Men's Journal

Several outfitters are making the seventh continent more accessible — and exciting — than ever.

by Hunter R. Slaton

Four years ago I hopped a cargo plane bound for Antarctica to discover for myself why Apsley Cherry-Garrard, a surviving member of Captain Robert F. Scott’s ill-fated attempt on the South Pole, had described polar exploration as “at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised.” It was August, and it was minus-40 degrees. Ice crystallized in my beard within seconds. I remember huddling in the lee of a volcanic boulder, looking across a frozen sea that met the sun — which, down there, seemed simultaneously more alien and more animate. We called it the Great White Eye. That’s when I came to love the place, and it’s why I urge anyone curious to go.

And this season, outfitters have devised lots of trips that combine adventure with luxury, making the continent more enjoyable than ever. “Initially the ships that went to Antarctica were research vessels converted for tourist use,” says Steve Wellmeier, executive director of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. “Now the emphasis is comfort.” For example, you can book a spot on Abercrombie & Kent’s Minerva ship, which has been outfitted for luxury and power, or on the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, which has a heated indoor pool. “These aren’t really innovations,” Wellmeier admits, “but for Antarctica they are.”

Other, more adventurous trips delve deep into the seventh continent, allowing you to climb, camp, kiteski, and even complete a marathon. The most ambitious such trip also comes from A&K. Called “South Pole: Conquering the Final Degree” ($42,595; akextreme adventures.com), the expedition is led by Geoff Somers, the only man to cross Antarctica by its longest, 4,000-mile axis. The trip begins with a flight from Punta Arenas to the Thiel Mountains. From there you’ll strap on skis and tents and ski the final, 69-mile push to latitude 90°0′S, longitude 0°0′E.

If you can’t afford the hefty price tag attached to some of these trips, take a cue from me: I was on the Ice for the less than glamorous task of washing dishes at the U.S.-operated McMurdo research station, and although my wages weren’t much, I got paid to spend six full months on the bottom of the world.

Four Other Outstanding Antarctic Expeditions

Follow in the Steps of Explorers
Adventure Associates’ 26-day Great Antarctic Explorers trip sets out from Lyttelton, New Zealand, aboard the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov. The trip hits high points in huts on capes Evans and Royds — HQs for Scott’s and Shackleton’s expeditions. These dim structures, preserved for a century, are filled with vintage gear — crates, bunks, tins of food — and look as if frostbitten explorers could stumble in at any moment (from $18,500; adventureassociates.com).

Bag Antarctica’s Highest Peak
For mountaineers looking to complete all seven summits, Adventure Network International runs a two-week expedition to ascend Vinson Massif, part of the Sentinel Range and, at 16,050 feet, Antarctica’s highest mountain. You’ll sleep in dome tents, eat frozen fish and meat, and travel a new route that was fixed last year, allowing for views over the west Antarctica ice sheet ($31,450; adventure-network.com).

Paddle the Icy Seas
For 17 years, Quark Expeditions has run trips to the Antarctic, logging a number of firsts along the way, including the first commercial circumnavigation of the continent in 1997. Quark Expeditions’ 12-day cruise from Argentina boasts Zodiac landings for camping, cross-country skiing, or mountaineering add-ons. Don’t miss the sea kayaking, which puts you at eye level with wildlife, from penguins torpedoing through the water to fat seals flopped on floes (from $5,480; quarkexpeditions.com).

Camp on the Ice
White Desert takes travelers on a 10-day excursion to the company’s safari-style Whichaway camp, perched above a 200-foot icefall on the Queen Maud Land plateau, studded by house-size ice waves. Guests can kiteski or hike, then warm up in a new wooden sauna. Meals are upscale: Think slow-roasted lamb and champagne. From camp it’s a short plane ride to Wolf’s Fang mountain, where you’ll learn polar navigation ($42,000; white-desert.com).

This article originally appeared in the November 2008 issue of Men’s Journal.