Geography

The continent of Antarctica measures 13 million km², making it almost as large as North America. It has one of the biggest mountain ranges in the world, stretching for 4,000km. Its tallest peak, Mount Vinson, is 4 897m. Above all, the Antarctic is the world's largest expanse of ice. In some places it is 4 800m thick!

There is little precipitation, because of the intense cold, so the Antarctic is actually an immense desert. It receives 2 to 5 cm of precipitation per year, less than the Sahara.

Climate

The Antarctic is the coldest region in the world, and holds the record for the lowest temperature: -89.2°C (-128.6°F), recorded on July 21, 1983. Even in summer, the temperature never rises above -10°C. It is a cold, windy desert. Gravity-driven katabatic winds are characteristic of polar regions. They hurtle across the glaciers and accelerate with the cold, sometimes making it impossible to advance a single metre.They can reach 300km/h.

These winds cause huge storms, driving two tonnes of snow an hour through a space of one square metre. The wind factor also makes the air even colder. A temperature of -30°C with a wind of 80 km/h is equivalent to -68°C.

Flora and Fauna

Only 2% of the continent, on the coasts, is not covered with ice. That part of Antarctica is inhabited by 30 million penguins! There are some rare mammals, mainly whales and seals. There are no polar bears in Antarctica. Some species of birds, including terns, great skuas, petrels and cormorants, are able to survive in this harsh climate. The Antarctic is the only place on Earth where there are no butterflies.

The vegetation is limited to mosses, lichens and only two flowering plants.

The South Pole is in Antarctica

How many South Poles are there?

The South Geographic Pole is the axis of rotation of the Earth, and the goal of the expedition. It is located at 90 degrees South latitude. Bernard Voyer and Thierry Pétry reached it on January 12, 1996. At that specific point there is no south anymore: no matter which way you turn, you're facing north!

The South Magnetic Pole is the pole that attracts the compass needle, and it is in constant motion. It is located off the coast of Terre-Adélie at the moment, 2 000km from the South Geographic Pole.

The Geomagnetic South Pole is where the south magnetic pole would be if the Earth were a magnetically homogenous sphere. It would be located at 78 degrees South latitude and 111 degrees East latitude.

The pole of inaccessibility is the farthest point from the coast of the continent: 1 700km from the shore, at 82 degrees South latitude, 54 degrees East.

The cold pole is the coldest spot on the globe, with a record of -89.2°C. The Russian scientific base, Vostok, is located there.

James Cook

History

James Cook was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle, at 66"33', in 1773 - 75, as he circumnavigated the Antarctic. He didn't actually see the continent, however.

Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville

In 1840, Dumont d'Urville of France was the first to set foot on the Antarctic continent. He named it Terre-Adélie, after his wife. Around the same time, Wilkes, of the United States, and Ross, of England, were also attempting to solve the mystery of this huge white windswept landmass.

Roald Amundsen

For the next 60 years or so, everyone seemed to lose interest in this part of the world. It was not until 1897 that De Gerlache, of Belgium, arrived in Antarctica, accompanied by a young Norwegian by the name of Roald Amundsen.

Robert Falcon Scott

Since December 14, 1911, the Norwegian flag has been floating on the bottom of the globe. On that day, a Norwegian expedition led by that same Amundsen finally reached the South Pole. It was the outcome of a fantastic race pitting Scott, of England, against Amundsen. The Norwegian, with the help of his sled dogs, beat Scott by one month. Scott reached the South Pole, but perished on the return journey.

The expedition

Timeline: Bernard Voyer's Antarctic Expeditions

Equipment

Often the climbers move forward tied together, with an extremely strong climbing rope. They remain a few metres apart, for greater safety in case one of them tumbles into a crevasse or falls over a sharp ridge. The rope is attached to the harness with a carabiner, a strong metal ring highly resistant to shocks. They also wear metal crampons, giving them excellent traction on glaciers and when climbing icy vertical walls. An axe is another vital tool, used as an anchor, a walking stick, for cutting steps in the ice and for catching oneself if one slips. All the climbing gear, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, food, stove, fuel, camera, video camera, walkie-talkie, satellite telephone, compass, GPS, anemometer, etc., along with the binoculars, maps, first-aid kit, notebook and what have you has to fit in the backpack. They have to be self-sufficient: the isolation and the route chosen make this the only option. The climbers have to deal with huge glaciers, steep slopes, the cold, altitude and solitude.

Tens of kilos of gear make for quite a technological challenge. Each piece of equipment, each bit of food, each article of clothing is carefully weighed and measured to see how much space it takes. Everything must be as light as possible, since the climbers have to ascend thousands of metres, in icy cold and stormy conditions.

The Daily Routine

Bernard and Nathalie climb for several hours every day. Each of them consumes a tremendous amount of energy. The food they pack along has to meet many requirements: it has to provide enough calories, with adequate proportions of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in view of the energy they are expending, combined with lightness and ease of preparation. Efficiency is definitely the key. On the other hand, appetites decrease considerably at high altitudes, and the food must be designed to reduce the lipid content.

Often it is too cold to stop and eat. Dry fruit and mixed nuts served as meals while climbing. They have to take short breaks, nonetheless, to drink, check their bearings and rest. In the morning and evening they make hot meals on small fuel-burning stoves. All the water needed for cooking comes from melted snow. Menus are varied, made from freeze-dried or dehydrated ingredients for lightnesss.

The tent takes only five minutes to put up. It becomes their shelter, living room, bedroom and the place where plans for the next adventure are hatched. It begins to feel normal to wash with snow! Walking and climbing are part of the daily routine, along with observing and listening, to better understand this strange environment. Every day, they record a journal entry on audio- and videotape and in photos, to bring back images of their surreal surroundings with them.