Excerpts from Seagate internal website
 

Mountain Biking

Ian "Monty" Edmond - Primary Leader

Monty has 14 years of adventure racing experience, including 12 years competing internationally currently for Team Merrell/Wigwam Adventure, a professional team that has participated in numerous high-profile, international endurance and adventure races. His experience also includes working as a racing and multi-sport coach, along with stints on the Elite Men's New Zealand Triathlon Team. Monty's role on this team is to maximize mountain bike effectiveness, and he knows all the tricks and techniques that'll get the participants in gear for Eco Seagate.

Monty was named world champion in cycling, along with kayaking and mountain running, in the 1995 Speight's Coast to Coast event, which for 25 years has been one of the world's leading adventure races. He has also been a top finisher in other races including the Bull of Africa event, Primal Quest Utah, and Eco-Motion Brazil.

For more information visit: http://www.teammerrell.com/ian_bio.htm

Nora Audrá - Secondary Leader

Nora is a well-known figure in international adventure racing. She has competed internationally for eight years, and is the founder and a current member of the only permanent all-female internationally competing adventure racing team, Team Atenah Brazil.

As an elite mountain bike competitor in Brazil, as well as an Outward Bound instructor, a adventure race course designer and a race director, Nora is well-qualified help direct Eco Seagate bike skills and training efforts.

Ian and Nora will be supported by a strong support team that includes biking champions and endurance athletes.
 

Ropes

Dave "Spoon" Macleod - Primary Leader

Ever wonder who is ensuring both intensity and safety when your favorite action movie star dangles from a rope off of a building, cliff or other precipice? It might well be Eco Seagate ropes trainer, Dave "Spoon" Macleod. With over 30 years experience as a professional climber in extreme environments from Alaska to Nepal, Dave is known in New Zealand as "Mr. Ropes." He has made more than 100 "first ascents" of mountain routes in New Zealand. He provides technical and safety support to the world's leading adventure races, extreme events and the film industry, and has over 10 years experience creating and supervising ropes skills on adventure racing courses. As a member of the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association and the New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association, and being certified in first aid and helicopter safety, Dave is a strong and experienced trainer who will ensure Eco Seagate's ropes activities are safe yet challenging.

Dave Bergmann - Secondary Leader

With 15 years professional experience as a ski patroller, you want Dave Bergmann around when it comes to ropes work. Dave has spent many years as a safety professional for international adventure races include the Southern Traverse and Eco Challenge. He also advises on outdoor safety to films and various commercial enterprises, is a helicopter ski guide and avid rock climber, is a member of the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association and a winter ski guide. Dave's accomplishments include working as a ropes course designer and rigger for the 2005 World Adventure Racing Series Championship in New Zealand.

Dave and Dave will be supported by a team whose members collectively have over 10 ascents of Everest, 30 more at over 8000m and over 100 ascents of New Zealand's Mt Cook - Aoraki, known as one of the most dangerous mountains currently climbed. Ropes team members have served on search and rescue teams, been mountain guides, and have scaled the heights in New Zealand, Nepal, the U.S., Bolivia, Pakistan and many other dramatic locales.
 

Orienteering/Trekking

Phil Wood - Primary Leader

Phil has spent 23 years orienteering, including competing in major adventure races like the Southern Traverse and Primal Quest. Phil is a member of the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association and the New Zealand Outdoor Instructors, and his experience spans both foot orienteering and mountain bike orienteering. Phil looks forward to helping you learn how to navigate through the greater Queenstown area's beautiful hills and valleys.

Bruce McLeod - Secondary Leader

By day a surveyor and business owner, Bruce is also a strong orienteering leader with 20 years experience. He has competed in several orienteering world championships, and has earned the title of NZ Orienteering Champion three times, and has also been named NZ Middle Distance Orienteering Champion three times. He looks forward to helping you grasp basic orienteering, which is an adventure racing competency that takes extra focus, attention and guidance.

The orienteering/treeking trainers will be supported by a strong team including members of the New Zealand Orienteering Team and accomplished adventure racers.
 

Water/Paddling

Stefan Crawford - Primary Leader

Stefan is a full time water safety and technical expert with some of the best credentials in New Zealand. He has owned a local New Zealand river rafting company for more than 20 years, and truly understands both water safety principles and the unique characteristics of sporting on New Zealand's lakes and rivers. Since 1995, he has consulted on water safety for various events, feature films, more than 30 television commercials. Stefan is an avid skier, cyclist and mountaineer.

Eric Billoud - Secondary Leader

Eric is a former Adventure racer, kayaker who currently operates a kayak training school. Eric was trained as a physical education teacher in France, and specializes in downriver kayak racing and coaching, having raced in the French white water kayaking championships for 10 years. He is a high-ranking competitor in numerous adventure races, and his wins include the famed Southern Traverse and Outdoor Quest in Borneo 2004.

Eric and Stefan will be supported by a team that includes some of the most talented kayaking and rafting guides in the Southern Hemisphere.