The Alpine Club Antarctic Expedition 2010

The Alpine Club Antarctic Expedition has recently returned from Antarctica, where the team made first ascents of 6 Antarctic Peaks. After crossing the Drake Passage aboard the yacht ‘Spirit of Sydney’ they sheltered from bad weather at Port Lockroy, where a warm-up ascent was made of Jabet Peak. The expedition then headed to the Lemaire Channel, where the climbers were dropped off in Deloncle Bay, and, using skis, hauled sleds for 2 days up the Hotine Glacier to place a camp at 850m.

Spirit of Sydney dropping the team off in Deloncle Bay

From here, in partial cloud, the first ascent was made of Mt Nygren (1454m) via its beautiful east ridge. This prominent mountain stands alone between the Hotine and Leay Glaciers, and gave a very enjoyable day’s climbing.

Richmond and Mike high on the north face of False Mt Shackleton

The following day, with cloudbase just below the summits, the team skied across the Leay Glacier to the base of the north side of an unnamed peak that is erronously labelled Mt Shackleton on the British Antarctic Survey maps. The broken north face was climbed to gain the east ridge, which was followed to the top.

Richmond and Mike high on the north face of False Mt Shackleton

 
Using a perfect weather window, the team then made the first ascent of Mt Matin via the SW ridge. This mountain, which was named by Charcot after the Swiss newspaper, and which is given the height of 1360m on the map, was found to be over 1000m higher at 2415m, making it one of the highest, and possibly even the highest, summit on the northern Antarctic Peninsula mainland.

 

Mt Matin from the West. The line of ascent climbed the central ridge from right to left

 

Nearing the summit of Mt Matin after climbing the steeper lower SW ridge

Camp was then moved to the base of Mt Cloos, which forms the steep east side of the infamous Lemaire Channel, and ascents were made of the south and north (main) summits, the latter given steep and somewhat threatened climbing up the edge of an active serac band. After a successful pick-up by Spirit of Sydney and a day’s resting and sea kayaking in Pleneau Bay, the yacht was trapped in heavy ice, from which it had had an exciting time escaping.

On the South summit of Mt Cloos, high above the Lemaire Channel, with the steep mountains of Booth Island behind

 

Mt Cloos, as seen from the Lemaire Channel

On the south side of the Ferguson Channel at the entrance to Paradise Harbour the third ascent was made of Mt Banck, before sitting out bad weather and then re-locating to Andvord Bay. Five climbers were dropped off, in very challenging conditions, on the south shore at Steinheil Point, and after working their way through an icefall, camped below Dallmeyer Peak. From here, as the strong winds eased, they climbed 1500m to make the first ascent of Mt Inverleith (2038m) via the broken north face, from where the views of the Antarctic Peninsula were breathtaking.

  Nearing the lower summit of Mt Inverleith, with Paradise Harbour and Mt Francais in the background

 

Mt Inverleith from the north. The line of ascent climbed the face and ridge on the right

With a storm rapidly approaching the team struck camp the following morning and, after being picked up by Spirit of Sydney, headed to the sheltered anchorage at Port Lockroy. Once the storm had passed, they set sail into the Drake Passage, and rounded Cape Horn three days later before mooring for a day at Puerto Williams (Chile), and then on to Ushuaia (Argentina).
 
Phil Wickens