Mount Vinson

The highest peak in Antarctica • 4,892 meters • Antarctica

Christmas and New Year in 2019-2020 were spent, first of all, skiing the ‘last degree’, from 89 degrees south to the South Pole. This was followed by a climbing expedition to the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest mountain on the continent of Antarctica. It is not a highly technical climb but it is challenging both for the extreme cold you can experience - even mountaineers from Norway or Canada report having never experienced such cold - and the remoteness of the location. 

In the team that I was a part of, we were exceptionally fit and well prepared, and we reached the summit, helped by calm weather conditions, more quickly than most expeditions. I had climbed four of the ‘Seven Summits’ - the highest peaks on each continent: more than half way. 

While I felt pride in my achievements, those midsummer weeks on the frozen continent left a profound imprint in ways that were nothing to do with landmarks, summits, fitness or personal goals. The serenity of the earth’s only uninhabited continent, which I experienced for many days without digital contact, combined with the crystal beauty of the sharp, clean air and dazzling landscapes, left a feeling of the deepest peace within me. I plan to return.