For our final Antarctic ski day I’m back with Forrest and out early at 9AM. It’s a bright sunny morning, but the landing sites are limited. Ours is fairly far out in the bay because we’re going to work our way back to a closer pickup over 2-3 runs. There’s a bit of a swell hitting the beach and our first attempt doesn’t stick. Then the Zodiac is broadsided by a wave high enough to hit me on the shoulder as I’m in the back of the Zodiac. Fortunately the jacket is waterproof and my boots were buckled with shell pants over them as a precaution. Next try we stick the landing and scramble out. Norbert gearing up as the a Zodiac leaves the area.
Norbert is wearing down some after 6 days but still hanging in there. Tom and I are fairly similar both climbing and skiing. The 2 skiers Forrest added in my absence, Jerry and Jen, are a bit faster climbers. Thus I’m taking fewer pictures today as I don’t want to hold people up.
It’s hot on the first ascent in the sun and I’m soon down to minimal layers and spring gloves. But of course there’s wind for the last 100 vertical or so and I have to zip up and use warmer gloves again. This upper section was stripped hardpack and Forrest said we would have used ski crampons if it had been longer. After Mammoth/Shasta I would have cruised up this section with ski crampons but took it very deliberately without them. Below the short icy section the snow skied beautifully, a thin soft layer over a packed but not icy subsurface. Tom skiing and Forrest filming here.
Slightly lower down
In the distance there’s Half Moon Island with another cruise ship in its bay. Its passengers are visiting a penguin rookery there.
For our second run Forrest spots a steep face of 35-40 degrees. We need to put the skis on our packs and climb with crampons and ice axe. It’s much steeper than Shasta but surface snow is softer and Forrest kicks in a bootpack for us. Nonetheless I’m glad to have had the prior experience. Norbert has not done this before and has some difficulty. I’m behind him and thus not too tired when we get to the top.
Of course it’s windy up there and no longer sunny either. Andrew McLean’s group climbed the same peak from a different direction and Forrest sees them from below. By the time I get up there Andrew has skied down a tight couloir and the last of his group are dropping in.
Their turns are very loud. We have the same icy subsurface under the broader face we’ll be skiing but from the climb up I think we have more soft snow on top of it.
By the time I gear up Tom, Jerry and Jen are gone because Forrest had to help Norbert up. I traverse in and see a lot of scraped snow on the 40 degree pitch. It’s one of those situations where you think a lot about that first turn but after executing that one the rest come progressively easier. Tom said for what it’s worth that they all felt that way and that I looked more comfortable on that slope than he was.
Meanwhile Norbert is beat from the bootpack and doesn’t have so much experience skiing that kind of snow and terrain. So Forrest puts a rope on him for security and lets him sideslip down the steep upper part until he’s comfortable enough to ski.
Norbert looks very comfortable down here
Forrest skiing as another guide bootpacks up.
We ski down the broad intermediate slope below us.
Then we have a short skin over a gentle ridge so we can ski to our pickup. As on day 4 the low elevation snow is all good, similar to groomed skiing with a thin layer of new on top.
2,270 vertical for the day, 9,710 vertical in Antarctica.
Liz was out with Kim and a few other women. They skinned up from our pickup point area to a rock outcropping.
They did 2 runs, both with excellent snow conditions.
Liz had finished lunch well before our group returned to the ship ~2:30PM. I thought I would rest a bit, then take the expected Zodiac tour to the penguins on Half Moon Island when the other ship moved out. So I declined an immediate Zodiac tour in the bay which Liz took. Bad decision, as the other cruise ship never moved out so we were not allowed to go to the island.
Liz’ Zodiac tour found some intriguing icebergs.
And a seal leaving its floe for a swim
Liz was freezing when she got back to the ship. You need to dress much warmer for Zodiac tours than for skiing.
Norbert is wearing down some after 6 days but still hanging in there. Tom and I are fairly similar both climbing and skiing. The 2 skiers Forrest added in my absence, Jerry and Jen, are a bit faster climbers. Thus I’m taking fewer pictures today as I don’t want to hold people up.
It’s hot on the first ascent in the sun and I’m soon down to minimal layers and spring gloves. But of course there’s wind for the last 100 vertical or so and I have to zip up and use warmer gloves again. This upper section was stripped hardpack and Forrest said we would have used ski crampons if it had been longer. After Mammoth/Shasta I would have cruised up this section with ski crampons but took it very deliberately without them. Below the short icy section the snow skied beautifully, a thin soft layer over a packed but not icy subsurface. Tom skiing and Forrest filming here.
Slightly lower down
In the distance there’s Half Moon Island with another cruise ship in its bay. Its passengers are visiting a penguin rookery there.
For our second run Forrest spots a steep face of 35-40 degrees. We need to put the skis on our packs and climb with crampons and ice axe. It’s much steeper than Shasta but surface snow is softer and Forrest kicks in a bootpack for us. Nonetheless I’m glad to have had the prior experience. Norbert has not done this before and has some difficulty. I’m behind him and thus not too tired when we get to the top.
Of course it’s windy up there and no longer sunny either. Andrew McLean’s group climbed the same peak from a different direction and Forrest sees them from below. By the time I get up there Andrew has skied down a tight couloir and the last of his group are dropping in.
Their turns are very loud. We have the same icy subsurface under the broader face we’ll be skiing but from the climb up I think we have more soft snow on top of it.
By the time I gear up Tom, Jerry and Jen are gone because Forrest had to help Norbert up. I traverse in and see a lot of scraped snow on the 40 degree pitch. It’s one of those situations where you think a lot about that first turn but after executing that one the rest come progressively easier. Tom said for what it’s worth that they all felt that way and that I looked more comfortable on that slope than he was.
Meanwhile Norbert is beat from the bootpack and doesn’t have so much experience skiing that kind of snow and terrain. So Forrest puts a rope on him for security and lets him sideslip down the steep upper part until he’s comfortable enough to ski.
Norbert looks very comfortable down here
Forrest skiing as another guide bootpacks up.
We ski down the broad intermediate slope below us.
Then we have a short skin over a gentle ridge so we can ski to our pickup. As on day 4 the low elevation snow is all good, similar to groomed skiing with a thin layer of new on top.
2,270 vertical for the day, 9,710 vertical in Antarctica.
Liz was out with Kim and a few other women. They skinned up from our pickup point area to a rock outcropping.
They did 2 runs, both with excellent snow conditions.
Liz had finished lunch well before our group returned to the ship ~2:30PM. I thought I would rest a bit, then take the expected Zodiac tour to the penguins on Half Moon Island when the other ship moved out. So I declined an immediate Zodiac tour in the bay which Liz took. Bad decision, as the other cruise ship never moved out so we were not allowed to go to the island.
Liz’ Zodiac tour found some intriguing icebergs.
And a seal leaving its floe for a swim
Liz was freezing when she got back to the ship. You need to dress much warmer for Zodiac tours than for skiing.