The expedition meets in Punta Arenas, in the Patagonia region of southern Chile, from here we board a Boeing 757 to fly the 4.5 hours onto the ice in Antarctica.

We land on a naturally occurring blue ice runway at a place called Union Glacier before further organizing our gear, then board a smaller Twin Otter plane on skis that will take us to Vinson Base Camp (approximately a 45-minute flight) to begin the climb.

At the expedition’s completion, the process is reversed with a plane flying into Base Camp to collect us and take us back to Union Glacier where we can fly back to Chile on the 757 and onward home from there.

Yes, both at base camp and on the mountain, we will share tents. This is due to the extreme cold where sharing tents keeps everyone warmer and safer. It also reduces the weight of carrying extra, unnecessary tents when pack weights are already significant. Please plan to share a tent with one of your fellow climbers and if this is a concern for a valid reason don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss.

Very. Although temperatures during the day low on the mountain can get to 70F, most of the time temperatures are well below freezing. Night time temps can be -40 lower on the mountain and summit temps can be from -20F – -60F, depending on the wind and how direct the sun is.

Please be prepared for extreme cold,  and be hyper-vigilant in order to avoid frostbite by listen to your guide’s advice and speaking up if you are feeling cold or numb.

In general, climbing packs on Vinson are moderately heavy to quite heavy. You will likely be carrying 40lbs – 50lbs (18kg – 24kg) most of the time while climbing with a few days like the move to high camp and descent from high camp being heavier 50lbs – 65lbs (24kg – 30kg).

All the group gear is spread equally throughout the team, and like all our expeditions, there is a strict leave no trace policy so it is best to bring only what you need and prepare your body in training to carry weight.

In general our food on and off the mountain is excellent. There are many good restaurants in Punta Arenas that we will check out. At Union Glacier first rate chefs will be preparing our food for us. On the mountain the guides will be cooking large, hearty meals that are very tasty albeit a bit more rustic than in town. Think eggs, pancakes, burgers, pasta and rice dishes, meat and vegetables, potato dishes and even fish.

If you have dietary requirements please let us know well ahead of departure so that we can accommodate for you.

We also ask that guests bring along some of their favourite snacks as many people find they have a loss of appetite whilst at altitude and a preference for things they know they like. Make sure you pack plenty of goodies you are familiar with that would tempt you even when you don’t feel hungry.

High energy gels or shot blocks are also recommended for summit days.

You need to be in Punta Arenas 2 days before we fly to Antarctica, but I suggest considering getting to town on the 3 days in advance in case of any baggage or flights delays. So if we fly in say on the 7th of the month then you must be there at least by the 5th, if not by the 4th. If you or your bags got delayed and didn’t arrive until the 6th, that would be cutting it too close and they don’t hold the plane to Antarctica for anyone! The extra night in town associated with arriving early would be your own expense but we can easily book the hotel for you if you like. It is better to be there early than to arrive late and risk missing the flight or not having your gear in time.

Travel in Antarctica is unique as is the weather patterns and the mountain range we climb in, is very remote. Our flight operator is the best in the business and well versed in Antarctic air travel and safety is everyone’s main priority, so they will not fly in marginal conditions or poor visibility and weather delays can happen while we wait for clear windows to fly. They don’t always happen but it’s worth noting that they can.

There are plenty of contingencies in place for this with cached resources, food, fuel and medical supplies in the event of lengthy delays at Vinson Base Camp and Union Glacier. We ask that you be aware that delays can be a part of an Antarctic adventure and that you notify family and friends that in the event of a delay, this is not a situation to be concerned about and their first point of contact is us.

As the saying goes, it’s better to be on the ground wishing you were in the sky, rather than in the sky, wishing you were on the ground.  Safety is more important to us all than scheduling.

Most people book round-trip flights up front with the return date being set back to a later date in case we get delayed. (Weather in Antarctica is unique and flights are dependant on good windows. Delays aren’t uncommon and should be expected. You may find yourself waiting for a flight on and off the continent as well as to and from the mountain. It is worth letting your family and workplace know this and not booking other commitments too close to your proposed return date just in case)

We usually ask people to book a flexible fare and loosely book it for say 3 days after the scheduled return date or so. If you are on time, we usually move our flights home up, knowing that there is lots of availability on flights from Punta Arenas and it’s easy to get on a flight.

If you are early back to Chile, and don’t want to move your flight up, Patagonia is an incredible destination to explore and worth doing so while you are in the region.

For booking travel, we highly recommend using our travel agent. We have been working with her for years and she knows our logistics really well and is incredible at getting us on flights out of Punta Arenas. She monitors the situation on the ice closely, liaises with the airlines on our behalf if we have booked with her and usually finds us cheaper fares than we can find elsewhere. Contact us so we can put you in touch with her.

Yes. Trip delay and cancellation, rescue, repatriation, medical insurance is mandatory for this program for your own benefit. We have seen too many times people need to cancel their trip either before or during the expedition for reasons such as injury, health, family and business matters. With such a long trip and so much at stake, climbers need to be prepared for contingencies.

Further with delays a possibility, it is important to be able to change your flights easily or claim missed flights so you can rebook.

Mount Vinson is very remote and the only means of communication is via satellite phone or device. Our expeditions are equipped with these and depending on battery supply (we usually have plenty but are conservative with their use to have backup in the case of an emergency) these are available to clients to call home an extra charge.

If family need to reach you for an urgent reason, we encourage them to contact the office through our: info[at]climbingthesevensummits.com email first, or the phone number sent out in the pre-departure emails and they can contact us to pass on a message or arrange a phone call. We contact base with updates most days which are published on our blog. The blog is a great news source for family and friends wanting to follow on. Please also advise your loved ones that ‘no news is good news’ and manage their expectations that they won’t necessarily hear updates every day, or be able to contact you as easily as on other expeditions.

Do you recommend a full down suit of a down top and a down bottom combo?

We highly recommend a down top and bottom combo rather than a down suit. The top and bottom combo are much more versatile and easier to adjust the temperature. Once you put on the down suit you are stuck in it for hours if not the whole day and may overheat. Vinson climbers are a lot more comfortable in the down top and bottom combo.

Pants: Will an insulated pant like a Compressor Pant work for Vinson?
The Compressor Pant will not work, unfortunately, you’ll need a heavier down pant.

Boots: I recommend triple boots such as the Millet Everest or La Sportiva Olympus Mons. Something like the Baruntse with an overboot can work too but it is not ideal. The Baruntse alone would not be warm enough. You can find overboots through “40 Below,” a company out of Graham, Washington. The drawback of overboots is that the fit isn’t as secure with crampons, you don’t have the same grip on the bottom of your boots when you have them on, and they can be difficult to put on. That said, some people use them for Vinson and it is your choice.

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We highly recommend bringing a 100L pack. Some people bring an 80L and then struggle to fit everything in during the descent from high camp, which is the only time we are not double carrying. I find it easier to bring a 100L and have extra room.

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