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The South Pole and summit of Mt Vinson 🎿🏔💥

Tuesday 11th January

After being weathered in at BC for 48 hours, (thank goodness we were not still up on the mountain!), the twin otters were finally able to fly us back to UG yesterday afternoon. At the same time, the 757 was given the green light from Punta to fly down onto the ice to collect us all, after being grounded for covid restrictions. There were definitely some odd looks as we walked through Punta airport in our climbing kit at 1am!

It’s amazing to be back in the world of decent showers, running water, non dehydrated food and a bed after far too many nights in a sleeping bag on the ice. Pretty sure my hair looked better in lockdown!

It’s been an incredible adventure and thank you for following. Now time to start jumping through numerous covid hoops to get back to the UK.

#7summits #antarctica

8th January 2022

That was an epic 57 hour climb and we did it! 💥 They are doubling checking but think it might be a new client record from Base Camp to Summit and back to Base Camp. Utterly exhausted but it was definitely worth it as the storm we descended in was not fun. Thank goodness we weren’t still up high. We were only on the summit for a couple of minutes as the wind was insane and it was also -36c plus windchill. Worse than Everest! Luckily Tendi managed to take a photo as all our phones and cameras died in the cold. Celebrations will have to wait until we fly back to Union Glacier, which is hopefully tomorrow, but in the meantime time we have a couple of miniatures of Whiskey and I have a small bottle of my home brewed Sloe Vodka 🎉

6th January 2022

The Vinson climb handbook rules are going out of the window (it’s usually a 6 or 7 day climb) and this has now turned into a speed ascent before a 5 day storm hits the mountain up high tomorrow night! We had a good move up to Low Camp (2780m) yesterday, the 3 of us roped together due to crevasses and all carrying a pack and pulling a sled. Thankfully the sleds stay at LC until we head back down. A very quiet camp as there are only 5 of us currently on the mountain - our team and another 1:1 team. Heaven. After hearing the updated weather forecast this morning, instead of the usual rest day, we decided to climb up to High Camp (3780m). Quite a steep climb with heavy packs but by the time we reached camp, we were above the clouds and in the sunshine. Definitely worth the pain as the views are stunning. There is a very small weather window tomorrow for a summit (4892m) attempt and we are going to give it a go. The feet are taped up and ready to go. Whatever happens, we will need to descend as far as possible before the storm hits. Tendi is keen for a monster day and to make it back to Base Camp (2140m)……! Please keep all fingers and toes crossed and let’s see what the mountain has in store for us up high.

4th January 2022

After a couple of days at BC, we are due to head up to Low Camp (2780m) tomorrow. Time for the climb to begin and I can’t wait. Due to the weather delays before our ski, the main climbing team left before 2 of us had returned from the Pole. The main team summited yesterday and made it back to BC today. This has played to our advantage as we will now be a very small team - superstar Tendi, myself and one other climber. If the weather gods are on our side, we should hopefully be able to move quite fast and lightly. Fingers crossed!

2nd January 2022

Woke up to clear skies and a relatively, for here, warm day at UG. Luckily the waiting game didn’t last too long this time and we flew out to Vinson Base Camp (2140m) just after lunch. Insanely stunning 45 minute flight and there were only 2 of us, plus supplies on board. Far more relaxing than yesterdays flight! Great to meet and chat with Conrad Anker who arrived at BC just after us as he was leading a private climb. He probably has more first ascents around the world than anyone else. Also caught up with my Elbrus guide and a couple of other friends from Denali. A very sociable Sunday evening on the mountain :)

1st January 2022

Happy New Year and what an epic place to see in 2022. One other team arrived a couple of hours after us yesterday while Preet (who is trying to break the female ice cap crossing record) and Nims’ team are still out on the ice. As there is a small ALE camp at the Pole for the season, about 30 of us were treated to a yummy supper with wine and then canapés and champagne just before midnight. A much needed change from dehydrated food and melted snow 😀 Although our camp and the US Research station are only about 1/2 km apart, with the ceremonial Pole in between, we were on Chilean time and they were on NZ time. After taking the obligatory photos this morning, as it was too foggy when we arrived yesterday, our pilot was luckily given the all clear to fly us back to UG. Usually there is a fuel stop half way at Thiels but due to low cloud cover and visibility, he was happy to try and fly it in one go….luckily none of us are nervous fliers! The twin otter was loaded with all sleds, skies and a barrel of fuel just in case needed. Leg room was virtually non existent! A much needed ‘shower’ (instead of a power shower, think melted snow heated by solar panels and a bucket with a hose) back at UG before unpacking and repacking. Time to swap my skis for my crampons. Luckily we are well acclimatised as we’ve spent the last week in freezing temps and at altitude. The South Pole is just over 3000m which is higher than Vinson low camp. Now it’s down to the weather gods again as to when we are able to fly out to Base Camp.

31st December 2021

Happy New Year from the South Pole 🎉 We made it just before 1.30pm local time and it’s amazing to be here. Navigating this morning was quite tricky as the compass takes longer to settle the closer to the Pole you are. Having not seen anything for a week, we finally spotted a couple of shapes on the horizon just after 11am which turned out to be the American Research centre. There are about 200 people who live here for 6 months at a time - complete madness! It was exhausting and cold enough skiing here in all our modern kit, I can’t begin to imagine what it was like for Amundsen 110 years ago in 1911. There are a couple of other teams due in this evening, roll on the celebrations.

30th December 2021

We are nearly there 💥 Another good 8 hours skiing today but it was seriously cold. -36c plus wind chill with a constant side wind and drifting snow all day. I resembled a frozen Eskimo by the time we set up camp this evening. I’m luckily injury and frostbite free but my feet are taped up like a multicoloured chess board. Trying to prevent a few hot spots turning into blisters ahead of my Vinson climb next week. We will hopefully arrive at the South Pole early tomorrow afternoon which is very exciting and a pretty epic location for NYE. Sadly I’ll be in a down jacket/skirt/multiple layers instead of a DvF but never mind. Luckily my hair will be firmly under a woolly hat as it’s nearly looking as bad as during lockdown! On the plus side, thanks to the 24 hour daylight down here, we will be in sunglasses at midnight. Hope you all have an fantastic evening, please have a drink for me and roll on an incredible 2022.

29th December 2021

The teams sense of humour was seriously tested this morning for the first time on the ski. Taking down our tents in -35c was not amusing at all! Luckily the sunshine made an appearance later in the day and we are now only 16nm away….we are getting there slowly. One of our guides told us an awful story today. A guy skied from the Coast to the Pole a few years ago, solo, which took him just over 60 days. When he finally arrived, he called his girlfriend and proposed - she said no! Can you imagine?! Just awful. No one in the team is luckily planning a proposal but everyone is starting to think what they’ll do when we finally reach the end. One guy has a mini guitar with him and I’m tempted to rock ‘n roll around the Pole with one of my unsuspecting American team mates. Please keep everything crossed for good weather for the next 36 hours as it would be pretty epic to spend NYE there.

28th December 2021

Much as I hate to admit it, females are at a slight disadvantage out here. Firstly, we are more prone to frost bite on our thighs, no idea why. Who knew down mini skirts existed?! I certainly didn’t before this trip but I wore mine today over 2 other layers and it worked amazingly well. Sadly it’s the closest I’m going to get to a little black dress for NYE. Secondly, Antarctica is the only place in the world that has no pollution and is in a pristine condition. There is not a single mark on the snow. Everything, and I mean everything, is taken with us in our sleds which means, without going into too much detail, using a bottle and a bag! A good 7 hours skiing today until thick freezing fog stopped us. It really was like being in a very large marshmallow. We are now only 28 nautical miles from the Pole and we are hoping to arrive on Friday, fingers crossed.

27th December 2021

As Monday’s go, today was pretty good. Woke up baking hot which is a rare problem to have down here! No wind with the sun cooking the tent, heaven. Had a good stint on the skis and the last hour was like dragging a sled through a horizontal mogul field, not much fun. One of guides, who has skied to the Pole dozens of times, said it’s the worst hour he’s ever had out here which made me feel slight better :) It was ‘only’ about -20c today and I’m used to my eyelashes freezing but who knew nostrils froze?!

26th December 2021

Happy Boxing Day A morning in our tents as we woke up to 40mph winds which is serious frostbite territory and we are back on ‘aggressive standby’, two words that I’m starting to loathe hearing! Luckily the winds dropped enough after lunch (think dehydrated shepherd’s pie and not a yummy roast!) and we managed to ski for 5 hours before pitching our tents. Frustrating not to be able to start early in the morning but at least we are a team in this situation. It must be far harder for the solo skiers out there, currently crossing the ice cap without anyone to talk to. One of them, Preet, is on course to break the female record, and I’m hoping we will all be at the South Pole at the same time to celebrate. Please keep your fingers crossed for a few days of good weather as we need a couple of long days skiing.

25th December 2021

Happy Christmas 🎄 but after today, I’m definitely going to be somewhere warm for Christmas next year! Crystal clear but baltic with the winds, probably about -35c with wind chill. Normally the sastrugi are all in the same direction but this year, due to the abnormal winds, they are cross crossed. Not fun to drag a sled over. Everything was frozen by the time we stopped for the day - my mask, goggles, buff and the odd strand of hair which had escaped my hat. Even the fur on my hood wasn’t happy. It’s beyond stunning though with 360 degree views of just snow/sky and we will not see another human until we reach the South Pole. Sadly it seems I’m unable to send high res photos from my sat phone but I’ll add them when I’m back in normal reception

24th December 2021

Christmas Eve and a beautiful morning in camp 2 large artic trucks arrived, having been driven from the South Pole over the last 3 weeks. I think they were testing out kit in advance of a large project next year. We were put back on ‘aggressive standby’ just after breakfast and repacked our sleds ready to go. Luckily we were given the green light at 11am and finally flew out of UG in a twin otter snow plane. It was a 4 hour flight with a stop to refuel at Thiels where we came across a team of 4 who are skiing from Hercules inlet to the South Pole - it was their half way point after 31 days on the ice. We had to circle for a while as it was a whiteout and the pilots were trying to find some contrast before landing, eventually being dropped off on the ice, in the middle of nowhere, at 5pm. We skied for a couple of hours before setting up camp. Great to be finally moving. Let’s see what the weather gods have in store for us over the coming days as it’s currently like being inside a sunny marshmallow!

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas

23rd December 2021

The storm doesn’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon sadly. A white out here at UG and apparently a clam tent was completely destroyed at low camp on Vinson overnight. To keep the climbers entertained while they wait to fly home, there was a mini triathlon (4km xc ski, 4km fat bike, 4km run) organised this afternoon - rather them than me in a blizzard! I went to a Scott/Amundsen lecture which reminded me how lucky we are compared to when they were down here. It’s cold enough with all the modern kit, let alone wearing tweed and wool like they were. The set up here by ALE is phenomenal and I can’t even begin to imagine the logistical headaches they are currently having. We were on standby until 9pm when they finally confirmed there wouldn’t be any flights today. For an American company, ALE chose a very British way of boosting morale in camp - wine and Bond (“No time to Die”). I’m even more jealous of his Jamaican beach bolt hole while riding out the storm here and the ending is equally as awful second time round!

22nd December 2021

An epic storm overnight and very pleased not to out skiing in it! Had an updated medical briefing and it’s just a waiting game now annoyingly. Please keep your fingers crossed for a small weather window asap! It’s even worse for the climbers who are trying to head home for Christmas - the plane has been cancelled again today. For a continent which is meant to be a desert, we have had more snow in the last 72 hours than anyone can remember.

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