Fliers at the Pole, skiers en route

Last night the team flew from Union Glacier to the NGO basecamp near the South Pole. The flight time was approximately 5 hours in the chartered Bassler. The NGO basecamp lies around one kilometer from the South Pole and it was created specifically for the South Pole centennial season. This morning, after a hearty breakfast, six members of the team shuttled to the South Pole for their first visit to the very bottom of the world. The other ten team members were shuttled to 20 kilometers away, the starting point for the ski expedition.

The skiers reported beautiful weather, with temperatures near -30C and barely a breath of wind. Without wind or clouds the team felt the warmth of the sun, which helped to mitigate the -30 temperature. They skied roughly 12 kilometers, much of it with Bjarni out front setting the pace and navigating.

After putting in a good day of skiing the team set up camp and feasted on a high calorie dinner that should keep their inner furnace burning through the night. Tomorrow they will ski the remaining distance to the Pole and reunite with the other team members.

Arriving at the South Pole base last night. The time is nearly  midnight!

100 years ago today Amundsen wrote in his diary:

Magnificent weather. Almost still and partly clear. About –25°C. Same fine terrain and surface. According to the hypsometer it looks as though we are going very slightly downwards. Maybe it is just the weather conditions that make it seem so. Midday observations, which were taken under the most favourable weather conditions, still, clear, distinct sun and horizon, 89°6’. Observations and instruments again completely coincide. We have done our usual 17 n.m. and now lie at 89°15’ – three days march from our goal.

Make sure to listen to Bjarni's audio update and check back in tomorrow for another update from the team, as they begin the official South Pole anniversary celebrations!

South to the pole...

Today the team spent the morning and afternoon at Union Glacier. Occasional weather reports throughout the day were mixed, with reports of poor weather at the pole possibly delaying their departure. Around 7 PM they got the green light to fly south. We don't expect to hear from them again tonight, but if we do we will certainly add more details.

When the plane lands it will be at approximately 9,300 feet, but because of atmospheric conditions in the polar regions the altitude will feel closer to 11,000-12,000 feet. This is something that the team will be dealing with when they land. They are not alone in having this challenge. 100 years ago today Amundsen wrote in his journal...

"We can feel that it is harder to work at this height. We are short of breath
just by saying “yes”, but we’ll manage. Look forward to coming down again to normal altitude."

Of course the altitude is not the only challenge. The temperature at union Glacier will seem downright balmy compared to the temperature at the Pole. Everyone will be bundled up to guard against the cold but our team members who are skiing have to be careful not to overheat while they ski. This may sound strange, but temperature regulation is one of the hardest parts of pulling a sled to the Pole.

We'll keep you updated with any additional information we learn, so check back again soon!

Emperor penguins and skiing...

A great day for the team today, with lots of sun and picture-perfect weather. After an early breakfast at the Union Glacier basecamp half the team embarked on a special trip to a rarely visited emperor penguin colony. The charter flight took approximately 3.5 hours and offered some spectacular views of the Antarctic ice. The plane landed roughly a mile from the colony to minimize any impact of the visit on the colony. Amidst thousands of chicks and adult penguins the team spent time taking photos, video, hiking and immersing themselves in the sights and sounds of the colony.

The chicks were "18 inches of fluff"

Back at Union Glacier basecamp the rest of the team went skiing in the vicinity of the camp. It's a beautiful setting with rugged mountains rising from the snow to create a valley that helps protects the camp from Antarctia's infamous wind. In the evening the team was treated to a special showing of Amundsen's movie footage from his expedition, thanks to the Norwegian Polar Institute, followed by episode one of Frozen Planet, a phenomenal documentary about the Earth's cryosphere.

Soaking up the sun. During the austral summer Antarctica
receives more solar radiation than the equator. 

Tomorrow, weather permitting, the team will fly South. Our finger's are crossed that the weather holds! Check back again tomorrow for another update from the team!

On the ice!

The team has landed in Antarctica! Early this morning the team was given the green light to fly and they transferred to the airport where they boarded the charter flight to Antarctica. The flight took approximately 4 hours. The route was across the famous Drake Passage and past the coast of Antarctica to the Union Glacier Basecamp.

When they landed conditions were cold and windy (as you might expect) but at the basecamp, which is 8 kilometers from the runway, and in a valley, the temperature was -5C and the wind had all but disappeared. Everyone is doing well. They are settled in at the basecamp enjoying good food and good company. Tomorrow, weather permitting, some of the team will embark on a special trip to an emperor penguin colony.

A look through the cockpit of they charter plane.

Make sure to listen to Jim's audio update and check back again tomorrow for another update from the team!

Pre-flight briefing, weather looks good!

The team gathered today for a briefing in advance of their flight to Antarctica, scheduled for tomorrow. They received a good weather report and instructions to be on call around 6:30 AM local time tomorrow for the next update, with the hopes of flying sometime tomorrow morning.

At the briefing they learned what to expect from the flight as well as their first few hours in Antarctica. They will be landing on an ice runway near the Union Glacier Basecamp and spending their first couple of nights at the basecamp. This is a great place to acclimatize to Antarctic weather before heading further south to the Pole. After the briefing people had some free time to take care of last preparations.

The Union Glacier Basecamp is near the presenter's fingers

What is it like to get off the plane in Antarctica? The first thing you would notice is that it is bright. This is because everything is white (of course) and the reflection of the light and the sun's UV rays is bouncing off everything, bombarding your eyes from all angles. It's so bright and there is so much UV exposure in Antarctica, that you need to wear sunglasses or goggles all the time. A few minutes without eye protection and you can experience mild snow blindness. More than a few minutes without eye protection and you could be down right miserable! The next thing you will notice is that it is, slippery! Not everywhere of course, but when you step off the plane you are standing on an ice runway and there is very little traction until you get off the runway. As silly as it sounds people are instructed to shuffle their way off the runway, very slowly, to avoid slipping.

Of course there's also the crisp Antarctic air and the wind that seems perpetual. But on rare occasions when the sun is beaming down though a cloudless sky and the wind is nowhere to be found it can seem like springtime in the Rockies. This is NOT the case further South near the Pole, where even on the warmest days it is still darn right "frEEZING!"

We added a photo of the team in the Shackleton Bar to yesterday's posting, so be sure to scroll down and check it out. And don't forget to visit again tomorrow for the latest update from the team!

A toast at the Shackleton Bar

Welcome to the blog of the Amundsen Centennial South Pole Expedition! Our team gathered for an official welcome reception this evening in a very fitting place, the Shackleton Bar in Punta Arenas. Over pisco sours and tapas everyone got acquainted, or re-acquainted, as is the case for many people.

We have a wonderful team of 16 seasoned travelers who are looking forward to celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Amundsen's arrival at the South Pole on December 14. Weather permitting our team will depart for Antarctica on Friday.

The team at the Shackleton Bar in Punta Arenas

Tomorrow the team will have a pre-flight briefing where they will learn about recent conditions in Antarctica. Weather on the white continent can be extremely fickle and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the forecasts for good weather hold through Friday and beyond.

For those of you interested in history, you'll enjoy knowing that 100 years ago today Amundsen had one of his best days. In his journal he wrote:

One of our great days. Although it didn’t look like it would be this morning. Fog and bad visibility as usual. But the wind had slackened a lot during the night; the little bit that remained came from the NE. Terrain and surface were first class. Flat, really flatwith no signs of snowdrifts. The annoying small heaps of loose snowdrift which had been such a nuisance these past few days, had disappeared and the surface for the skis was absolutely A1

And if you wonder why there is a Shackleton Bar in Punta Arenas... In the summer of 1916 Shackleton landed in Punta Arenas and organized two rescue attempts to recover his team that was stranded on elephant Island. To be surrounded by such history is exciting and awe inspiring for many!

Some of the team members will be skiing the last 20 kilometers to the South Pole. They spent some time today reviewing their team kit, including the tents. We'll be keeping you posted on their progress when they are "on the ice" as well as the activities of our team who fly the whole way.

Tony and Dave get hands on with the tents

Listen to the audio report from Dirk and check back in tomorrow for another update from the Amundsen Centennial South Pole Expedition!

Only a few more days!

In just a couple days our team will start arriving in Punta Arenas for this South Pole expedition. The preparations of several months are all coming together and we are looking forward to getting underway.

Last night at PolarExplorers headquarters near Chicago, USA, we held a "South Pole Soiree" to kick off the centennial celebrations of the South Pole's discovery. We spent a lot of time talking about Amundsen's and Scott's historic expeditions. Even though much has changed in terms of outdoor gear and equipment (lighter tents, softer harnesses, more efficient stoves, etc.), the team heading South on December 9th will experience the same conditions and terrain as the early explorers. The tug of a sled, the crunch of the snow underfoot, and the endless white - these are the same daily companions that the early explorers encountered. The biggest difference between then and now is that teams today are able to communicate with the outside world (happily for us home-bound friends and family!)

We hope that you will be checking-in on a regular basis to hear about the team's progress and what they are experiencing. We welcome you to send questions to the team via annie@polarexplorers.com

Stay tuned for more!