Last year a group of hard core skiers left the fall colors of Verbier, Switzerland and headed to Ushuiaia, Argentina in hopes to continue on to Antarctica, the most isolated and extreme continent on earth. Everyone was disappointed when an “unidentified marine disease” infested the boat’s motor and forced the boys to celebrate Halloween in Ushuiaia and reschedule their trip for this year.

 

The time has come again and Finnish legends Arska Saarimaki and Hannu Kukkonen will not be denied. When going on an adventure like this a little preperation can go a long way. Gear needs to be tested and some on-snow training is key. So they headed up to Mont Fort in Verbier with Guido Perrini and Tero Repo for some exercise and crevasse rescue training.

A pre-season skin to Mont Fort in Verbier, Switzerland

So now all the gear was inspected and Arska had a chance to test his new Faction Alias with a telemark binding for easier skinning in Antarctica.

Arska tests the 09/10 Alias with Telemark setup

Then it was off to Geneva airport, on the first leg of this adventure of a lifetime. First they flew into Buenos Aires, Argentina where summer was just beginning to show its face. The following day, after a little partying in spots where Hannu’s previously long blond hair attracted more female attention than Arska could bear, they continued onto Ushuiaia, the southern most city in the world. After fishing and camping for a couple of days in the surrounding area to get rid of ”jet lag”, they went down to Ushuiaia harbor to hook up with Ice Axe Adventures http://www.iceaxe.tv  and the boat which will take them to the frozen continent, the M/S Clipper Adventurer.

Ice Axe Expeditions and the M/S Clipper Adventurer in Ushuiaia Harbor

This year the crew headed with them is stronger than ever. Tero Repo and Guido Perrini are shooting and filming with snowboarders Jeremy Jones and Xavier de la Rue. They have planned some routes and the weather looks good as they head for the Antarctic Penisula, the most mountainous and precipitative part of the continent.

The Antarctic Penisula marked in red box

The M/S Clipper Adventurer will follow the penisula all the way to Crystal Sound, past the Larsen Ice Shelf and back. They will stop along the way for some nature viewing and zodiac trips to shore, where there are incredible peaks which have never had skis touch them before.

 

Stay tuned for more updates on the mad adventuring Finns as they search for the ultimate descent in the wild scenery of Antarctica….