All news: December 2021

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club: December 6th. So the Antarctic wait began. We didn't fly anywhere yesterday. Today, it looks like it will be too. We spend time chatting with our first team that climbed Mount Vinson. These are three Indians, led by Artem Rostovtsev. They brought a huge flag of India 15x50 m. We also looked at the invention of the century: a Porsche on tracks and skis.  In general, we are waiting for departure to Sky Blue, where our cars are already waiting for us. But the weather is bad there now…

A group of the 7 Summits Club is preparing to fly to Antarctica to climb the highest point of the continent, Mount Vinson.  At the starting point of the trip, the Chilean city of Punta Arenas, the participants and guides celebrated the birthday of one of the participants. This is Daniele Wolfson, an Everest climber, a representative of Israel, born in the USSR.

Alex Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club Company: Our plane successfully landed in Antarctica on Union Glacier. There are a lot of people who have flown here to observe a unique solar eclipse in Antarctica. And just now, our first team, headed by Artem Rostovtsev, arrived from Vinson Massif. We hug and listen to the stories of the heroes. Today we cannot fly to the starting point of our expedition Sky blue, as heavy cloud cover in this place.... So we're just resting.

Vladimir Kotlyar, a guide of the 7 Summits Club from Punta Arenas (southern Chile):

Aloha, Seven Summits and for all! The second group of the 7 Summits Club on the highest point of Antarctica Vinson Massif gathered in Punta Arenas! We are waiting for a couple of preparatory days before flying on the Icy continent. The arrival was celebrated at the famous los Ganaderos restaurant, where lamb is perfectly cooked.

There are 12 participants from different countries of the world in the group, they are now led by Vladimir Kotlyar and Nirmal Purja.  And Artem Rostovtsev will meet them already in Antarctica.

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club: The team of the Round-the-World Automobile Expedition has prepared all the necessary equipment. And on the 5th of December in the morning we fly to Antarctica on the Union Glacier. We also take skis and sleds with us to conduct reconnaissance from the last point where the cars will reach.

We decided to make two flights at once, to Union Glacier 3,500 km and without delay another 1,000 km to Sky Blue. To the place of our start.  A lot of bags and trunks are flying with us. We will send photos and news daily, as we have new Iridium equipment for satellite Internet. The team is healthy and happy. We passed 3 tests for the COVID. Today we met a new team of the 7 Summits Club, which is flying to the Vinson Massif. These are 12 participants led by Volodya Kotlyar, Artem Rostovtsev and Nirmal (Nims) Purji. Hello everyone and see you soon!

Artem Rostovtsev, a guide of the 7 Summits Club from Antarctica: Hello, Seven Summits! This is Artem Rostovtsev. We went down to the Vinson Massif base camp. It's been blowing a little since morning. But we have already realized that it is impossible to wait any longer. We started the descent and after a couple of hours of strong wind we hid behind the ridge. On the fixed ropes, the wind was not so strong and we finally warmed up. And then - Low Camp, it was completely windless and warm, and we calmly reached the base camp. That's it, our mission is accomplished. Now we'll stay at the base camp for another day or two, because it's necessary. And we'll fly to Union Glacier.

A message from Elena Abramova, manager of the 7 Summits Club in Chile: 

The team of the 7 Summits Club "Vinson-2" arrived in Punta Arenas. Everyone is in a great mood!  The team of the Automotive Antarctic Expedition is also already in Punta Arenas and has begun active preparations for landing on the Ice Continent.

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club: The team of the Auto Antarctic Expedition departs from Geneva to Punta Arenas. We hope to be in Punta Arenas tomorrow morning. It takes about 16 hours to fly. Good luck to everyone!

Artem Rostovtsev, a guide of the 7 Summits Club from Antarctica: Hello, Seven Summits! We went on the top of Vinson Massif yesterday. We can't go any lower today, we're stuck in an assault camp. A little bad weather around. The wind is strong, with gusts such that we save the tents. But we're holding on. We hope it will be over soon. I really want to go down, they say it's warmer there. We have everything: there is food, there is fuel. The tents are alive, but wet. Once again, a big hello to everyone from Artem Rostovtsev from Antarctica.

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club: A new expedition of the 7 Summits Club and the Goodgear Company in Antarctica begins. Now it is an auto expedition.  The task of the team, which includes Alexander Abramov, Vasily Shakhnovsky and Alexey Safonov, is to drive 2000 km across Antarctica by car and explore the Antarctic peninsula for the possibility of driving through it by car.  This is a unique expedition, as no 4x4 car has ever passed in these parts. Only planes.

The difficulty is made up of glaciers, huge crevasses, deep snow. And absolutely unexplored areas are dangerous for the passage of cars.

Exploration is carried out on specially prepared cars “Arctic Truck”, which successfully run in East Antarctica, where there is thick ice and fairly flat terrain. But it have never been to the Antarctic peninsula, which consists of a mountain range with a complex terrain.

This exploration is part of the plan for a round-the-world automobile expedition along the meridian through the 2 Poles of the Earth, which we are going to make in a year. The circumnavigation is unique. Not a single car has been able to drive through 2 Poles North and South and cross 5 continents (Europe, Africa, North and South America and Antarctica).

Now we are exploring Antarctica, and on March 1 we are leaving for Canada for automobile exploration of the possibility of traveling through the Northern Islands of Canada and access to the Arctic ice.

Artem Rostovtsev, super-guide of the 7 Summits Club from Antarctica: Hello, Seven Summits! I congratulate you on the beginning of winter, on December 1st! This is Artem Rostovtsev. Our group has just descended from the summit of the Vinson Massif. All went well. Today it turns out that for the first time in almost two years someone has been on the top of Antarctica. There were 9 people in total. These are two rangers, three climbers from the ALE company and four people from the 7 Summits Club company. And it looks like a fresh wind blew and the mountain slammed shut…

Photos from the expeditions of the 7 Summits Club of previous seasons...