockdown due to the Corona virus regulations. Already changed my ticket for work twice in early march, innocently trying  to re-program my  European booked trips to Ski and Sail Norway, do the Ortler Traverse with fantastic Italian food in Northern Italy and eat a few croissants in the French Alps before going to the mountains…. yes, are you joking?…do this seems like too much?… Yes it is… These are the luxuries of life that can seem normal today but are not if we go back in time.

As always, my positive mind thought, this is not too bad, this is not going to affect me… Things are always exaggerated in the media…Yes, this time it has hit me, hit you and hit almost everybody. 

In the past, a mountain guide, was a guy who lived in farmlands, was a Shepard, was a local farmer who knew a bit about mountains and showed  the foreigners the beauty of his strenuous  terrain “neighborhood”. Today a mountain guide is cool fit dude with multicolor sunglasses, and lots of new gear  (just joking!) who travels the world showing his guests exotic mountain places.

Maybe, as a mountain guide we don’t pollute as much as the ships that carry oil across the oceans, or the  Japanese-Chinese  ships fishing in the Argentinian seas,  the weapons that travel to Syria, the big trucks that carry goods from country to country  or we are not launching  rockets into  space. Then, in scale we are innocent of this massive consumption of goods and assets.

Well, we also leave a carbon footprint, we take planes and most of our activities are  human powered, we exercise, we do not consume as much as other humans. 

Today I am at home in Bariloche, Argentina, where I haven’t been in the fall (March and April) since 2012. Yes, 8 years has past since I have seen  the red leaves falling out of the amazing Nothofagus Lenga trees in our backyard of Nahuel Huapi National Park.  For the first time in eight years I can feel the sensation of Autumn, the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping.

I have come to realize just  how valuable time at home is. The simplicity of “mi pava de mate” , a cup of tea. I  take the time to rake the garden, burn all old  taxes papers, fix the shelves, paint the fence, sneak for a run with the dog and share a meal with my girl. Simplicity. To enjoy simplicity should be the number one value, to acquire the skills to enjoy a simple healthy life, with good friends.

I started to go to the mountains, because of the sensation of freedom, simplicity and  purity. Cold fresh air on my  face,  great views, being away from society. It was a little bit like a punk rebellion towards the banality of society during my teenage days I started climbing to say “f.. off” to the rules more than for the love of the sport. Then with time, I started to love the sport. I loved the sensation of being away, being in the present. Focused in the very moment. I never concerned myself with the dangers of a big whipper.I look back now and think that the most scary times in climbing were at the beginning, in the early 90’s.

I started skiing at the age of nine. It was love at first sight. In 1992, I did my first traverse, ski touring hut to hut here in Bariloche, Argentina. I did not have  a clue as to what I was doing. In 1994, after a big storm I went to the slackcountry of Cerro Catedral Ski Resort (at that time Ladobueno and Robles catedral concessionary). I started to break trail in a big snowstorm. Suddenly, the clouds started to part and the sun started to reflect on the snow creating shiny sparkling snowflakes that gave me this good feeling. The release of endorphins gave me this weird feeling of total happiness and completion. But, this also was the start of following an instinct. To pursue what I really wanted. To be in the mountains as much as possible.

But going back to the original paragraphs, here I am today, living the most fulfilling lifestyle with the ability to travel, ski and climb for a living.  A simple but complex lifestyle.

Well, the point is, this life is cool and healthy, but also affects the environment gradually,  the problem :  we will not change much.. I know…

Well, the point is, everything we do affects the environment. The message for all of us  is, let’s try to be less harmful to our environment. Take your bike instead of your car, use a sailing boat instead of a motor boat, avoid motorized vehicles like snowmobiles and “snow cats”, buy local food not pasta from Italy or wine from the other side of the world. Just the little changes that are not miraculously impossible will add up.

In just three weeks, that the industrialized world has been in “stand by” amazing things have happened: Fish are back in the Venice channels, Ozone has been reduced by 30%, China’s pollution level has dropped. Do you know,  Argentina have been the best country in taking care of “lockdown” and once more shows to the world how lovely latinos are 🙂 (joking!)

Nothing much to say, but just trying to remain in the Simplicity of Life values. I am thankful for my job of guiding clients on powder slopes and rock faces, managing risk, the intensity of managing human relationships in the mountains where situations can test you and the friends I have made along the way.

Just a mere reflection, that we are living in a very trying times, leaving a big carbon footprint, consuming and eating our own world minute by minute. Lets try to partially re-set ,,

Have a good day, Jorge

along the frias valley, before huts were built in Paso de las Nubes

On the Glaciar alerce towards Paso de las nubes

Pico internancional y pico Argentino en algun dia de abril a fin de los 90

Back in the day, before being a proffessional mountain guide, climbing granite in the catedral spires

Climbing in the ‘cascadas de Agostini’ 1992

While being a hut keeper in Frey hut-1996

On top of Cerro Lopez ski touring trip in early december (spring 1993)

After finishing highschool, before being a guide, november climbing

Free day bouldering in El calafate, Patagonia

Skiing couloirs in Frey hut patagonia

Sport climbing cragging in bariloche, before being guides

Left home Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina in early March in the middle of the summer to radically cross the entire Planet for a week of guiding work in probably the most far place from home: Kamchatka, Russia. Maybe a bit crazy to do this long diagonal across the World.  For sure was worth it, met with few colleagues friends that I only see them once a year in the other side of the world: Antarctica. Now days, this sounds normal, just few planes and you connect all the World…. I still surprised of this crazyness! More about all Kamchatka trip is here.

Then, the week later, met with old friends clients  in Lofoten Islands, Norway. Was a very good week, cold and good powder for sure. Conditions were a bit risky due an old PWL (persistent weak layer) that was affecting all the area of Lofoten, Narvik, Abisko and upper north towards Lyngen Alps as well(Sweden and Norway) , so we had to go stepping on “eggshells” and ski conservative 20/ 25 degrees slopes. Sometimes looks like the #guidelife is always fun, but there is a lot , a lot of responsability involved of taking care of guests. Also the stress to leave home, beloved ones and be away all the time. Is what we choose it! But is a lot of work, energy and risk management.

Then came a good month in Chamonix area, we did Haute route with a cool strong team, weather was almost very good until the last few days that we couldnt cross from Vignette to Zermatt, since weather was terrible. Check video in the media gallery.

And to finish this nice trip, I had a two good weeks in the Berner Oberland above Interlaken area, where the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau step up to show their beauty. For me is one of my favourite areas for ski touring in the Alps, since is a bit less crowded of Chamonix and the mountains are jewells for ski mountaineering, most of them touching the 4000 meters. Swiss huts are big, clean , open… .but yes a lot of rösti and early 5 am mornings. So you have to like this 🙂

Well enough words… leave you here some nice pictures!

Now check our calendar with upcoming trips to Argentina, Chile, Antarctica and Norway again (late march 2019)

Please, do not hesitate to drop an email for any questions!

Hello guys, here the results of our team work filming-guiding with Whistler Creek Productions and us last September in Frey hut, Bariloche, Argentina

for the last  chapter of “The book of John Jackson”  Series

Good splitboarding, good snowboarding and another nice adventure enjoy the backcountry of the Andes in Argentina and Chile. Thanks to the guys in Frey hut, Pablo P. guiding the crew , Shin dealing with all little things and all the guys who helped there

John Jackson is a pro-snowboarder from Redbull,  has achieved success in nearly every discipline in snowboarding. A teen phenom in the park and pipe, his transition to filming and the backcountry revolutionised snowboard movies and he’s travelled many miles, literally, to get where he is today.

More here: http://www.redbull.com/int-en/athlete/john-jackson