Patriot Hills Antarctic base opens for 2009 season

by Kraig Becker on

The only privately owned Antarctic base opened for the 2009 season a few days ago, allowing explorers, scientists, mountaineers, and adventure travelers, access to the frozen continent for the first time since January. Commonly known as Patriot Hills, the base is operated by Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE), a company that supports the adventurous men and women who are traveling to the South Pole or other locations on the Antarctic continent.

Traditionally, the base opens in November and remains open for approximately three months, allowing expeditions to come and go from Punta Arenas, Chile, a city found at the far tip of South America that is often used as the staging ground for adventurers heading to Antarctica. Patriot Hills sits at the edge of a rare, naturally occurring blue ice patch that serves as a runway for ALE’s Twin Otter and Illushyn aircraft, which makes it the perfect place to shuttle visitors to and from the ice.

The travelers making the journey to Antarctica come for a number of reasons. Some will make the long, 500 mile journey to the South Pole on skis, while others will trek to nearby Vinson Massif to climb one of the seldom visited mountains there. Adventure travelers with enough money will also make a “last degree” journey to the Pole, beginning their journey at 89ºS and ending when the reach the bottom of the world.

Over the next few months, Patriot Hills will be a bustling community of explorers coming and going from a variety of places in Antarctica. The tent-city will serve as a base of operations for a number of interesting and unique expeditions, all coming to visit one of the last true frontiers on Earth.

Antarctic dome to be decommissioned

by Kraig Becker on

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been conducting research in Antarctica for more than 50 years, and it has been the southernmost continually inhabited place on Earth over that period. For more than 30 of those years, the iconic image of the place has been that of a giant geodesic dome towering more than five stories above the ice. But now, the dome has been decommissioned, and is scheduled for demolition soon, which has spawned calls from former residents of the station to save what has been called an important piece of American history.

According to this story in the New York Times, a portion of the dome is set to be disassembled and sent back to the States as part of a museum that is currently under construction in California. But most of the structure will be cut into pieces and scrapped. But critics of the plan say that the entire dome should be brought home and rebuilt as a monument to U.S. exploration in Antarctica. To do so would require each piece to be disassembled by hand, bolt by bolt, and shipped stateside to be reassembled, at an estimated cost of more than $500,000, far beyond the budget allowed for the operation.
The dome was rendered obsolete two years back when a new station was built to take its place. In its prime however, it was home to more than 200 scientists and support crew during the busy Antarctic summer. That number dropped below 50 during the winter, but the station remained occupied and in operation at all times, conducting all kinds of experiments and recording data on everything from changing weather conditions to the levels of x-ray bombardments from outer space.

At this point, it seems unlikely that the dome will survive the scrapyard. But for 30 years it has been a symbol of exploration and research in Antarctica, and while its time may have has passed, its contribution to the science is undeniable. It is safe to say, the dome will be missed.

Abercrombie & Kent announce extreme adventures for 2010

by Kraig Becker on

Adventure travel specialist Abercrombie & Kent have announced their “extreme” adventures for 2010, offering up 15 amazing opportunities for travelers looking for unique experiences, provided of course they also have plenty of cash to pay for them.

No matter what kind of adventure you crave, you’re sure to find it on this list. For instance, you can head off into the desert on an eleven day expedition that follows in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, or if sun and sand aren’t your cup of tea, then maybe you’d prefer to go dog sledding in Norway for nine days. Fancy a mountain setting? Than book a trip to Everest Base Camp for 20 days of trekking in the Khumbu Valley instead. These are just a few of the great options that A&K have in store for 2010, with tours planned for remote locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and even the South Pole.

Widely considered one of the best luxury travel companies in the world, Abercrombie & Kent has years of experience planning adventurous trips to the far corners of the globe. The company promises small group tours, ranging in size from about 6-8 people, which allows for more one-on-one interaction with their expert guides, as well as ensuring that the group can move quickly while having a very limited impact on the environment.

Of course, these specialized tours come at quite a cost, and while many tour operators are looking for ways to offer discounted options in these challenging economic times, A&K is sticking to their plan to offer unique experiences for premium prices. For example, that dog sledding expedition that I mentioned above comes with a hefty price tag of $9655, not including airfare. Clearly not for the backpacker on a budget!

First tourist trips to the South Pole

by Neil Woodburn on

In today’s over-traveled world, I’ve always just assumed that tour operators can take clients to every corner of the globe.

Apparently the South Pole, however, has always been an exception–until now, that is.

The news out of London is that a British travel outfitter will be the first company to take tourists all the way to the South Pole. According to the Telegraph, Discover the World already takes visitors–mostly scientists and wealthy eccentrics–to Patriot Hills, a base camp in Antarctica. In the upcoming year, however, they will be expanding their business to take 44 lucky tourists all the way to the South Pole.

It won’t be cheap, however. Expect to pay almost $36,000 for the experience which will include only four hours at the pole itself. Wow, for just $164,000 more, I can fly actually fly to outer space with Virgin Galactic. Hmm… decisions, decisions…