In addition to the United States Antarctic Program’s presence at the South Pole with the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, other “non-governmental organizations” are also permitted to have a small presence at the pole. For these NGOs, there’s a very specific marked area that they’re allowed to camp in, and their access to the south pole station is limited. This season, Adventure Network International setup their south pole basecamp in support of incoming ANI expeditions – both ski expeditions, as well as tourist flights.
The ANI folks are great, and run a very solid operation. Their camp, while portable and temporary, is top notch, with sleeping facilities, a galley, bathrooms, and power generation. During their time here, I had the opportunity to meet a few of the camp staff members while giving them tours of the South Pole Station, and also got my own tour of their camp. A few pics of the ANI NGO Camp at the South Pole:
Approaching the NGO Camp Area from the south pole station – it’s about 1/2 mile away from the station.
ANI’s campsite, fully setup. You can see the main meeting and mess tent, as well as their supply tents.
Between tents are the solar power arrays, snow melter, and other equipment.
Inside the main tent, complete with galley, eating area, and heater. Actually quite comfy!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8395503273/in/photostream
Find out more about ANI’s expeditions to the South Pole, as well as the rest of Antarctica on their website.
Comments
4 responses to “Adventure Network International Sets Up Camp At The South Pole”
Why are the camp sleep tents so far away from the the larger community? Noise?
Here in SE Wisconsin, we had terrible bitter cold winds last night (WNW, 50+ mph gusts) drove the wind chill temps to -16
[…] touch both with his United States-based media support team, as well as with camp managers with ALE/ANI at Union Glacier, Antarctica. He carried two Iridium Extreme satellite phones, as well as an […]
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[…] For more on ANI’s camp at the south pole, check out my blog post on that: Adventure Network International Sets Up Camp At The South Pole […]