Transantarctic: Mount Sidley

0 ft

Elevation

Antarctica

Country

Days

2C

Difficulty

Early Dec

Start

Early Jan

End

About the Mountain

WHY CLIMB IT?

Did you know that you can climb a volcano in Antarctica? Not only that, but you can climb the highest mountain on the ‘Last Continent’ – Mount Sidley (14,058 ft), one of the world’s Volcanic Seven Summits. Located just under 1,000 miles from McMurdo Station and 560 miles from the highest peak in Antarctica (Mount Vinson, 16,077 ft), Mount Sidley is best known for the 3-mile wide caldera at its summit, created by an eruption over 4.7 million years ago. If you make it there, you’ll be among the few on Earth who have witnessed its majesty. So few mountaineers have attempted it that many lines remain to be climbed.

“I think part of the appeal of Antarctica is experiencing some sort of power, the forces of the natural world.”

- Jon Krakauer

Getting to this remote peak takes a 5-hour flight from Punta Arenas to Union Glacier Camp – where you’ll land on an ice runway – plus a further flight to Mount Sidley Base Camp via a ski-equipped plane. Once there, you’ll face extreme temperatures, averaging 10˚F to 25˚F at Base Camp mid-season and dropping as low as -22˚F late season. High winds and severe storms are a factor as well. If you can endure the weather, though, you’ll experience a pristine climb complete with blue ice slopes and surreal snow accumulations, sculpted by the elements into veritable works of art. It’ll undoubtedly be the adventure of a lifetime!