Antarctica

[stantonbum1]

There have been a few TR's on Antartica so thought I would post up here for advice from the mags.

I'm looking to book my dad a tour to antarctica for his 70th birthday. There seem to be a shitload of cruise operators out there ranging from the full on luxury cruise to much smaller ships with much more of an adventure feel to them. My dad is very fit, active, and enjoys the outdoors so a smaller ship is most likely going to be a better option. Has anyone had good experiences with any particular operators, and have any recommendations on any particular itineraries?

[BigDaddy]

My old man's been twice... sailed from Chili and Argentina. I'll find out who he used.

[Game Over]

My aunt and uncle went with national geographic and loved it

[iceman]

He should do what I do in exotic locales - stay at the Four Seasons.

[sharcsplean]

make sure the operator has permission to land ashore. some boats only cruise and cannot take people on land. I went with Ice Axe and it was amazing. we wont talk about the first boat...

[BigDaddy]

He should do what I do in exotic locales - stay at the Four Seasons.

Pretty sure it's just called The One Season there.


So I called my father, who has Alzheimer's, and he started talking about rounding the Cape of Good Hope... my mother was the travel agent, so I'll ask her!

[MakersTeleMark]

Check out Quark:

http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/antarctic-expeditions

[stantonbum1]

Thanks for the help / info so far

[The Duke of Hurl]

My mom did the trip for her 70th, had a great time despite everyone on her boat including the captain and crew getting seasick on the Drake Passage. Left out of Ushuaia. She and my oldest sister took every voodoo seasick remedy known to man and avoided getting sick (recommend). They made two landfalls, saw a lot of penguins, etc. I can't remember who the operator was but I will get the name from her. Coincidentally, they were down there when that one boat sank, made for some interesting minutes watching the TV footage until they got a message out that it wasn't their boat.

[BigDaddy]

My mother said the best was the National Geographic and to stay away from Carnival...

[spindrift]

[rambling novel]

For my .02 - Quark or Lindblad. Based on experience w/ Lindblad and talking to lots of folks, these are the ones to look at.

I've been there on NG Explorer with Lindblad. Explorer is a fantastic purpose built (rebuilt really) flagship boat for this type of trip.

I have heard good things about Quark. They seem to cater to a somewhat younger and more active crowd (although Lindblad can offer up some solid hikes). Apparently Quark leases their boats (someone should correct me if I am wrong)- so it is worth checking what is in play in a given year. In general, the Quark trips are supposedly just a notch more downscale room and food wise than Lindblad. Reports are the staff is good. (and you don't go to Anarctica for marble tile showers...).

The kinds of Antarctic trips appropriate for folks who want to "get out there" at all are seriously expensive. But that's the price of really seeing and touching the place. In that context, if time and money allow, without question do the Falklands, South Georgia, Antarctic Peninsula triangle in Nov. (IIRC both Quark and Lindblad do that same trip).The good news is that at least with Lindblad, this is "the trip", so lots of the best naturalists and photo staff hop on that one. While Antarctica may be the ultimate destination, South Georgia is every bit as impressive IMO. And the Falklands are crazy cool as well.

In the context of Lindblad, the photo and naturalist staff is an interesting mix. Some are beyond awesome - I mean truly extraordinary. OTOH, I have no idea why some others who IMO are serious duds are kept on (an opinion formed over more than one trip and that many "regulars" agree with). Don't get your hopes up about the Nat Geo luminary folks. Mostly a waste of time, food and space IMO. Not in all cases, but enough that I find the hype vs reality to be annoying.

That said, in terms of staff --- Ralph Lee Hopkins, Mike Nolan, and the Swensons are $$ as photo instructors/guides. I just looked and the official roster shows Richard White - who was gone for at least a while - on the naturalist list. The guy is a wildlife god. If you are really interested in the critters you are seeing - he ups your odds of seeing what you want and knows a scary amount about them. (I think he scans from the bridge 7x24...). If he's back - that is awesome - enough so that his presence could tip the scales on who I went with. Kim Heacox (and like Melanie a ton too), Guth, and Greenfelder are also worth staying close to . All are worthy on the photo and naturalist end of things. IMO it is worth doing your homework on the staff who are likely to be on the trip you are signing up for - and considering that last minute changes seem common, it can't hurt to state your preferences given the cost of these things (not that you are likely to change anything - but it can't hurt...).

I don't know about the Quark trips, but for the big Lindblad ones, once you are on the boat, it is worth scoping out the staff whose interests and skills align with what you are looking for. And then to the extent it makes sense, glue yourself to them. For example, if you are a photo type, conspire with your favorite photo person (or any of them) and the Assistant Expedition Leader to be sure you are in with an appropriate photo type zodiac driver for all your zodiac tours. Nothing worse than a mind blowing day and place with a Zodiac driver who has no clue. And there is little better than being out there with someone like Ralph or Nolan who will always set you up for the perfect shot just because they are always thinking about it.

It is worth understanding, as noted by someone else, that landings are highly regulated by treaty. And there seems a bit of a pecking order in terms of who knows how to work things. Lindblad definitely has the scene down (Lisa K ran Palmer Station at one point...). Anyway - if you follow what happens, there's a ton of behind the scenes planning and horsetrading. And certain captains/ships are more likely to get you where you want to be. Again, reputation-wise, Quark seems to be there too (I noticed from the TRs that the ski trip that was out about when I did my trip actually landed at several of the same locations give or take a few days).

There are much smaller ships - but I've heard about a wide range of issues with them. Not the least of which are the hassles of crossing the Drake if it gets rough - which it likely will. My less than expert opinion is that NG Explorer is in the zone of big enough but not too big. Stabilizers are your friend... Not sure what Quark has for this year and next - but again, I have heard good things about them.

Take good camera gear and great binoculars. And a good dry bag. If you or your dad are into relatively serious photography, take two bodies each. Cold and wet take their toll. Weather sealed cameras fare better... I'll just say that a Nikon/Canon shop on the Explorer could easily charge 2-3X retail south of the convergence and they'd have grateful takers... Also take a waterproof pocket sized P&S. There are times and places it can be handy - and given the total cost of the trip, it adds roughly zero percent to buy one if you don't already have one.

A few practical tips. Muck boots are god's gift to polar tourists. Accept no substitutes. Bring them. If in doubt on any given day, wear them. If you see any of the senior photo or naturalist types grab their binocs/cameras and bust out of a room - drop whatever you are doing and follow them right away. With your gear - and you want that gear and outdoor clothing available within 5 seconds notice for just that reason. Always. You do not want to be the person who runs for their room to grab equipment and then gets out on the deck just in time to hear about the Blue and Fin whales that were within rock throwing distance... At least on Explorer, get up on the bridge before breakfast. There's often good wildlife watching and it is a good time to start to get to know some of the staff. Along those lines - if there are staff who are stoked about things you are interested in, make sure they know it. If they know what you are stoked about, they can help you dial things in. And will likely be more pro-active about ensuring you see what you want to see. Assuming they do the job you expect, tip the crew (staff does nog get tipped on Explorer) well at the end of the trip -- they are far from home for a long time and they make a whole lot of the trip happen. Also, remember Antarctica is the end of the world. If you don't bring it and it is not available on the ship (or Stanley) - you are going to do without or beg/borrow from a fellow passenger (reference prior extra camera body discussion, among other issues).

I meant to do a TR after my trip a year and a half ago and never got around to it. If I have time tonight, I'll post a few pics just for fun. Unbelievable mind-blowing places.

[/rambling novel]

[iceman]

[/rambling novel]

Well it was pretty long, but good info. I want to go on that trip.

Now post the pics!

[Charlie Don't Surf]

My mom and younger brother went 8 years ago on the MV Discovery. From the sound of things it was an incredible experience for everyone but the 7th grader.

Here are published pictures from their trip: http://data.sacbee.com/photography/v...ica?d_begin=0&

[The Duke of Hurl]

My mom and sister booked with Quark on the Ocean Nova which was a good size, in her opinion, overall.

[keipow]

Having read all of the info above, this is a skiing forum after all. Is there an operator that guides downhill skiing in Antarctica?

I'm thinking of taking dear old mom when she is 65 in a couple years, but she won't be skiing. I want to ski, though I admit to being mortal and don't really want to ski with Andrew McLean going full throttle.

[Mazderati]

There are groups that do it. Here is a little article from the Huff Post about such a trip.

[Hugh Conway]

Having read all of the info above, this is a skiing forum after all. Is there an operator that guides downhill skiing in Antarctica?

http://www.iceaxe.tv/

[spindrift]

Now post the pics!

Heh - you asked for it. I seem incapable of culling pics beyond a certain point. So I'm going to do a 3 part embedded TR from the Nov 2011 Lindblad Falklands -> South Georgia -> Antarctica trip. As I noted above, it is truly a trip of a lifetime. The wildlife on the first two legs was staggering. If there is any way to pull of the triangle - just do it.

Before starting the real deal TR, a couple more pragmatic thoughts that I think apply regardless of who you go with. First, buy yourself some time. Fly a day or two early to the staging city. In my case, we booked on the "recommended flight" from Miami. Well, that flight was delayed 17 hours - and besides missing coffee with Phil in BA, we almost missed the charter flight to Ushuaia. Even BA or Santiago as staging areas are a PITA to get to. Ushuaia is that much further. Just take the "recommended" flight number (or whatever is convenient) - but a day or two early. Book a night or two extra at the hotel that is the meeting point and save yourself some stress if your flight is delayed or your luggage goes AWOL. Lindblad has a surprising number of "regulars" burning down their kids' inheritance - and there was no shortage of delayed/missed flight horror stories gathered over a bunch of trips. Save yourself potential hassle and do what a decent number of the regulars seem to do on the more far flung trips...

Second, and this is heresy here - but what the heck. Don't sweat the skiing. I tried like crazy to get Lindblad to let me bring skis and skins. No luck. Basically, a combo of treaty/manifest passenger restrictions and logistical (and I'd guess liability) issues make this sort of a tough sell unless the trip is specifically set up for the activity. What I discovered though, was it was fine. There was so much mind-blowing stuff to see and do that in the end it did not matter to me. I'd take the "best" trip I could book in terms of places, wildlife, naturalist staff quality, hike access, etc.

[spindrift]

Part the first: The Falklands

Firing up the engines in Ushuaia


Leaving Ushuaia


The requisite safety briefing in the lounge/lecture area. While at sea, there are up to three talks a day in this room. Topics rang from wildlife to geology to history. Generally very worthwhile. The bar is to the left out of frame...


Magellanic Penguin in the Falklands


Magellanic Snipe - tough little bugger to find.


Wherever there are Brits, there is tea. These folks have an interesting business offering a rather nice tea (in their home) to cruise passengers. Quite nice.


A few shots from a mixed black browed albatross and rock hopper penguin colony.

[spindrift]

The Falklands, continued...





Malvinas my ass. Every house, farm, business around displays the Union Jack. Interestingly, the Falklands are a sovereign nation. And, on a per capita basis, filthy rich. In a Local Hero sort of way. Worth looking up. Their ties to the UK are strong.


The Stanley waterfront. We were assured we hit it on the only sunny day in a couple weeks. Last chance to shop for anything before the end of the world. They do have hard drives. They did not have Nikon or Canon bodies - much to the dismay of several people (and only on leg one of the trip).


Evidence of the war is everywhere. Lots of recently cleared areas were undergoing revegetation/restoration. And some areas have not yet been cleared. Gives a new perspective to "keep out"

[spindrift]

Part the second: South Georgia Island

A light mantles sooty albatross. This is serious seabird territory.



Our first landing on Sough Georgia was wet, cold and windy. But still amazing. You don't want to bother the king penguins - but it is fine if they are curious about you.








If I wait patiently by the river, my penguin photo op will come waddling by....


The fur seals can be seriously aggressive. Supposedly not too much further into the season, the beaches become pretty much impenetrable due to males guarding their territories.




Penguin feet =nuts.




A young wandering albatross testing the wind. Once it takes off, it'll be a long time before it sees land again.

[spindrift]

South Georgia continued...

Some king penguin family bonding.


A couple of gentoos on the nest.




Pretty much everyone who could walk summoned the energy for the hike from Fortuna Bay to Stromness. It is the last 4 miles or so of Shackleton's journey. He did it a worse time of year. I suspect it is the most walked bit of land on the Island.


The saddle.


The remains of Stromness from just about where Shackleton would have first seen it.


An exact replica of the Caird is located in a small museum in Grytviken. Hold this image in your head for a bit.


This stone, in the Grytviken cemetary, casts a shadow all the way across the Drake. For good reason. What Shackleton did was impossible. No other word for it.

[spindrift]

South Georgia continued some more...

Macaroni penguin. Like some others, crazy climbers.


Kings at the beach are cool to watch. Worth sitting in the sand for a while.




Requisite shot of male elephant seals going at it. As a rule, it seemed the real heavy hitters just had to lift their heads and all the second tier "contenders" pretty much skittered away.


What's wrong with this picture? With any luck, there will never be another one like it after this coming Antarctic summer.


Leaving S. Georgia, we came across a mixed pod of fin and blue whales. The Leviathan:

[spindrift]

Part the third: Antarctica

Heading south, snow petrels and an assortment of other petrals and albatross kept us company. Many dropped of as we got truly south.


We had a supposedly record calm crossing of the Drake. We still had a day or two of this. Now, recall that shot of the exact scale replica of the Caird. Picture that boat covering 800 nautical miles (900+ statute miles) of this patch of ocean in April. Another bit of my .02. If you go and hit weather like this - make a point of getting to a good observation window. I did so by chance and saw one of the amazing wildlife sights of my life. My intuition was that everything would hunker down in stormy seas like this. Wrong. The big petrels and albatross were almost transformed - true creatures of the storm. No more placid gliding for them. They'd go rocketing along near the troughs of the swells and then just rip up the face and throw crazy acrobatics as they cleared the crests - loops, rolls, etc. So fast it was a blur - and some of these birds have a wing span about as bit as you and a buddy arms outstretched together end to end. I guess it was their idea of a powder day. No pics...but it did happen.


Our first landing on the Antarctic peninsula. The gentoos seems decidedly grumpy about keeping their eggs warm.


Near the edge of the Adele colony.


There were many penguins coming and going...




Ice in many shapes and colors. As it was.


Where people go, religion seems to go. The world's southernmost Russian Orthodox church at Bellingshausen Station on King George Island. We were there to meet a medevac flight at the Chilean Base Frei right next door. It drove home just how remote the Antarctic is - no dialing 911 for an immediate response. IIRC it took a couple days for it all to come together. The place is just remote - even if you are not doing full on expedition style.


Hard to beat a chin strap penguin for cute.

[spindrift]

Antarctica continued...

Chinstrap colony = nonstop bickering over precious pebbles.


Lots of ice and snow...


More ice


They let you do a tiny bit of messing about in kayaks. Half an hour later, this area was choking up with ice.


This is why you don't want to be on too small a boat.


More penguin amusement.


Penguin "flying"


The leopard seal is very close to the top of the food chain.


If you are not *the* top of the food chain, someone out there thinks of you as being on the menu. Wikipedia says Orcas "are the only known, albeit infrequent, natural predators of leopard seals". The "Killer B" Orcas are creepy smart/communicative predators. This leopard seal lived to swim another day -- but the way things unfolded was truly crazy. Among other things, the Orcas did "the wave", but barley missed washing the leopard seal off the ice. Best I could tell, it was something of a training gig for Orca junior. If anyone doubts animals can feel terror, all you had to do was see that guy's face and all doubt would be removed.


Visiting Palmer Station. Nerd heaven - all kinds of cool toys and projects. You better like your co-workers though.