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Waiting on a Jet Plane
Monday, December 13, 1999

Stoup

Hello Mountain Zone, Doug Stoup here reporting from Patriot Hills. We are all on our final leg. The ANI staff had a great welcome party on our arrival, which included champagne, cerveza, and vino rosa. They then prepared an excellent chicken dinner, complete with Wade's birthday cake. The British and Greek teams joined our celebration as well. We are now awaiting the C-130, which should hopefully arrive in the next couple days to bring us back to Punta Arenas and back to our regular lives. It truly has been an incredible expedition.

I want to thank my incredible team. Doug Coombs, Dirk Collins, Stephen Koch, Mark Newcomb, Wade McKoy and Mark Sicola. They were the stars. I would also like to thank the ANI staff; our transportation and permit liaison; Mountain Zone staff, Michelle Quigley and Peter Potterfield. The team would like to thank all their sponsors that are too numerous to mention and I would probably accidentally leave one out. I also want to thank all my friends in Los Angeles for their support and help: Peri, Merv, Ron Ward, Marty, Shannon, and the staff in Los Angeles which includes David Bowers, Paul Swanson, Irene Cho, and Kathryn. I would especially like to thank all the families and friends that have helped to support the event: especially our Producer, Lisa Faragallah, our legal team: DL & A: Dow, Lohnes & Albertson; my mom, Carol; my sister, Natalie; and my son, Angelo. Without these people, the Antarctica '99 American Ski and Snowboard Expedition would not have been a success.

It is not about conquering the mountain, it is about conquering something within. It is about the satisfaction of personal achievement and the inner feeling of sharing the summit with your friends and the mountains themselves.

My next step will be to put together the all the footage that Dirk Collins, Wade McKoy and I have shot for the documentary of this expedition. I'm hoping this film will capture the personal and artistic integrity of this beautiful place and the great times we all shared. Thanks again Mountain Zone for everything you've done... You guys rock!

— Doug Stoup, Expedition Leader, Antarctica '99 Ski & Snowboard Expedition

EXPEDITION DISPATCHES