Welcome to my Mount Vinson, Antarctica blog. After Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, McKinley/Denali, Aconcagua and this year’s Everest journey this will be my sixed expedition. This time it will bring me from Punta Arenas, in the south of Chile all the way to Antarctica and there to the Vinson Massif. We will leave Punta Arenas with a Russian IL76 military airplane and a 5 hour flight will bring us to our camp side Patriot Hills, as this area is only accessible by air. Patriot Hills is nestled within the heartland of Antarctica. The camp is at 80º 19′ south latitude and 81º 16′ west longitude, 1000m above sea level and 1076km from the South Pole. From there we will fly with a small twin plane to the Mount Vinson base camp. From this point on, the climb of mount Vinson in its hostile climate will start.
Please follow this blog if you are interested to learn more about the expedition in general and the progress made on an ongoing basis. I will try to provide you with updates as much as the conditions will permit. However, since this expedition is really unique in terms of location, climate and transportation (weight limits), I may not be able to use my laptop during the whole expedition. Nevertheless, I will be happy to share with you along the way my feelings and impressions as much as possible. It’s the journey, not the destination!