Wharton Leadership Ventures:  
Antarctica Expedition 

A Leadership and Teamwork Experience on King George Island 

Annually in January 

   

Next offering of venture:  January, 2006

The Expedition
Organizers and Staff
Participants
Itinerary
Photos of the Venture
Articles about the Venture

Other Wharton Leadership Ventures

The Expedition

A week-long exploration of King George Island, stressing decision making, teamwork, and leadership in a challenging environment.  The venture uses ski-sleds and mountaineering equipment to explore remote stretches of the island's glacial ice cap.  It draws upon the experience or Ernest Shackleton, Robert Scott, and other early Antarctica explorers for discussion and analysis of leading in extreme environments or under great duress. 

The experience emphasizes self-discipline and self-reliance for overcoming a host of obstacles under harsh conditions.  It also requires team reliance, loyalty, and leadership.  Participants are divided into teams of three, and with rotating leadership they take responsibility for activities ranging from meal preparation to glacial navigation.  Participants must be in excellent physical conditions, preferably with prior rugged outdoor experience, and they should be ready to face severe conditions.  

The venture is open to eighteen Wharton MBA students.  The cost is $5,475 plus airfare from the U.S. to Punta Arenas, Chile.  Equipment requirements can be found by clicking here.  

Organizers and Staff

Aldo Boitano, Vertical S.A., Santiago, Chile
Penny Bamber, Wharton Leadership Ventures  
Mark Davidson, Wharton Leadership Ventures
Rodrigo Jordan, Vertical S.A., Santiago, Chile
Ernesto Olivares, Vertical S.A., Santiago, Chile
Michael Useem, Wharton Leadership Center and Wharton Leadership Ventures
Evan Wittenberg, Wharton Leadership Program and Wharton Leadership Ventures  

Executive in Residence, 2004:  Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., publisher of The New York Times and chairman of The New York Times Company

During the recent southern hemisphere summer, Rodrigo Jordan and  Ernesto Olivares traversed and climbed 600 miles through an unexplored range of the Ellsworth Mountain Range in Antarctica (the three photos with the sleds and the photo with the two trekkers in red jackets are from that traverse).  Aldo Boitano led a successful team ascent in 1993 of the second highest highest peak of the Andean-Antarctica Mountain Range, Mt. Perry on Brabant Island. 

Itinerary 

Day 1, Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile
Day 2, Charter air flight to King George Island, Antarctica
Days 2 to 6, Traverse of King George glacier 
Day 6, Charter flight to Punta Arenas
Day 7, Flight to Santiago and on to the U.S. 

Photos of the Venture 

2004:  By Campbell Bethwaite, Andras Forgacs, Nirad Jain, Raghav Sharma, Anne Titterington, and Michael Useem

Articles about the Venture

Jeffrey Gangemi, "Trekking to the Top," Business Week Online, February 28, 2005.  

Michael Useem, "Learning Leadership: When Clouds Close in on a Student Expedition, Leadership Lessons Come Into Focus," United Airlines' Hemispheres magazine, December, 2004.

Thomas Jahn, "Cara a cara con el jefe de 'The New York Times,'" Capital (Spain), Marzo, 2004.

Andras Forgacs, "Trek to Antarctica: Leadership and Cold Feet," Wharton Journal, January 26, 2004. 

Information Sources 

Natural environment on King George Island