Svalbard to the South Pole: Filming Earth’s Wildest Frontiers
INTRODUCTION: A LIFE AT THE EDGE OF THE MAP
From the frozen fjords of Svalbard to the vast white deserts of the South Pole, I’ve dedicated my career to filming Earth’s wildest frontiers. These aren’t just destinations—they’re living, breathing forces of nature. Each one offers its own form of isolation, inspiration, and sometimes, revelation. As a filmmaker, expedition leader, and director, I’ve guided cameras across shifting sea ice and through roaring katabatic winds. I’ve worked on over 38 polar expeditions—with expedition experience experts like EYOS Expeditions and Ice Axe Expeditions aboard expedition superyachts like M/Y Legend and M/Y Octopus—capturing the raw essence of the Arctic and Antarctic. In this story, I’ll take you behind the lens on some of the most extreme locations on Earth.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to film in the most remote places on the planet—or what it feels like to stand where few have stood—this is for you.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the Arctic, check out Arctic Filmmaking from Svalbard. His stories and visuals capture the unique challenges and beauty of creating films in the High North.
SVALBARD: WHERE POLAR BEARS ROAM AND LIGHT NEVER SLEEPS
Svalbard, Norway sits just 650 miles from the North Pole. Here, polar bears outnumber people, and the midnight sun casts an eerie glow over the mountains for months on end. I first came here in 2017 when my mentor, Douglas Stoup, sent me to lead a three-week expedition for Leonardo DiCaprio’s climate documentary Ice on Fire. I’d never been to the Arctic. I had a compass, a paper map, and a backpack full of enthusiasm—and somehow, we pulled it off. That trip changed everything.
In 2019, my brother, Thor Retzlaff, National Geographic Adventure Photographer, Erin Hogue, and I created a new film, Area 11, a ski expedition into the Atomfjella mountains. Since then, I’ve been part of 38 ski and film expeditions across the Arctic and Antarctic, and I’ve never really stopped moving. I’ve gone to Svalbard to film four Svalbard Ski & Sail expeditions with Ice Axe Expeditions, two polar training courses with Ice Axe Expeditions, two polar bear photography expeditions with Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier and Sea Legacy, and support other Arctic productions. Whether we’re skiing from summit to sea or filming polar bears, Svalbard tests every piece of gear and every ounce of preparation. Batteries drain in minutes. You (the guides) ski with rifles. You’re always on polar bear watch. But it’s worth it—for the footage, yes—but more so for the feeling of being at the edge of the Earth.
ANTARCTICA: WHERE SILENCE BECOMES CINEMATIC
Antarctica is an ocean of ice where the wind sculpts silence into form. I’ve joined 12 different film projects on the frozen continent while filming projects like Riding Remote – Antarctica (Outside TV), Winter Starts Now (Warren Miller), and marketing videos for EYOS Expeditions and Ice Axe Expeditions.
It’s a continent that challenges both soul and sensor. Every year, I create a ski film for Ice Axe Expeditions—a ski adventure film dedicated to showcasing an adventure of a lifetime so the guests can relive their trip forever. With the legendary Douglas Stoup, we navigated 50,000-year-old glaciers, Zodiac cruising with icebergs, and enjoyed the extraordinary wildlife that greets you at the shoreline. No script survives the weather here—but what the story becomes is always more powerful.
GREENLAND: WHERE MOUNTAINS FALL INTO FJORDS
Greenland remains one of the most cinematic landscapes I’ve filmed. In 2024, aboard the SkyDancer sailboat, I filmed the Greenland Ski & Sail project with Ice Axe Expeditions—documenting a journey where guests skied 1,500-meter peaks and descended straight into the sea. Our trip was led by legendary ski mountaineers, Andrew McLean and Todd Offenbacher.
The combination of sailing, skiing, fishing, and storytelling felt mythical. We filmed everything from Zodiac landings on iceberg-strewn shores to guests carving through Arctic powder. Greenland is the kind of place that reminds you how wild the Earth still is.
THE SOUTH POLE: BEYOND THE BOTTOM OF THE EARTH
Nothing compares to standing at 90° South. In partnership with EYOS Expeditions, I am very grateful to have filmed the South Pole Grand Traverse, a journey that took us from Union Glacier across hundreds of miles of Antarctic wilderness to the literal bottom of the world. The cold is not just cold—it’s historic. You feel the ghosts of Amundsen and Scott in the wind. Filming here meant managing power systems at -40°F, keeping lenses defrosted, and staying mentally sharp while altitude and cold worked against us. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Because to film here is to film on another planet—one that happens to be our own.
FINAL THOUGHTS: STORYTELLING WHERE FEW DARE TO GO
Every journey from Svalbard to the South Pole pushes the limits of adventure storytelling. These aren’t just landscapes—they’re characters. They speak in silence, in wind, in white. Through Stein Productions and Mosaic Studios, my goal is to immortalize these experiences so that others can feel them, too. Because the farther you go from civilization, the closer you get to truth—and maybe even to yourself. If you’re an adventurer, a brand, a filmmaker, or a curious soul ready to explore the world’s wildest frontiers—I’m always looking for the next story worth chasing.
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