One of the most popular activities on cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula is camping out for the night, curled up in a sleeping bag listening to the sounds of the frozen wilderness. It’s a brief taste of the epic isolation that the continent offers. But those looking for the ultimate adventure can take it one step further by flying deep into the Antarctic interior to stay at the only campsite in the world on a blue ice glacier: Union Glacier Camp, operated by Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) .
Union Glacier isn’t just an extraordinary place to explore, it’s also a staging post for expeditions to Antarctica’s highest mountain, Mountain Vinson, and even trips to the South Pole itself. To learn more about what it’s like to run a campsite in such an extreme environment, we sat down to speak with Tim Hewette, Union Glacier Camp’s Director of Operations.
How did you come to work in Antarctica?
I originally found my way to Antarctica about 19 years ago, working as a remote field guide and climbing Mount Vinson. Adventure Network International, the predecessor of ALE, was looking for a mountain guide, and I was hired by word of mouth as things were done back in those days.
Over a number of years I did all kinds of different jobs and projects and then moved into camp management and logistics. I now oversee the entirety of ALE’s fields project and have done for about a decade.
Where exactly is Union Glacier and how do you get there?
Union Glacier is in the far interior in West Antarctica, between the polar plateau and the edge of the continent. That means it’s on the grounding line, which is the term for where continental Antarctica ends and the ocean begins – or where it would begin if it wasn’t covered with an ice sheet. There’s still ice for another couple hundred miles before you get to the actual water on the Antarctic coast.
We chose the Union Glacier site specifically because it’s one of a few areas in Antarctica that provides a landing surface that will permit a large jet. It’s a naturally occurring piece of blue glacier ice that we don’t alter in any way, with the exception of occasionally moving snow off it. The location itself does most of the snow clearing for us: the wind that comes off the plateau is called a katabatic wind, and it rushes downward and blows the snow off the glacier, creating this naturally occurring piece of blue ice where we’re able to land aircraft directly on the glacier. It’s quite unique.
ALE pioneered these blue ice runways. We can fly a Boeing 757 for passengers and an Ilyushin IL-76 for cargo. The camp is about eight kilometers from the runway in a more comfortable place that is much less windy and surrounded by mountains.
What is the campsite like at Union Glacier?
Union Glacier Camp is not a five-star hotel, but it has everything you need to be happy, healthy, and safe. Most of the accommodation is provided in Weatherhaven brand Endurance model tents, which are high quality and exceptionally strong tents that have been used in the Antarctic for decades. They’re probably the most durable tent made in the world.
They’re actually pretty comfortable. You can stand up in them, and they’re outfitted with cot beds and big, lofty sleeping bags and duvets. If anything, the tents are maybe too warm!
We have full toilet and shower facilities and large dining tents where everyone eats together. We have several fine dining chefs, and get a lot of compliments on the quality of the food.
What can people do at Union Glacier?
Union Glacier caters to some of the most remarkable tourism and private expeditions on the planet.
We provide 100 percent of the logistics for all Mount Vinson expeditions, the highest mountain in Antarctica. We offer flights to the South Pole, which I like to refer to as the most extreme version of tourism, as well as providing logistics for South Pole expeditions, like people who are skiing overland.
Probably one of my favorite adventures is our emperor penguin programme. We operate a seasonal camp at Gould Bay on the sea ice, where the guests are able to camp with the emperor penguins. It’s a product that nobody else in the world does: we have a permit to camp a specified distance away from the colony. It’s like a David Attenborough documentary.
I’ve spent an entire life in the wilderness, and my first visit to the emperor penguin colony was the most profound experience that I’ve had with wildlife. I can say honestly that it’s a transformative experience actually spending time with the emperors and it’s hard to describe why that is, but most people who visit seem to agree.
Does Union Glacier offer support services to national Antarctic scientific programmes as well?
That’s right. One way or another, we have supported almost every government science operation on the continent, and to this day we still do. My favorite science group we do a lot of work with is called POLENET, from the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center from Ohio State University. They’ve been running one of the largest, longest-standing science projects in Antarctica, and come down to Union Glacier Camp most years.
We provide a lot of base camp services for science groups, from guiding to aviation support. We’ve even supported the US, British and the Argentinians by airdrop – we’ll fly to remote locations across the continent and parachute fuel and science supplies to them out of the back of the jet.
What are the biggest logistical challenges of running a campsite on a glacier in the Antarctic interior?
Anybody who operates logistics in Antarctica will say that the most difficult challenge is the weather. It’s a remote, cold, windy place, and most of the time, if there’s any form of delay or a challenge, it’s related to the weather.
Aviation is the most efficient means for traveling in Antarctica, and overland travel is secondary to that. Both present challenges. With overland safety, that means monitoring active glaciers for crevasses and other safety hazards.
The secondary challenge is then the simple logistics of getting things to Antarctica and back. You can’t just go out and pick up random parts or an ingredient or replacement gear, so part of our camp caters to a large inventory of food, expedition gear, and mechanical repair parts. After decades of operating logistics in Antarctica, that part is actually easy for us.
Where does your electricity and fresh water come from?
The primary source of power in Union Glacier Camp is from solar. We have 24-hour daylight which helps our charging situation! Of course, we also have generators available if there are several days of bad storm weather, but most days we’re able to power everything we need from solar.
Our water comes from the snow. We designed our own heating elements which we refer to simply as snow melters. There’s a constant collecting and shoveling and melting snow for water for drinking, cooking, bathing and so on.
What about waste? How do you ensure that Union Glacier camp isn’t having any negative environmental impacts?
ALE is very proud of the fact that we remove all of the refuse and waste from the continent. All of the solid waste (including human waste) is removed from Antarctica and returned to our hub in Chile, where it’s disposed of by professional waste services.
I would guess that Union Glacier is probably the cleanest logistical hub in Antarctica.
What happens to the camp during the winter when no one is there?
As part of the permitted rules for operating in Antarctica, we are required to only have non-permanent structures within our camp. We set up and take down the Union Glacier Camp every single season. At the end of the season we pack everything up and move it to a winter camp where everything is cached. It’s quite a bit of labour and requires a lot of technical skill. Then at the start of the season, we send in a small team to open up the runway, followed by a larger team to set up the camp. We take everything from the winter caches and move it a kilometre up the glacier to erect the entirety of the camp.
I think, if you didn’t have a dream when you arrived at Union Glacier, you will have lived one before you left.
We have perhaps the best team on the planet for doing that. From the time the first airplane is on the deck in Union Glacier until we’re prepared to accept guests, it takes approximately two weeks to get things going.
What is the best thing about working at Union Glacier?
That’s an easy answer for me. Antarctica is a beautiful place that always feels like a luxury to return to, but without a doubt, my favorite part about working there is the people.
Last season, we had approximately 30 different nationalities in our team, plus our guests and transiting scientists. Our closest neighbor is actually the International Space Station, so we’re sitting in this extremely remote location in a community-reliant setting with an incredibly diverse group of people.
Everybody seems to have a common goal. That’s a very poignant point – you have an exceptionally diverse group of people in a very remote location with a singular goal of achieving their dreams, and everybody’s doing it in real time. That produces a vibe or energy that can only be described as wonderfully unique.
I think, if you didn’t have a dream when you arrived at Union Glacier, you will have lived one before you left.
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