Antarctica Live
This January 2020, four ski mountaineering and climbing legends completed a challenging expedition in Antartica. I listened in on the live Q&A hosted by The North Face and YouTube on April 18 2020.
Screenshot of The North Face Q&A with Hilaree Nelson, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker (left to right)
The team’s goal was to summit and ski descent Mount Vinson and Mount Tyree – a first ski descent for both mountains. Weather and changing climate conditions posed significant challenges along the way. Ultimately the team had to make the decision not to ski, thereby climbing down safer routes and returning to base camp on time, safe and healthy.
I could see their joy and enthusiasm as they shared the memories of the trip. Here are my key highlights from the interview:
Why Antarctica? Its scale, unique landscape and anticipated challenges were the biggest draw for this crew. As Anker mentioned, Antarctica is a desert. It’s the fifth largest continent, the driest, the most glaciated and has the highest average elevation. Yet despite the extremes, Nelson spoke of the beauty and awe of the landscape. Everyone agreed that it’s difficult to look out onto the horizon and give a description of the sheer massive scale of the peaks. Even during certain points of their climb, the team described looking up and seeing still thousands of feet left for the ascent.
“The dream team in a dream place”
What were the conditions? During Anker’s first ascent of Mount Vinson in 1997, he described neve snow which is firm, and gripy and can support one’s weight. However this year, the team faced knee-deep snow. These wetter conditions were definitely an anomaly. Hiking uphill at a fast pace, in knee deep snow, unacclimatized to the elevation and at sub zero temperatures increased the team’s exhaustion. Once at the summit of Mount Vinson, Anker mentions “being a fly on an anvil” and getting hammered by the winds. As highly trained professionals, they use their training to observe, listen and react to the real-time conditions rather than being overconfident on what they can achieve. A critical skill is the ability to discuss all options honestly. They mentioned that it’s not just their lives to consider, but also their families, friends, and potentially putting the rescue teams at risk for a dangerous operation.
How did you face your fears? Know the difference between fear and panic. Fear leads to intense focus, and can help you make calculated choices. Panic, put simply, can get you killed. Nelson mentioned taking pauses to control her breathing anytime she felt fear or unease. Knowing that it’s ok to take that time, and that your teammates will be supportive is one of the qualities I think makes this team really special. During the interview I could see the trust and respect they had for one another. Anker mentioned that fear can be a friend – it’s your self preservation instinct. Knowing how to listen to your rational and primal brains can help you identify which fear you’re feeling and how to react.
“We probably had a cardboard box full of butter!”
What was the most important part of the expedition? Everyone agreed that being out in remote wilderness with friends was the best part of this great adventure. Taking care of one another, laughing and having fun in the tent was just as fulfilling as experiencing the Antarctic landscape. The team really pushed themselves each day to move, hike and climb quickly to make the most of their time and of favorable conditions. Back at basecamp, cooking and eating enough calories helped fuel up for another day. This meant lots of butter and other yummy goodness I found the comparison between the Himalayas and Antartica interesting – I did not know that high altitude can crush your appetite. The basecamps at both Antarctic peaks were low enough that the team could eat reasonably full meals.
“But remember, happiness, excitement, all those things are as contagious as anything else. So when you see people, be positive, be happy, yeaaaa!!!!”
What can we do now at home? I could see the glint their eyes looking forward to planning their return trip to Antarctica, and I don’t doubt we’ll be hearing from the Dream Team soon. But in closing, Anker drew an excellent analogy to how we can apply the lessons of climbing to today’s times. Climbers face a common adversary be it gravity or the weather. The team must come together, share the workload and support each other’s survival in order to complete the trip alive. Similarly all of use around the world have the opportunity to come together to face a new adversary. We may not all be expedition crew but we can definitely apply teamwork and cooperation to fight the spread of coronavirus on a local level. I really appreciated how these athletes are excited to be in remote destinations but also are conscientious about their local impact. Hearing how they faced their fears, improvised their journey and found ways to laugh and smile through all the challenges gives me hope that we can get through this. Climbers know that “all storms pass”. I believe we will make it through.