Who owns Antarctica?

Antarctica is defined as all the ice and land shelves south of 60 degrees S latitude. It is the only continent on earth with no native human population. No country owns Antarctica. Several nations have laid claim to parts of Antarctica as national territory but their claims have not been recognised by other nations. The Antarctic Treaty System or ATS came into force in 1961 and regulates international relations with respect to Antarctica. Twelve nations originally signed the treaty designating Antarctica as a scientific preserve with no military presence or activity other than for scientific research . To date, 47 nations have signed the treaty but only nations carrying out significant scientific research have voting rights. Canada signed the treaty in 1988 but has no decision making powers.

Team Mallory Arrives in Punta Arenas, Chile

Wow! We left Toronto airport Saturday, December 11 and had a short stop over in New York city, and Santiago, Chile. We finally arrived at Punta Arenas, Chile, Sunday at about 2:30 pm. A long flight! Punta Arena is one of the most southerly cities in the world and the jumping off point for us to Antarctica in a few days. The weather is mostly clear but quite windy. Calling for 68 kph winds tomorrow.

Laura's bag with all her climbing gear did not arrive and we are hoping that it will be sent on the next flight from Santiago Chile.

We will spend the next few days repacking, reviewing for essential gear only, coordinating plans with our outfitter and waiting for our planned departure in a few days.

Dan Mallory

The End of the World

Punta Arenas is a port and the southern most continental city in the world. It is the access gate to the Southern Region also known as "the end of the world".

Dan and I sailed through the Straits of Magellan from Ushuaia Argentina to Punta Arenas many years ago. On the last night of the voyage the ship's doctor gave everyone seasick pills after dinner and when we returned to our cabin on the third deck above sea level we notice that everything was safely stowed away. We knew we were in for an exciting night and we were not disappointed. We were awakened in the night by waves crashing over the third deck and water pouring in under our door. All our belongings were sliding across the floor and our bed had become a roller coaster. The captain tried three times to navigate a turn into the Pacific Ocean before being successful and when we finally arrived in Punta Arenas a lot of the roof tops were missing from the storm.

On this trip if a good weather window opens the family is given an hours notice before being picked up for the airport for their flight to Patriot Hills in Antarctica. After our sailing adventure in the area I understand why that weather window can't be missed.

Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow December 11, 2010 Dan, Adam and Laura will fly from Toronto to Punta Arenas in Chile. It is a 17 hour overnight flight with two stop overs - one in New York and one in Santiago Chile. The flight will be exhausting. They then have 4 days in Punta Arenas to recheck all their gear and check in with the outfitter. The outfitter has been very specific about what they have to bring on the climb. Luckily they had most of their gear already from the Everest climb. Every mountain has been a different challenge so we will have to see what challenge lies ahead for them on Mt Vinson. Thankfully everyone likes winter.

Laura's update

Hello, this is Laura.
I thought I would give an update on what I have been up to since the last climb.
Since Everest, I have had lots of things going on in my life, but mostly school.
This past spring, I graduated from the University of Western Ontario and now I am a Registered Nurse. I took a position in the "new grad initiative" that the government offers for new RN graduates at a hospital up north for six months. There I have had the opportunity to work with some great nurses and doctors and develop some new skills while working with other nurses. I was very lucky to be offered a full time position at this hospital starting in February. My plan to climb Mt. Vinson worked out perfectly since I just finished the "new grad" at the end of November and now have two months off to climb and do a bit of travelling. :)
So follow along with the Blog as we journey to another continent and reach for the stars.
Laura

It's happening - Mt. Vinson December 2010

Welcome. The family has finally decided to finish the 7 summit quest. Dan, Adam and Laura are madly packing and preparing. Susanne our wonderful web designer and myself will be posting blogs to keep you informed of their progress as they ascend the mountain. This is not the most difficult mountain to climb but getting there has some real challenges and it is just as expensive if not more expensive than Mt. Everest. It does not have the same aura as Everest but its isolation and exteme temperatures make it very challenging. Keep tuned.

Mt. Vinson 2010 or 11

We are starting all over again. We are beginning to prepare for our climb of the last of the seven summits - Mt. Vinson in Antarctica. We have done some puliminary research. Now we just have to make the commitment to do it either this year or next. We shall see.