Expedition Preparations, Punta Arenas Chile
The following day the Ski South Pole team will meet in the morning and begin expedition preparations. Here you will meet the people who, over the next two months, will travel with you and support you in your quest. For the next two days our team will work closely with our guide. We will review our route and expedition plan, prepare food and equipment for the journey, and stay fit through training sessions. The journey has begun.

Our last day in Punta Arenas is busy with flight preparations. In the morning we will join the other expedition groups for an Antarctic presentation followed by refreshments. The presentation will include information on the flight south, the current weather situation and what to expect on our arrival in Antarctica. This will be the trip of a lifetime and we want to ensure that you are well prepared to enjoy it to the fullest. There will be time to ask any questions you may have and get to know your fellow travellers.

In the afternoon we will weigh and collect your checked baggage for loading on to the aircraft ready for departure the following day. Please ensure that your baggage complies with international air transport regulations. No hazardous goods such as fuels may be packed in your checked bags.

You are going to the interior of Antarctica, one of the most difficult places in the world to fly to. Every effort will be made to keep to the scheduled departure date, but please note that all flights are dependent on weather, aircraft serviceability, and local conditions. Days of delay are part of the Antarctic travel experience and should be expected. Our Punta Arenas staff will keep you informed of any schedule changes.

Please also note that in exceptional circumstances, if logistics permit and weather is exceptional, we may depart the evening PRIOR to our scheduled departure date.

No two Antarctic adventures are exactly the same. This is part of the magic and excitement of Antarctic travel. The itinerary below is intended to outline general program objectives and highlight typical activities and experiences. Exact timeline, activities, and program details will vary from trip to trip.

Day 1 - Departure for Antarctica
In the morning, your guide will call you at your hotel to advise you of current conditions in Antarctica. If the weather is suitable for our flight to Patriot Hills, you will be given just under an hour to prepare before being picked up at your hotel by bus.

At the airport we will pass through security, including x-ray of all hand luggage. As on regular scheduled flights, no sharp objects may be carried on board in your hand luggage or on your person. We then complete immigration formalities and proceed to the aircraft, allowing time for photos before climbing on board. After a safety briefing by the crew, we fly south.

The flight time from Punta Arenas to Patriot Hills is approximately 4.5 hours. The initial part of our flight passes over Tierra Del Fuego, or “ Land of Fire”, so named by Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan), for the native Yahgan people’s campfires that illuminated its shores. The ocean south of Tierra del Fuego, the Drake Passage, has been notorious throughout modern history for its wild storms, violent winds and heavy seas.

At approximately 60˚ south we reach the winter limits of frozen seas. This area of ocean is called the Antarctic Convergence and is rich in plankton and other tiny creatures that form the base of the food chain for Antarctica’s rich bird and wildlife colonies. We are now entering the area governed by the Antarctic Treaty.

At 66˚ south we cross the Antarctic Circle. Along this circle the sun never sets at the austral summer solstice and never rises at the austral winter solstice. Further south, Antarctic days and nights lengthen until at the South Pole the sun rises and sets only once a year.

Continuing our flight south and if cloud conditions co-operate, below us we may see tabular icebergs and the ice shelves from which they calve.

Our first sight of the icy continent is Charcot Island close to Alexander Island, at 71˚ south. These islands lie in the Bellingshausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The ice sheet continues to stretch inland until in the distance appear the spectacular Ellsworth Mountains, the highest range in Antarctica. We fly south along the Ellsworths to their southernmost extension, the Patriot Hills, where our runway comes into sight. The wheeled aircraft lands on an area of blue ice that is approximately 2600 ft (800 m) above sea level. The blue ice remains clear of snow due to katabatic winds that funnel down from the mountains with great force. On arrival you will be warmly welcomed and directed to our camp approximately 1/2 mile (1 km) away. We will walk up to camp as it provides an opportunity to stretch our legs and take photos. Be sure to stay away from the active loading zone at the back of the aircraft, as well as off the ice runway.

Days 2 and 3 - Acclimatization and Final Preparations, Patriot Hills Antarctica
The Ski South Pole expedition team will meet in the morning for a group breakfast and orientation to Patriot Hills. Your guide will go over expedition logistics, as well as safety and environmental considerations for your time on the ice.

We will spend a couple of days at Patriot Hills acclimatizing to the Antarctic environment and preparing for our journey. These days give us a chance to try out our clothing layers and equipment; practice doing tasks in the cold and wind, with gloves on; and to become familiar with the daily challenge of life in Antarctica. Early season weather can be severe and we need to be comfortable using our equipment and dressing for conditions before leaving the relative comfort and security of base camp. Finally, we will divide up loads and pack sleds carefully, ready for the flight to our expedition start point, Hercules Inlet on the coast of Antarctica.

Expedition "Shake-down" - Hercules Inlet to Patriot Hills
The expedition will depart Patriot Hills on the first day that weather and logistics permit and when our guide is satisfied that we as a group are sufficiently prepared for the coming adventure. The flight to Hercules Inlet takes about 15 minutes by ski-equipped aircraft and over-flies the first part of our expedition route. We land on the “coast” of Antarctica, where the floating Ronne Ice Shelf meets the Antarctica continent. There is no open water. The ice shelf remains frozen and several hundred feet thick throughout the year. We may see small cracks in the snow, close to where the land starts to rise. These are the only signs that the ocean lies beneath us. These tidal cracks may change during the day as the ice shelf rises and falls with the tide. Here we begin our 730 mile (1170 km) journey to the South Pole.

The first leg of the journey is the 30 mile (48 km) trek back to Patriot Hills camp. We will find these 3-4 days a challenge as our bodies grow accustomed to the rigors of sled hauling and we climb from sea level up to 2600 feet (800 m). On this “shake-down” trek we will fine tune our systems, both as a team and individually.

The Expedition - Patriot Hills to 83 ˚
Leaving camp, we traverse around the Patriot Hills, over a saddle called Windy Pass and across the next valley to an unnamed pass through the Independence Range. Over this short section, we will travel on a mixture of blue ice and very windswept snow, some of the more difficult travel conditions we will experience. Once through the pass, we leave behind the Ellsworth Mountains. To the south, the terrain now opens up, a vast white plain, with the occasional rocky summit marking our route. These features, called nunataks, are the exposed peaks of mountains submerged below thousands of feet of ice. Every few days for the next 3 weeks we will pass one group of nunataks and aim for the next.

The pyramid of Mount Goodwin is our first beacon, dominating the southern horizon for about 5 days. Roughly two days beyond Mount Goodwin we see the Nash Hills off to our right and after about 5 more days of travel we see the Martin Hills ahead of us. At about 83˚S we will arrive at our first re-supply, placed ready for our arrival. Here we take a “rest day” to check and repair our equipment and re-pack sleds with provisions for the next leg of our journey. This is also an opportunity to read letters of encouragement from home and celebrate our progress.

During the first weeks of travel we can expect temperatures to range from –4 to    -22F (–20 to –30C) with nearly constant winds of 5-15 mph (8-24 km/hr) blowing toward us from the polar plateau. Our guide will set a structured daily schedule that allows us to cover a reasonable distance and allows for the slowest person on that day. A “typical” daily schedule starts with breakfast at 8am and the team packed and skiing by 10am. We travel together, stopping for 5-10 minutes every hour for a brief rest and snack break. We plan to travel for about 8 hours each day, stopping by 7pm to set up camp and have supper. Our team will develop our own particular rhythm. Actual travel time and distance each day will depend on the speed and combined strengths of our group.

The Expedition - 83 ˚ to Thiel Mountains
We head off from our re-supply toward Pagano Nunatak a pointed, rock nunatak, that has guided us since leaving the Martin Hills. Pagano Nunatak has great scrambling for an evening outing and even better views from the top.

By now we will have experienced a variety of snow surface conditions, from the hard packed snow and blue ice experienced during our first week of travel; to soft and level snow that provides excellent travel conditions; to fields of sastrugi, the wind blown snow ridges that caused Scott and Amundsen so much grief. In some areas, sastrugi can be as high as 6 to 8 feet and present a real navigational challenge. Temperatures will likely hover around –4F (-20C) as the onset of the Antarctic summer is countered by our climb up to higher elevations.

Approximately halfway to the pole, we arrive at our second cache at the Thiel Mountains ( 85 ˚ 12’S, 87 ˚ 54’W ), a high rocky escarpment. Once again we take a day to rest, read mail, see to equipment repairs and re-pack our sleds with provisions. We also have an opportunity to change into clean clothes and to depot any unserviceable items for pick-up by ANI.

The Expedition - Thiel Mountains to the South Pole
To bypass the Thiel Mountains, some groups work their way to the east, skirting a rocky pinnacle called Nolan Pillar that marks the eastern extremity of the range. An alternate route climbs through a mountain pass near Mt. King. Our guide will assess conditions and choose the route that best suits our team. At the southern end of the Thiel Mountains, we pass Lewis Nunatak, the last mountain feature before we begin our gradual ascent of the polar plateau.

Though the plateau appears to stretch out “flat” in front of us, we climb nearly 2600ft (800 m) in the second half of our journey. As we gain elevation, temperatures will steadily decrease until once again they range from -4 to -22 F    (-20 to -30 C). Snow conditions will vary and we can expect to encounter patches of large sastrugi anywhere south of Thiels. We will attempt to weave our way through the sastrugi, without sleds flipping over or becoming stuck in the hollows. This is a real challenge that requires the support of team members, especially in flat light conditions.

We reach our final re-supply at approximately 87˚ and after re-stocking our sleds, continue south. By now the simple routine and the physical demands of the journey are familiar. The rest of the world, with its colours, smells, haste and worries feels far away. The vast, featureless polar plateau is the true heart of the Antarctic interior. Those who have traveled here talk of feeling “more alive than ever before” and of experiencing the awe that comes from being in high places. The neutrality of this place heightens our senses and brings us into the moment, even as our minds to wander to thoughts of historic expeditions or friends back home.

The Amundsen-Scott station at the South Pole will be visible from about 15 miles (24 km) away. Those last 15 miles can seem the longest! and will take us another 1-2 days of travel.

Soon, we should be completing the final steps to our goal—the Geographic South Pole—and the most southerly point on earth. Here, beneath your feet, all 360 lines of longitude meet and the ice is almost 10,000 ft (3000 m) thick. Not only have you become one of the few people on earth to reach the South Pole, but you are one of an elite group to have skied from the coast. The journey with all its highs and lows, the companionship of new friends and the knowledge that you have achieved such a dream, will live with you forever.

Feel the satisfaction of having arrived here through your own efforts and the support of your team and reflect on how it must have felt to stand in this place, nearly a hundred years ago, with only the sound of the wind and an endless expanse of white stretching northward in all directions.

Return to Patriot Hills
The completion of this incredible journey will be the return flight to Patriot Hills of approximately 6 hours over the polar plateau. At Patriot Hills camp our team will share a celebration dinner and toast our accomplishment—a marvellous story that so few have lived!

At Patriot Hills camp you can rest and recover from the expedition, or you can take part in a number of activities that will be going on around camp. The choice is entirely yours.

Return to Punta Arenas
Weather permitting, the aircraft from Punta Arenas will arrive in Patriot Hills on the scheduled departure day with a new collection of avid explorers and will take off with your group for the final leg of your Antarctic journey. Once the flight is confirmed, our client service staff in Punta Arenas will make hotel reservations on your behalf. In Punta Arenas you will be met at the airport by ANI staff who will arrange for transfer to your hotel. We will assist wherever possible with any questions you may have.

Please note that you are travelling to an expedition base camp situated in the interior of Antarctica, the most isolated and windiest continent on earth. Every effort will be made to follow the above itinerary but it is offered subject to change at the discretion of ANI staff based on weather, aircraft serviceability, and local conditions. You will be accommodated and looked after in Patriot Hills during any flight delays to Punta Arenas.

Days of delay are a normal part of Antarctic travel. DO NOT plan anything important for a minimum of two weeks after your scheduled return. Give yourself time to enjoy this unique experience without the stress of pending commitments.