Jill Fredston (1958 - ) Notable Achievements Finding a whale that had lived in Shakespeare's time frozen into the side of a mountain on the arctic island of Spitsbergen. Occupation/Field of Study: Polar Studies/Glaciology; Avalanche Specialist and author Period of Activity: 2001- current; Biography Jill Fredston has logged more than 20,000 miles exploring the rivers and coastlines of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Norway in a 20-foot rowing shell.  She is also considered one of the world's most recognized avalanche educators, having spent countless hours suspended above avalanche fracture lines to examine an icy world that is in constant change.  Fredston is the author of two books, Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches and Rowing to Latitude: Journey's Along the Arctic's Edge, as well as co-founder of the Alaska Mountain Safety Center.