This was my 10th season working in Antarctica and my 8th working for ANI. I had a long and varied season starting with the first customer flight into Union Glacier on 11th November, and leaving Antarctica on the last customer flight on 27th January.
I spent a total of 3 weeks based at Union Glacier. At the beginning of the season I assisted Richard Parks film crew as they filmed Richard's preparations for his South Pole ski expedition. In the middle of the season I worked for a week helping the guest services team organise activities the ANI South Pole and Antarctic Odyssey customers. At the end of the season I worked with the staff team dismantling the Union Glacier camp and preparing equipment for winter storage.
For the bulk of the season I was based at Mt Vinson, running the small Base Camp and supporting the ANI guiding operation.
Weather conditions at Mt Vinson were generally good throughout the 10 weeks of the climbing season, although there were some periods of strong high altitude winds. Accurate weather forecasts enabled the climbers to reach the summit during periods of stable weather. There was more soft snow than usual in the Ellsworth Mountains, and this created good ski conditions, particularly at lower elevations close to VBC.
A total of 112 people climbed Mt Vinson (4892m) including 12 ANI staff, a number of who made multiple ascents. I made a single ascent of Mt Vinson this season reaching the top on 24th December along with 3 ANI clients, my 17th ascent of the mountain.
David Hamilton 12 February 2014