Mount Vinson

The highest peak in Antarctica

Fahad Badar’s ascent of Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest mountain, following his South Pole ski journey, with reflections on teamwork and solitude.

Christmas and New Year in 2019-2020 were spent, first of all, skiing the ‘last degree’, from 89 degrees south to the South Pole. This was followed by a climbing expedition to the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest mountain on the continent of Antarctica. It is not a highly technical climb but it is challenging both for the extreme cold you can experience - even mountaineers from Norway or Canada report having never experienced such cold - and the remoteness of the location. 

In the team that I was a part of, we were exceptionally fit and well prepared, and we reached the summit, helped by calm weather conditions, more quickly than most expeditions. I had climbed four of the ‘Seven Summits’ - the highest peaks on each continent: more than half way. 

While I felt pride in my achievements, those midsummer weeks on the frozen continent left a profound imprint in ways that were nothing to do with landmarks, summits, fitness or personal goals. The serenity of the earth’s only uninhabited continent, which I experienced for many days without digital contact, combined with the crystal beauty of the sharp, clean air and dazzling landscapes, left a feeling of the deepest peace within me. I plan to return.