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Posted by Bill S on February 12, 2008 at 7:23:08 pm EST
In reply to Antarctica - How Backcountry is that? posted by mikekey on February 12, 2008 at 5:07:18 pm EST

MIke,
Take a look in Trailspace News at my trip report for Antarctica:

http://www.trailspace.com/news/2007/02/13/vinson-anniversary-climb.html

Does it get cold there? Naaah! We had high temperatures that got up to almost 0 Celsius. Lows weren't much below -40.

I haven't been to the Pole myself (or McMurdo for that matter). Just to Patriot Hills (83 deg South) and on Vinson (80 deg South). But I have had students go there for a season (and even over winter), plus have talked to lots of folks who did the full trek coast to Pole or the Last Degree.

You should be aware that it isn't all fun and games. The climate is pretty harsh, even with the right gear (which they will issue you). At the Pole, there are no plants and no animals (plants inside the Station, yes, but not outside, and animals are in general not allowed on the continent, other than the ones that live on the coast and a short distance inland - skuas have been known to fly perhaps a hundred km inland). The Polar Plateau is a very flat plateau. People doing the "Last Degree" trek tell me that you can see the Amundsen-Scott Station for most of the trek. Even in summer, it can get pretty windy (we had almost a week of 50-70 knot winds), and you can get whiteouts. The snow is pretty nasty to ski on, not at all like you find in resorts, XC groomed trails, or fresh-fallen deep powder. It only drops a few inches of snow each year, but what there is gets blown around a lot. You won't need to take your own skis, since there are ones you can borrow. Oh, yeah, they don't use your standard track skis and bindings. The ones used typically are pretty fat, and the bindings are intended to take the very large insulated boots (regular XC boots are far too thin for subzero temperatures - click on the photos in my article to see a full-size view of the boots worn).

The new dorms are completed and in use, and a lot more comfortable than what used to be available.

McMurdo, being on the coast, does have penguins and seals, as well as skuas and some other sea birds, plus the occasional whale. Sorry, no polar bears (wrong pole). You do have some hills to hike up, a number of which are scree scrambles, but some snow hikes (you can borrow the crampons and ice ax, and you will be required to carry a radio for safety).

Now, having told you that it isn't a romantic adventure like you were thinking about in your "Into the Wild" post, it is indeed a fantastic, once in a lifetime opportunity. I turned down Antarctic trips 4 times before I decided in 2006 that it was now or never. And now I wish I had done it before. Now while you are very young is really an excellent time. If you get offered the job, grab it. Just remember it isn't like being home in the States. You are really isolated, which really gets to some people (I loved it, though you won't have the deep, deep silence we had on Vinson). It is just an incredibly beautiful place, like no other. Then again, you will have plenty of videos to watch, and I'm sure IPods and Gameboys have completely invaded the fixed stations (not at Pat Hills, though).

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• Re: Antarctica - How Backcountry is that? - mikekey 21:39:13 02/12/2008

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