Expeditions

The team arrived at Union Glacier in Antarctica a couple of days ago. We are now waiting for our flight to our drop off location at 89degrees south. The weather is poor with low visibility for flying so we are stuck at Union Glacier for a few days. We hope to fly in a day…

After being delayed in Punta Arenas for several days we got the sudden call to be ready to fly in 2 hours. We hurriedly packed and made it to the office by 6:45pm. We went through security and boarded the plane and were wheels up by 8pm. After a smooth 4 hour flight we landed…

From where I live in the Toronto, Canada area getting to Antarctica is quite a long journey. The first leg of the flight is to from to Santiago Chile. This flight is almost 11 hours from Toronto. In Santiago I will go through customs and immigration where I will need to get a Chilean Visa…

Food is fuel for our bodies. No food no go. The quality of the calories is also important. On a South Pole ski expedition, a mountaineering expedition or any extreme and cold weather expedition your body is using huge amounts of calories each day to keep running. A climber or polar skier could burn 6000+…

This is a continuation of the clothing and gear requirements for an Antarctic expedition. Once we have arrived at the South Pole we will be picked up by plane and flown over to Mount Vinson which is approximately 1000km away. Here we will switch out our South pole ski gear for our mountaineering gear. Some…

This is a continuation of the clothing and gear requirements for an Antarctic expedition. Skiing: For skiing I have covered the boot system. Now you need skis, skins and poles. Once again there are endless options for skis. We will use a traditional cross-country ski. Few people use a wax ski these days. A backcountry style…

Dec 17 Getting Ready to Fly to Antarctica I have been in Punta Arenas a few days now. My time has been spent getting last minute food and gear and meeting with our logistics provider to get all the details worked out. Both Saray and Christina are now here and we have gone through all…

Taking the right clothing and equipment with you to Antarctica is critical for safety and success. There are no stores in Antarctica in which to purchase forgotten, broken or lost gear and clothing so you must plan in advance. There is a lot of info here so I will split this blog into a few…