Just as I was wondering what I would do for the winter, I was offered the opportunity to head back to Antarctica. This time however, I would be working as a guide. After spending two weeks in Chilli doing final expedition prep work, I met my four clients with whom I would be spending the next months.
In November we departed from the coast, headed for the South Pole. We traveled on back country ski
's, pulling sleds with our gear. After 54 days of uphill and headwinds, we finally arrived at the pole just after the New Year. Once reaching the pole, as almost all expedition do, three of my clients jumped on a plane and headed back home.For my fourth client, Tom Davenport this was where the fun began! We were to kite back to our base camp, located near the coast. With us we each brought a range of Ozone kites, from a 5meter kite for storms to a 12meter kite for light winds.
The first challenge was to get off the plateau, which is known for light winds and deep snow. With our 12meter Manta kites on 50meter lines, we slowly made our way heading North. With much relief we left the plateau behind and started descending, encountering better winds and hard packed snow. The biggest challenge was the sastrugie, big wave like snow drifts that covered the surface, some shoulder height. Just as our knees had enough of the washboard surface, we hit steady winds and flat conditions. So we made a last push, doing just over 100nm. We pulled into base camp, having covered the 1100km in only 12 days.
Sarah
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