Patriot Hills - Antarctica
Loading up the C-130 cargo plane in Punta Arenas, Chile. The flight was six hours long and crossed over the most notorious section of ocean in the world - The Drake Passage off of Cape Horn.
The unique blue ice landing at Patriot Hills. Approximately 2 - 3% of Antarctica is exposed blue ice. When conditions are just right, ANI is able to land their wheeled cargo planes on these off-piste runways.
Katabatic winds in action! The south pole is at about 9,000' above sea level and the winds flow from it thousands of miles down to the coast. Along the way, they pick up speed and more cold air mass to form near hurricane force winds that blow for days on end.
Claire and Zeb overlooking a ski run near Patriot Hills. The blue ice in the background is the C-130 landing strip. Zeb and Claire later went on to climb and paraglide off the summit of the Vinson Massif, landing 15' away from the basecamp.
Conrad Anker cranking turns near Patriot Hills. Antarctica only gets 20 cm of precipitation per year, but the winds redistribute what little new snow there is on a daily basis. The snow was totally unique microscopic little balls that could fit through needle holes on your tent. Skiing it was a wild experience!
The temporary summer encampment known as Patriot Hills. The next closest "town" is the South Pole, which is hundreds of miles away. During the winter (Feb - October), everyone leaves and the supplies are secured in ice caves that have been cut with chainsaws
	Vinson
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