The ski touring crew comes ashore in Antarctica. Courtesy/Mountaineers
By BILL PRIEDHORSKY
Los Alamos Mountaineers
Rob Suminsby will speak about skiing in Antarctica at the Feb. 27 Mountaineers meeting. The meeting will be in person with a hybrid adjunct.
He writes: “How far would you go to find new lines and untracked snow? If you answered, ‘Eight or nine thousand miles seems reasonable’, then step right up: we have an adventure for you! All it takes is three or four commercial flights, a two-and-a-half-day voyage across the infamous Drake Passage, a short Zodiac ride, and a little bit of skinning, and you could be laying down some fresh tracks on the seventh continent. Yes, Virginia, there is ski touring in Antarctica! Join us to hear what it’s like to make turns amidst a backdrop of ocean, glaciers, peaks and penguins.”
Guest speaker Rob Suminsby is a remarkably average skier and wannabe ski photographer whose occasional delusions of mountaineering grandeur take him to far flung destinations. He has skied Europe’s famous Haute Route (twice), and skied from the summit of its highest peak, Mont Blanc. Closer to home, he seeks his powder turns in the New Mexico backcountry and the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. He got a jump on the 2023-2024 ski season by travelling in October to the Antarctic Peninsula, where none of the locals seemed especially excited about an El Nino versus a La Nina snow year. Least of all the penguins.
The meeting will also include a few memories of Mountaineer life member Jim Straight, who passed away last month.
The Mountaineers offer outdoor adventures that range from easy hikes to challenging expeditions like Tanja’s. We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting, on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be streamed at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration (free) is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – the Mountaineers would love to see you and meet you.
Registration details are at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=51253.
