Trip Itinerary - January 6-17, 1997
Day 1: Arrive Punta Arenas airport. Met by Staff and taken to your hotel.
Day 2: Meeting with staff in Los Navigantes Hotel. Briefing about your journey to Antarctica and a slide show of what you can expect on your Antarctic voyage and an introduction to the staff.
Information pack about local places of interest and activities in Punta Arenas. Final check on all clothing and equipment for Antarctica to ensure nothing has been forgotten! If you get there early enough, we'll spend the 2 days before the trip visiting famous Paine National Park (extra cost) and skydiving around Punta Arenas (extra cost).
Day 3: Morning pick up from your hotel. Non-Antarctic luggage to be left at your hotel. Bus journey to airport 1 hour prior to take off. After completing customs and immigration you will be given time to take photographs in and around aircraft. After an aircraft briefing by the captain, you are ready to start your flight "South". Blue Skies!
South! The initial part of our flight passes over Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost state in Chile. At 55 degrees latitude we will pass over the Darwin range of mountains to the southwest of Punta Arenas. The ocean below has been notorious throughout modern history for its wild storms, violent winds and heavy seas. Waves higher than 100 feet have been observed in the Drake Passage.
At about 60 degrees south latitude, we reach the winter limits of frozen sea. This area of ocean is called the Antarctic Convergence and is rich in plankton and other tiny creatures that form the bottom of the food chain for Antarctic's rich bird and wildlife colonies. We are now entering the area governed by the Antarctic Treaty.
At 66 degrees we cross the Antarctic Circle. Along this circle the sun never sets at the austral summer solstice and never rises at the austral winter solstice. Further south, these Antarctic days and nights lengthen until at the South Pole the sun rises and sets only once per year.
Continuing our flight south we see tabular icebergs and the ice shelves from which they calve. Our first sight of the icy continent appears at Alexander Island, 71 degrees south latitude. This is a large island in the Bellingshausen Sea separated from the mainland by George IV South. It was discovered by Von Bellingshausen on January 28, 1821 and he named it after the Russian Tsar.
Hubert Wilkins, an Australian aviator, in a flight over it in 1929 suspected it was an island. This was not proven, however, until 1940 by the USAS.
The ice sheet continues to stretch inland until in the distance appears the spectacular Ellsworth Mountains, the highest range in Antarctica.
Passing over the Ellsworth Range, we approach our camping site. The temperature in January at that latitude should be warm - relatively speaking (about -5C mean temperature). The polar suit can be saved for "The Big One". We will make as many skydives on the continent as well as in Chile as time, weather and money permit, as there is an extra cost per jump. Remember though, all fuel must be flown in and is a precious commodity.
Landing should be no problem with the density altitude factor of approximately sea level due to the temperature. An introduction to our friendly staff is followed by a tour and orientation of the camp and surrounding area. You will be shown to your accommodations and settled down to a welcome dinner.
Extreme care will be exercised during the entire expedition to ensure that the last continent to be very little touched by humans, remains as we find it - pristine. We will leave it with only light footprints as record of our stay and take only pictures. Antarctica is one of the keys to a very fragile earth ecosystem. The scant emissions from our aircraft and our camping stoves are the only pollutants we will introduce into the environment. This will be everyone's responsibility to observe the terms of the Antarctic Treaty. Thus far, the continent has been the domain of honorable and intrepid men and women. We carry our responsibility to the earth's citizens and maintain this continent of beauty and wonder for the generations to come.
Day 4: A group brunch is set and attended by all the staff and expeditioners with a list of activities available today and the following days throughout your stay at our camp site. Jumps will be available to the surrounding area on a "I want to do it" basis. Remember, fuel is scarce in Antarctica; therefore, it may cost handsomely for the extra jumps. We plan to get at least 6 jumps in during our trip (remember these lifts are extra cost).
Day 5: An early breakfast and final briefing from the Pilot as well as your Expedition Leader (Bob Christ) on physiological factors including high altitude operations and canopy landing techniques at the South Pole elevation of 9,802 feet MSL. For those of you who have done the North Pole Expedition, the gear up will be much less strenuous and much warmer (not to mention almost everyone speaks English).
The flight from our camp site to the South Pole takes just over five hours.
Departing from this scenic mountain base we begin crossing the Polar Ice Cap, the highest plateau in Antarctica. This ice cap caused many problems for Scott and Amundsen on their Polar journey in the early 1900's.
Nearing the final part of the journey "South", we will see the South Pole Station in the distance. The National Science Foundation maintains a research base close to the South Pole officially named the Amundsen-Scott station in memory of those intrepid explorers.
The pilot having previously briefed the group on the Drop Zone will keep us appraised of the weather conditions as we prepare for jump run.
In our trip package, we have aerial photo wall maps which will be distributed well in advance so that all the details of the DZ are memorized prior to the trip.
The exit altitude is 18,000 feet MSL (approximately 8,200 AGL). Supplemental oxygen should not be necessary, but it will be available for those who need it. Gear up and zip up on the climb to altitude. The number of jump runs will be dependent upon the load. Jump run, of course, will be South until there is no more South.
Exit - Exit - Exit!
For those of you who have not done the North Pole Trip, all skin should have protection (exposed skin will freeze in a matter of seconds in freefall). Follow the guidelines from the North Pole section of the web site.
Relative Work is difficult in the Northern Outfitters gear, but it can be done (reference Matt Smith's Pictures on the North Pole trip). Anyone with freefall camera equipment should, by all means, bring it along. We shall endeavor to bring our own TV camera crew along for the Expedition.
Tandem passengers will be directed by their tandem master as to proper freefall procedures.
The drop zone should be large enough to land safely (approximately 12,000 square miles - anyone needing more than that might need a short lesson on canopy accuracy).
Once on the ground, we are not expecting any help or even recognition by the NSF; therefore, we'll have our own party and invite any of the station members who dare to venture out to share a glass of champagne with us.
In reaching this destination, you have become a part of a very select and to-date very limited group of people to journey this far south on our planet.
This is also the very first ever skydiving expedition. This is history!
At the end of a wonderful trip, we will climb aboard our aircraft and begin our journey back to our camping site.
Day 7 - 11: There is a list of activities available this and the following days throughout your stay at our camping site.
The schedule on this trip will be weather dependent. The itinerary will depend upon the actual day of the jump at the South Pole. Please go to Antarctica with a patient and open mind. At home, so mythology goes, Man rules the country. In Antarctica, the country rules man and nothing can be guaranteed. Expect delays of up to 7 days to allow for inclement weather. While not jumping into and onto the surrounding mountains, valleys and ice shelves, activities available are as follows:
Short walking trips
Easy climbing on local peaks
Overnight camping trips
Slide shows and lectures
Navigation lessons
Skiing journeys
Barbecues
Snow baths!
The Ms. Antarctica contest - continued from our North Pole Expeditions
Ice skating
Sunbathing!
Volleyball, baseball, ice hockey, indoor games
Ah yes, Skydiving
Day 12: The aircraft from Punta Arenas arrives at our camping site to pick up our group for the final leg of our Antarctic journey.
Once back in Punta Arenas, you will be met by our staff at the airport with any messages for you and details of your onward flight schedule. We will assist wherever possible with any questions or queries you may have.
Note: We will make all your air arrangements to/from Chile, as well as any optional other arrangements you may want to make for visiting spectacular Chile and/or Argentina. We should have arrangements for more skydiving in Patagonia upon our return.
Forum International
Dr. Nicholas D. Hetzer, Executive Director
Robert D. "Bob" Christ, D-14650, Technical Director
91 Gregory Lane, #21
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(510)671-2900 (Phone)
(510)671-2993 (FAX)
e-mail: forum@ix.netcom.com
(610)431-3237 (Bob Christ - Home)
(610)458-2715 (Bob Christ - Office)
Bob Christ e-mail: Bob.Christ@Bentley.COM
Please note: As an educational venture, we offer other Arctic and Antarctic Adventures "From Mild to Wild".