The Antarctic Tourists

Whenever I meet someone new, my main focus is usually avoiding the question, "So, what do you do?". This is a difficult question to duck. When an individual discovers my means of employment, often times they aren't so much interested in learning about my experiences in Antarctica as they are in discerning what kind of lunatic would want to go to Antarctica. This is a question to which the answer is obvious but difficult to express in words; thus it is a question that I try, in vain, to avoid.
Being baffled about the motivations behind a trip to the Antarctic, however, is something that I came to understand a little better this season.
Each year, the South Pole Station receives a large number of tourists. Some fly in, some drive, and some ski. The first two categories of tourists are people who simply want a picture at the South Pole (That hero shot will cost them tens of thousands of dollars). On the other hand, the breed of tourist that ski's in . . . well, that baffles me for different reasons. To spend 40 or 50 days, trudging through the monotony of the flat white, with no scenery, no sunset, no support, no landmarks, in the most extreme of conditions, risking life and limb, literally, to reach a particular latitude, whose only significance is that mapmakers termed it "The South Pole". This is a strange reason to risk your life, to invest years in fund-raising and training, to drag your loved ones through hell, to push your body to it's limits. The South Pole is a meaningless point on the map, that looks exactly like every other point on the Polar plateau. It baffles me, but I also understand that some people are simply driven to do certain things, to meet certain challenges, to push oneself for the purpose of pushing oneself - its a drive that cannot and should not be ignored.

This season, a man named Todd Carmichael (pictured above) set the land record for unassisted and unaided travel to the South Pole from the coast (over 700 miles in just over 39 days). His story is an incredible one, and I do not have time to do it justice here, but I would recommend reading up on his adventures (this is his website: http://www.subzerosolo.com/). After Todd arrived at the South Pole, dizzied and frost bit, he was welcomed into the station and received medical care. After a brief recovery time, he gave a short presentation about his expedition. Of the many incredible things he spoke of, one thing stuck out in mind. He said, "This is a cool community - I know it because, I've been here for a few days, and nobody has asked my 'why' yet".

Below are a number of photos of the tourist camp. Tourists live in a groomed 'tourist area' in their tents. The United States Antarctic Program, or USAP, provides a poop tent, a tour of station, and medical services in case of emergency, and nothing more. Tourists are expected to be completely self-supporting until their ride comes (usually a twin otter). Some kind souls sneak the most hardcore of tourists cookies and beer, at risk of their job . . .

The gear is pretty standard - skis and a sled and a shit ton of willpower