Antarctica is officially open for the season, and our first CTSS team is already on the ice. With twenty four hour daylight settling in and early weather windows stabilizing, the continent is shifting into its short but spectacular climbing window. This is one of the most remote and pristine environments on Earth, and we are excited to begin another year of expeditions across the ice.

Most of our climbers this season will be heading to Mount Vinson, traveling through Union Glacier before moving into the Ellsworth Mountains for their summit push on Antarctica’s highest peak. Others will begin with the South Pole Last Degree Ski, spending eight days traveling the final degree of latitude to the geographic South Pole before returning to Union Glacier to launch their Vinson climb. A smaller group will fly farther into the interior for Mount Sidley, Antarctica’s tallest dormant volcano and one of the least visited summits in the world.

Our Antarctica roster this year includes some of the strongest guides in the industry: Mike Bennett, Ty Sauerbrey, and Tomi Ceppi, who has fourteen Vinson expeditions under his belt with twelve successful summits. Last week, Tomi shared a few behind the scenes preparations from South America before making his way to the blue ice to kick off our season.

Our first team on the ice with Tomi is our Last Degree Ski team, who flew from Union Glacier to 89°S today and immediately began their traverse. Over the next four days, they will ski the final stretch to the geographic South Pole at 90°S, traveling six to eight hours per day across near flat snow and building camp each night on the glacier. Temperatures hover around negative forty while the sun circles overhead. After reaching the Pole, the team will fly back to Union Glacier to meet their Vinson teams.

As the season unfolds, we will be sharing regular updates, photos, and behind the scenes footage from Vinson, the Last Degree Ski, and Mount Sidley. Follow along on the CTSS blog and social media as our teams move through one of the most remote and extraordinary landscapes on the planet.

Photo from Tomi Ceppi, Last Degree Ski team