Patriot Hills
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patriot Hills () the only private seasonally occupied camp in Antarctica. Located in the Heritage Range, Ellsworth Mountains next to a group of hills that gives it its name. Operated by Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions LLC (ALE), the only organization providing expedition support and tours to the interior of Antarctica.[1]
The camp is situated near a rare, naturally-occurring, blue ice runway [2] that allows wheeled jet cargo aircraft to land. From that point, transportation to the South Pole and Vinson Massif is by Twin Otter ski planes.
During the months of November to January, when the weather is the least hostile, jet charter flights are operated from Punta Arenas, Chile to the camp. The tents that comprise most of the buildings are stored each winter in an underground tunnels system which has been dug out of the snow pack that is hundreds of feet thick.
[edit] References
- ^ Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions
- ^ Initial environmental evaluation – development of blue-ice and compacted-snow runways, National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs, April 9, 1993
[edit] Further Reading
Swithinbank, C.W.M. 1991. Potential airfield sites in Antarctica for wheeled aircraft. Hanover, USA, CRREL Report 19-24.
