Tag Archive for 'antarctica'

Antarctica 2011 – Trip Report

Published on December 7, 2011 in Trip Reports. 10 Comments Tags: , .

It seemed hard to believe that anything could ever top the 2009 Ice Axe Antarctica Ski Cruise, but I think this year actually did.  In 2009 we had freakishly good weather (clear, sunny and calm every single day), but in 2011, I think we were able to get into more interesting terrain.  Part of this had to do with the ice pack conditions, but another part was Doug Stoup and company knowing where to go and when. As with both trips, the people and the energy of having 120 like-minded skiers on board a boat cruising around at the bottom of the earth is really what makes it all worthwhile.  You go for the skiing, but in the end it’s the entire package that you remember.

We had six days of skiing in Antarctica with 2-3 in Ushuaia, Argentina beforehand.  I kept a photo, gps and written log of where we went, which is available by clicking the photo below (2mb pdf file). Continue reading ‘Antarctica 2011 – Trip Report’

Antarctica 2011 – Coming Soon & Going Fast

Published on June 29, 2011 in Announcements. 3 Comments Tags: , .

It seems like the 2009 Antarctic Ski Cruise just happened a few months ago, but once again, it is time to start planning for the ultimate trip down to the White Continent to make some turns in the most amazing place on earth. The trip is organized by Ice Axe Expeditions and the format is very simple – cross the Drake Passage in the comfort of a cruise ship, then disembark with Zodiacs, go to skiing during the day and then return to the ship at night for an excellent dinner while we move to a new location.  Repeat until exhausted, throw in a few parties, a bunch of new & old friends, then cross the Drake Passage again back to Ushuaia in Argentina.  119 out of 120 people on the last trip declared it “the ski trip of a lifetime” and the one hold-out is a poofter, so his vote doesn’t count. Continue reading ‘Antarctica 2011 – Coming Soon & Going Fast’

Antarctica Photo Gallery

Published on December 1, 2009 in Trip Reports. 7 Comments Tags: .

I know, I know… everytime I go on a trip it ends up being the best one ever, but in this case, I really mean it.  The 2009 Antarctica Ski Cruise was a five-star blast and here are the photos and captions to prove it.

http://straightchuter.com/am-content/2009_Ski_Cruise/index.html

If and when it happens again (and assuming I get invited back…), I’ll be there.  A big thanks to Doug Stoup and Karyn Stanley for making the magic happen.
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Help support StraightChuter.com and cruise the Drake Passage with some Smith Passage Sunglasses from Backcountry.com. Click on the photo below…

Live Antarctica SPOT Tracking

Published on November 3, 2009 in Trip Reports. 9 Comments Tags: .

I’ll be updating my location from Argentina, the Drake Passage and the Antarctica Peninsula over the next three weeks with a SPOT personal locater beacon.  The image below should show my latest position, but you may need to refresh your browser to force an update. Continue reading ‘Live Antarctica SPOT Tracking’

Ushuaia 2008 – Trip Report & Gallery

Published on December 4, 2008 in Trip Reports. 5 Comments Tags: , .

Although this barely qualifies as a trip (it was only six days or so) and we never even came close to our intended goal of skiing in Antarctica, this trip was one of the funnest outings I’ve had in a long time, mainly because it had so many great people involved.

Doug Stoup of Truckee, CA came up with the idea of chartering an entire 300+ foot ice-going cruise ship for ten days, filling it with skiers/boarders, crossing the Drake Passage twice and going skiing in Antarctica.  While this is a fairly common voyage for a cruise ship, what made it special was that instead of stopping at penguin rookeries and decaying whaling stations, we were going to stop at prime ski spots, spend the day skiing, then have a great meal on board, travel to a new spot over night and do it all again.

Unfortunately the ship had mechanical problems and although all 106 of us were packed on board, the trip was canceled.  This was a huge disappointment, but considering the boat’s sister ship had sunk in Antarctica the year before, nobody really doubted the wisdom of the inspectors.

The cruise has been rescheduled for 2009 and further information on it can be found at Iceaxe.tv, or perhaps skicruise2008.com   For a chance to ski in Antarctica, this is a very affordable once-in-a-lifetime type of trip. 


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Andrew off to Antarctica

Published on October 27, 2008 in Random. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Not only is the website still not showing pictures, but Andrew has left the country and the continent.   He is off to ski with Ice Axe Expeditions down in Antarctica on a 110 person cruise ship.   Sounds like a great trip, cruise, stop to ski and then get back on to the boat with all if its comforts.   Andrew promises to be in touch and I will update Straightchuter with any info I get.

It was amazing sending him off.  First, he mentioned how he packed a camera recharger.  They have power on the boat??   Duh, of course they do.  Then, seeing his bagage was a real eyeopener on how different of a trip this will be – his suitcase was insy-winsy.  No tent, sleeping bag, stove, or food.  Not even a towel (though I doubt that is on his normal packing list).   He should have made it down to Argentina by now, then they embark on October 30 and set off across the Drake passage.

Polly

Sunday Photo – Dater Glacier, Antarctica

Published on September 28, 2008 in Sunday Photo. 6 Comments Tags: .

I’m heading down to Antarctica (yeah!) for a ski trip in Novemember, so I have the White Continent on my mind. Today’s photo was one of my favorites from my first trip to Antarctica in 2000/2001 where we climbed a new route up the ”backside” of the Vinson Massif. 

Skiers crossing the Dater Glacier in Antarctica on their way to the summit of the Vinson massif.
Skiers crossing the Dater Glacier in Antarctica on their way to the summit of the Vinson massif.

The purpose of this trip was to make a NOVA film, which I think was called “Trapped in Ice.”  Conrad Anker was the main climber, Jon Krakauer was the historian and Dan Stone was the Glaciologist.  Dave Hahn and I were the field guides, so we got to double-haul lots of heavy loads, set up camps, cook and carry camera gear.  It was a blast.

Contrary to popular belief, Antarctica is not rip-ass cold 100% of the time, but when it is, it really is.  In this photo, we were skinning along a glacier, which was quite pleasant, but when we came within ten feet of a shadow, as Conrad said, we were entering “the steel glove of love” which meant the temps were going to drop a good 40-50 degrees once we left the sun.  Within a few feet, the temps went from casual to brutal.

Vinson, the highest point on Antarctica at right above 16,000′ is commonly referred to as the “Vinson Massif” instead of Mt. Vinson as it is kind of a huge dome with many wart-like peaklettes on top of it, which make it hard to tell exactly which one is the actual summit.

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Antarctic Peninsula Photo Gallery

Published on September 9, 2008 in Trip Reports. 2 Comments Tags: .

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In 2003, I had the good fortune of getting invited along for a trip to the Antarctic Peninsula to try and ski the Bull Ridge on Mt. Francis on Anvers Island.  We didn’t make it very far due to extended bad weather, but it was still one of my all time favorite trips in terms of adventure, scenery and wildlife.  My partner for the trip was Doug Stoup, aka “Mr. Antarctica” who is putting together an entire cruise ship to return to the peninsula this Oct/Nov for a two week ski mountaineering trip.  I’ll be going along and there are a few more berths available.  Check out SkiCruise2008.com for more info.

2003 Antarctic Peninsula

2003 Antarctic Peninsula

34 Photos

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Sunday Photo – Antarctic Peninsula

Published on August 17, 2008 in Sunday Photo. 2 Comments Tags: .

I just saw Doug Stoup (the skier in this photo) at the Outdoor Retailer Show the other day and it reminded me of this trip.

Doug Stoup twisting his way down to the Lemaire Channel.
Doug Stoup twisting his way down to the Lemaire Channel.

Antarctica has to be one of the most exotic places you could ever imagine skiing.  This is not to say that the skiing itself is off the charts, but the location, scenery and experience of being there are unbeatable.  We arrived on Skip Novak’s 48′ steel-hulled boat ”Pelagic” and although the seas were calms for most of the trip, just as we decided to land the wind kicked up and we almost had to abort our plans.  At the last second, we were able to load a Zodiac up with all of our gear, get a ride to the one and only landing spot for miles around and get dropped off in the midst of a huge penguin rookery.

Throughout the trip, we were watching and hearing whales breach below us while we were skiing, seeing Fur Seals as we went to collect snow to melt, being squawked at by angry Skua’s and watching penguins come in from a hard day in the water as we were eating dinner.  It was like camping in the best zoo in the world.

Doug is putting together another trip down to this area this upcoming fall.  It is a two week trip, Nov 20th through Oct 10th and this time he has enlisted the luxuries of a cruise ship to help out.  For further details, see Ice Axe Expeditions.

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