| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 22 | .59 |
| Feb | 15 | 11 | .83 |
| Mar | 7 | -6 | .95 |
| Apr | 1 | -13 | .72 |
| May | -2 | -17 | .93 |
| Jun | -2 | -17 | .98 |
| Jul | -17 | -22 | .61 |
| Aug | -9 | -25 | .45 |
| Sep | -5 | -21 | .46 |
| Oct | 4 | -10 | |
| Nov | 20 | 9 | .38 |
| Dec | 31 | 21 | .62 |
The vast white expanse surrounding us was unbroken by any hint of civilization. As I looked back, I realized that the only trace of man was the tracks behind us.
We unload our gear and the plane disappears into the sky, leaving only the polar wind to howl in our ears. Now alone on the polar plateau, our small expedition team surveys the landscape: blue-white snow and ice as far as the eye can see, a stunning but sobering sight. If anyone on our team has doubts, they go unspoken. We take up our poles and begin the trek to the South Pole.
Our guide starts us out slowly, giving our bodies a chance to adapt to this unfamiliar environment and new form of travel. Once acclimated, our team establishes its rhythm, and the skiing becomes a kind of meditation. Then we hit the sastrugi: the sharp ridges of windblown snow that plagued the Scott and Amundsen expeditions. Attempting to weave through the two- and three-foot-high formations, we struggle to keep our 120-pound sleds from tipping over or getting stuck, but the inevitable happens. We don't make distance that day. But we make up for it the next, winning one small contest in an arena where Nature has the overwhelming advantage. The sense of satisfaction is strikingly primal.
With 24 hours of sunlight, there is no dusk to signal the end of a day's exertions. And never has a tent seemed such a luxury, a warm, dry refuge at the end of the earth. Sleep is instantaneous. The South Pole is within our reach. Anything is possible now.
Geoff Somers has completed several "firsts," including the then-longest unsupported Arctic journey of 1,400 miles and the first and only crossing of the entire Antarctic continent by its greatest axis, a seven-month, 4,000-mile journey. During both these epic adventures, Geoff oversaw logistics.
Arrive in Punta Arenas, where you meet your guide for an expedition briefing.
Check your equipment and relax before your expedition.
Fly by cargo plane to Patriot Hills, landing on an airfield of sheer blue ice. Set up camp, review techniques for skiing, towing sleds and navigating by GPS. You spend the next day learning to negotiate the Antarctic landscape and adjusting to the demanding polar climate.
Fly via ski-equipped plane to the Thiel Mountains for re-fuelling, then continue to 89° latitude, where your 69-mile trek to the South Pole begins.
Set out for the South Pole, beginning near the point where the explorer Shackleton turned back. Your route and timetable are determined by your guide, who evaluates the topography, the changing weather and the endurance of your team itself setting the pace. Sixty nine miles of snow, wind and ice separate you from the South Pole; crossing them is the physical challenge of a lifetime, a supreme test of your strength and perseverance.
Today the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station appears on the horizon, a sign that you have come within hours of achieving your goal. After a final day's effort you arrive at the South Pole, joining an elite group of only a few hundred individuals ever to reach this point.
Your expedition concluded, return via ski plane to base camp at Patriot Hills for a team celebration. Depart for Chile the next day.
