Union Glacier Blue-ice Runway

In the past most flights into Antarctica landed at Patriot Hills. This November a new runway was opened on the Union Glacier 70 km. NW of Patriot Hills. It is a blue ice runway and you land flying into the wind. According to Adventure Network International, Union Glacier blue ice runway "will improve flight reliability and open new frontiers for exploration". The Union Glacier is an active glacier so there are several crevassed areas around the camp. Both safe and unsafe areas are marked. The scenery is spectacular with mountain peaks rising in all directions providing lots of opportunities for hiking, climbing and skiing. The family flew into Union Glacier camp.

Flight to Antarctica

One of the most dangerous parts of this adventure is flying into and out of Antarctica. Flight time is approx. 4.5 hours from Punta Arenas Chile. Do you remember your geography? The plane flies over:

Tierra Del Fuego, Drake Passage, Antarctic Convergence, Antarctic Circle, Bellingshausen Sea,

Antarctic Peninsula, Ellsworth Mountains, Union Glacier Blue-ice Runway. Tierra Del Fuego (Land of Fire) is separated from the mainland of Chile and Argentina by the Straits of Magellan. It is an archipelago consisting of several islands including Cape Horn. Drake Passage is open water and known for its violent storms. The Antarctic Convergence is an area where cold Antarctic waters meet warmer sub-antarctic waters producing an environment rich in the marine life that forms the base of the food chain for Antarctica's wildlife. The Antarctic Circle, is an imaginary line 66 degrees south. Bellingshausen Sea lies along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula between Alexander and Turston Island. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northern most part of the mainland of Antarctica and where most of the research stations are located. The Ellsworth Mountains are the highest range of mountains on Antarctica. Near the southern tip of the mountains lies Union Glacier Camp.

A Cold Night of Bright Sunshine

Friday, December 17, 2010

A cold night sleeping on the Branscomb Glacier but woke up to bright sunshine. Getting 24 hours of daylight as the sun slowly revolves overhead around our camp. Hard to prepare to sleep in bright sunshine even at midnight.

Went on a short climb up our mountain route to acclimatize today and to get some exercise. Tomorrow we head for Low Camp. We are tied into a common rope in case one of us falls into a crevasse. Winds were light and in the sun the temperature was about zero. When the sun is hidden by clouds and the winds pick up, the temperature plummets. They expect the weather to deteriorate later on tomorrow. We are ready!

Dan

(Note from Susanne: You can follow the weather Team Mallory is currently experiencing in Antarctica at this link: http://thistle.org/wx7/)

Antarctic facts

• Antarctica is the world's fifth largest continent measuring 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles)
• The ice sheet that covers almost all of Antarctica is the largest body of fresh water on earth containing approx. 91% of the world's ice and 70% of the world's fresh water
• If the ice sheet were to melt it would raise the world's oceans approx. 70m (200 ft)
• Antarctic is the driest continent on earth with an annual percipitation of less then 3 cm (1 inch) in the interior
• Some scientists believe that no rain has fallen in Antarctica's dry valleys in Victoria land for 2 million years
• The coldest recorded temperature was on July 21, 1983 at Volstok scientific station Antarctica -89.2 C (-128.6 F)

Greetings from Antarctica!

Greetings from Antarctica – a spectacular vast expanse of ice with rugged rock mountains.

We received a phone call at 10:00 am this morning that we had 45 minutes to get ready. We left Punta Arenas airport on the Russian Ilyshin aircraft, arriving 4 hours later at the Union Glacier camp. The weather was so good that about two hours later we left on a Twin Otter for our one and a quarter hour flight to Vinson Base Camp where we have our first look at the peak of Mount Vinson.

Tomorrow we start to acclimatize – maybe climb a small mountain.

Wow – what a view!

Dan

Preparing For The Flight to Antarctica

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Yesterday we attended a pre-flight meeting organized by the outfitter Antarctic Logistics (ANI) in preparation for our expected flight later today. We are waiting for a phone call this morning to find out if the winds are low enough to fly.

Their previous camp on Antarctica was called Patriot Hills but possibly because a number of their tents were blown away they have moved the camp to Union Glacier where it is not expected to be as windy.


Our plane is a Russian made Ilyshin Il-76 aircraft that carries about 60 people. It lands on the cleared blue ice runway near the camp. On our flight will be Mount Vinson climbers but also a few that are planning to ski to the South Pole about 600 km from our camp.


Our flight will take about 4 hours to the camp then another hour and a quarter in a smaller ski plane to the base of Mount Vinson. From Punta Arenas, we will be travelling about 4,000 km into the interior of Antarctica, a continent twice the size of Australia.

We hope for good weather!

Dan Mallory

Laura's Gear is Found!

Yesterday, early morning, Laura’s gear bag was delivered to our hotel which was a big relief. It was located and shipped in a later flight. We have done some hiking and generally resting. We had a final gear check today and prepare for the gear to be loaded to the plane tomorrow for the flight to Antarctica the following day. We had 60 to 70 km winds the last couple of days which is good preparation for what we expect for when we arrive in Antarctica.

Dan Mallory (via email to Susanne Hemet)