Until now, trip offerings to Antarctica for the general public have trended a bit … bougie.
Remember White Desert? The glampsite legitimately brought Saarinen chairs to the seventh continent, charging travelers $72K to tour research labs and head home with an engraved Bremont timepiece.
For a trip that’s a bit more performance-oriented (and won’t have Edward Shackleton rolling in his grave), we suggest hitching south with Antarctic Logististics and Expeditions, on their Ski Last Degree adventure.
Antarctic Logististics and Expeditions has a pretty boring name, but their stable of adventure tours are strenuous and exciting. You can choose between hiking Mount Vinson (one of the Seven Summits), backcountry skiing, hiking to the heart of the continent, or even skydiving. These options are still crazy expensive, hovering in the $25-60K range, but they often involve walking in the footsteps of explorers and emperor penguins, will require significant training, and should give you some rock solid dinner party content for the rest of your life.
We’re especially taken with the Ski Last Degree expedition, a 12-day, 69-mile cross-country ski to the most southerly point on the entire planet. You’ll fly to Punta Arenas, Chile, to Antarctica, to Union Glacier, to 89°S. Then, you’re on your own for the “final degree.”
For more information on booking your trip, head here. It next leaves December 2019 (warm season!), which should give you plenty of time to get aerobically and mentally fit for probably the most difficult 12 days of your life.
All images via Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions
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