This 13 day tour to go backcountry skiing in Antarctica as part of an Antarctic Peninsula Adventure Cruise will provide the epitome of bragging rights! Your friends might have been heli skiing in Canada and/or skied 6 continents but what about the white continent? Snowboarding or skiing in Antarctica is probably the coolest trip you’ll ever go on and you can do it from the comforts of a cruise ship.
See our
skiing in Antarctica page for an overview of why you’d want to take this absolute trip of a lifetime, or see the
Powderhounds Ski Antarctica review to see how much we raved about the trip we went on! Powder skiing probably shouldn’t be your number one priority, but visiting this pristine wilderness, exploring the many coves of the Antarctic Peninsula, viewing the wildlife, and gaping at the amazing views, make this an absolutely epic adventure.
Activities during the day may be rather adventurous but thankfully you won’t have to rough it in tents, as you’ll be able to retreat back to the luxury of the ship at the end of the day (and for lunch if you wish) where you’ll be served up gourmet cuisine.
If you have any questions you can
make a booking inquiry here.
Antarctica Skiing and Snowboarding
The ship will travel to different coves and islands each day. You’ll head ashore via a zodiac and getting up onto the slopes may be part of the adventure.
With your guide, you’ll explore many amazing mountains and glaciers of this intriguing continent. The pitch of the slopes varies significantly as does the degree of glaciation and the vertical covered with each ascent. On most skinning climbs, you’ll be roped up with your group.
Guests will be grouped according to their skiing/split boarding goals, including the degree of difficulty on the descent and how technical the ascent may be, the skinning speed, and the amount of skiing. Some days you may go ski touring in the morning, return to the ship for lunch, and then go back out in the afternoon or go on a zodiac cruise, whilst other days you may choose to spend the whole day out skiing.
See the
Ski Antarctica page for more on the skiing and snowboarding.
Guiding
Each group has a maximum of 4 guests to one guide, and the guides are incredibly experienced and qualified. The guides are the crème de la crème of ski and snowboarding guides from around the world. The guides are coordinated by Ice Axe Expeditions, who have extensive experience in leading expeditions to remote and frozen parts of the world.
Travelling to the Antarctic Peninsula
The trip starts in
Ushuaia (nicknamed the “end of the world”) in the Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina. You can fly to Ushuaia via Buenos Aires – you can check
flight options here. (NB the Buenos Aires international airport is Ministro Pistarini International Airport, EZE, and the domestic airport is Jorge Newbery, AEP. A taxi ride between the two airports may be required).
From Ushuaia the ship heads along the Beagle Channel, past Cape Horn and across the often treacherous Drake Passage (yes you might like to take along some sea sickness tablets!) to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Other Activities
The skiing and snowboarding is a fabulous adventure but it isn’t necessarily the only main event! Exploring the raw magnificence of the Antarctic Peninsula via the ship and zodiacs is a large part of the trip, and presentations will cover the history, biology, geology and politics of Antarctica. The expedition crew also provide information on the wildlife including penguin colonies, bird life, seals, and killer whales. It will be a feast for your eyes but you’ll also hear glaciers calving. And if you really want a sensory overload, you can also do the polar plunge!
And if you have a travelling companion/s that doesn’t want to go backcountry skiing/split boarding, other activity options are sea kayaking and snowshoe trekking.
You’ll also have the option to attend presentations from some of the mountain guides regarding other great backcountry skiing destinations around the world.
Required Ability/Experience
Even though there may be celebrities and pro skiers and riders on the trip, you don’t have to be a pro yourself. However as an absolute minimum you need to be an advanced skier or snowboarder (black ungroomed runs) and have plenty of experience riding off-piste on a range of snow conditions (including challenging snow quality).
Previous ski touring/split boarding experience is required and crevasse rescue skills advantageous but not essential. A 2 day mountaineering introductory course is held in Ushuaia prior to the trip that covers the basics or if you want a refresher. Skills covered include ropework, travelling as a team, gear adjustments/tweaks and tips of the trade, kick turns, ski crampons, self arrest, knots, crevasse rescue, and more.
Needless to say you’ll need to be very fit. There are no chair lifts or helicopters and you’ll need to earn your own turns.
A gear list will be provided which includes ski/snowboard touring gear, crampons (ski/split board and boot) and ice axe. Gear rentals are not provided.
You'll find more
Antartica Ski Trip videos here.