4892m – The highest point in Antarctica
Jan 2014
Mt Vinson – Antarctica – 2013
As part of my training for an Everest attempt in 2014, one of my build up Expeditions after Mt Cook was to Antarctica. I had organised the trip through Adventure Consultants, and was looking forward to hanging out on the ice with some Kiwis for new year. It didn’t quite turn out like that though! AC didn’t get the numbers to run the expedition, so they organised my transfer to ALE – Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was the best thing that could have happened!
I flew into Punta Arenas, Chile on Sat the 28 Dec at 10.30pm. The small city is right on the coast, and has a rugged wind swept feel about it.
The next day I found my way to the ALE headquarters where everyone heading into Antarctica was briefed on the flight to Union Glacier, the Ilyushin we would be flying in, and the conditions to expect when we get there. It was interesting how many people were there – not just climbers – but scientists, explorers and even some sightseers!
That night we were picked up from the hotel (in our full Antarctic climbing kit), and were in the air by 10.30pm. The four hour flight was quite a curiosity! There were only two tiny windows that were visible, and there was always a queue to stand at them. This was partly resolved by a gopro that was mounted on the front of the plane, and broadcasting the spectacular scenery on a tv in front of us.
We landed at 2.30am on a blue ice runway, and stepped out into the bright sunlight. Just like the arctic, climbing in the Antarctic in summer means the sun never sets.
We were duly warned to watch our footing as we stepped onto the ice. It wouldn’t do to break a leg before even beginning the climb!
At 4.30am we had finished our tour of an absolutely huge camp, found our clam tent (two to a tent) and attempted to snooze.
From Union we needed to catch a twin otter to Vinson base camp. This is a pretty small twin prop plane, but it has windows, and the scenery was spectacular for the entire 30 minute flight.
It was at base camp that we found the ALE advantage – they have a permanent structure here. That meant a warm table and chairs, eating inside, and even a little vino!
My diary entries for the next few days are as follows:
Team:
Josh, guide, Alaska
Rob Smith, guide, Scotland
Ed Buckingham, UK
Nick UK,
Chris Longacre, Alaska
Froncois Matters, Alsace
Sat 29 Dec Arrive Union glacier 2.30am in full sunlight. Bed 4.30am.
Mon 30 Fly to base camp
Tue 31 New Year’s Eve – we were trying really hard to stay at base camp for New Year, but alas it wasn’t to be! We packed the sleds and lined up into two rope teams where we headed up the gentle slope to camp one. Here we had very little to do but wait, and waiting till midnight seemed to take forever! At this point we cracked our wine, which considering we had invited the nearby Norwegians, was rationed down to one small glass. Not quite the raging party I was hoping for!
Wed 1 Rest Day. Hiked out to a view point with incredible views. Virgin snow and incredible solitude.
Thur 2 Jan. Up at noon. Weather forecast goodish out at 2.45pm. Up the headwall from Camp One to Camp Two. This was a fixed line, but we had ditched our sleds, and it wasn’t too bad. At one point I had trouble with a frozen caribiner, which embarrassingly, one of the other guys opened first attempt! After four and a half hours we hit high camp at 7.15pm. Pretty good doing when we were told it could be 9pm! I tented with Chris Longacre, an Everest summiter and pilot from Alaska. We had two tents up, two bags of snow filled, and five fuel bottles topped up in the time the others put up one tent! There was hardly any wind, and the temperature was between -2 and -5.
Fri 3 Jan. Rest day. Breakfast around 9. Got really cold when the sun went behind cloud, and of course this was the time I decided to try out the loo (a bucket surrounded by snow bricks). Freezing hands and toes.
Muesli bars for lunch around 3pm. Dinner at 7pm. Freeze dried Pad Thai. Good, but Beef Stroganoff better!
Around 3.30am the sun dropped below the mountain and the temperature went from -9 to -18 celsius!
Sat 4 Jan. Summit day. The crazy 40 degree temperature swings had messed with my head. Before I went to sleep it was boiling, so I had left my inner boots outside my sleeping bag. Of course at some point the +20 had turned to -20, and when I woke the boots were frozen solid. Luckily for me I had invested in hotronics – an electric boot warmer – and by cranking this on full I managed to defrost them soon enough.
We had discussed a 7am departure time, but this came and went without any wake up. Chris was pissed! Summit bid delayed because of the wind. We ended up leaving at 10.12am – and it was still windy! For some reason I decided that I could get by wearing no wind layer on my legs, and only a light jacket on my upper body. A bit mad considering this was the coldest summit day I have ever had! We were out seven and a half hours – back at 5.30pm, bed at 9.30pm.
My diary reads “Summit day was super windy. Watch froze (so couldn’t see temperature after this), but out of wind was -20c. When we left it was about -8. Hotronics on 2 going up. Shell pants and light thermals. Icebreaker top, then blue shell, then OR down jacket. Silk liners, then red gloves were good till it got windy. Putting green mitts over top didn’t work. Just silk liner in mitts better.”
“Can take photos on mirrorless camera in mitts! Sony compact went flat in the cold.”
“Ed annoyed me going up by overtaking the rope all the time (and then tripping)”.
“Josh was 1st, Ed 2nd, then me, and last Chris on our rope.”
“-20c with 25 knot wind = 46km/hr = ~ -48c with wind chill. Better than the forecast of -32 (-67)!”
The climb wasn’t technical, and the cold only bothered me on the summit where we were exposed to the full force of the wind. Up there it wasn’t long before my butt started going numb, and I felt I was playing with fire when I took my gloves off to work the camera!
Sun 5 Jan – 24hrs of sunlight changes your schedule somewhat – especially when you wait for the sun to hit the tent (no matter what the time). Despite going to bed at 9.30pm after the summit, I listened to music till 1am before falling asleep. Then woke at 3.28am with a cold head (my beanie had fallen off, and it was -19c). I then slept till about 11am.
Around 9.30pm it was blue sky and absolutely still. -18 outside, but the sun made it +4 in the tent. The other summit teams were returning, and they had no wind on the summit.
Mon 6 Jan, my diary reads: “Mt Shinn was so much harder than Vinson. Bullet hard blue ice. Mixed climbing and steep snow. We left at 10 and weren’t back till 6.30pm, so 8.5 hrs. Apparently slow because of the conditions, but I felt like we were racing. I was exhausted when we got back. I guess that is what you get when you are the only member of the team that hasn’t yet summited Everest!
The average temperature was -17c, and 10-15 knots wind. For this climb I added a primaloft layer to my legs (and the thermals), and was too warm.”
Tue 7 Jan – High camp departure. Breakfast about 9.15am, then an hr and a half down to low camp. Coffee there, grab the sled and another 2.5 – 3 hrs back to Vinson Base Camp. Beer on arrival!
I was last on the rope on the descent, but my sled was super light, so gave me no trouble without a rope brake. (Unlike on Denali, where being last on a rope is terrible for downhill – think being overtaken by your sled…).
Wine with dinner, then twin otter flight back to Union. Second dinner and another beer. What a day!
Bed at 1am after chatting to Greg Vernovage of IMG and Mike Roberts of AC.
Wed 8 Jan, my diary reads: “Rest Day. Breakfast at 8, lunch at 1. Lectures with Adam (Swede) at 10 and 3. First one about a Swedish expedition to Antarctica around 1896. Three parties all met up and rescued by an Argentine boat. Second lecture on two balloon attempts to North Pole around turn of century from Danish island on Svalbard.
Now 5.30pm, dinner will be at seven. Doc confirmed frostbite on my nose (guides had thought it might just be frost nip – basically the tip was white and waxy). Need to be careful when we climb tomorrow. Practiced some Swedish with Adam. Inga recommended that I see northern lights from Svalbard, Norway in January.”
Thur 9 Jan, Climbed Rossman traverse. Good fun. Most entertainment was had by watching Rob Smith take a tumble, and in doing so take out two of his clients!
Fri 10 Jan, flew back to Punta Arenas.
Climb The Seven 