Mount Vinson
16,067FT / 4,897M | AntarcticaClimbing Mount Vinson
- Seven Summits
- Pack Weight: 45+ LBS
- 16+ Days
- Gallery
- Dates & Pricing
One of Alpine Ascents’ foundational climbs, our Vinson expedition boasts a 97% success rate and an illustrious history that dates back to 1992.
Climbing in Antarctica is remote, weather dependent, and logistically complex. Our record of successful ascents is a result of outstanding leadership, well-matched climbing teams, and meticulous program support. While the climb itself is moderate by technical standards, its true challenge lies in the unforgiving Antarctic environment, extreme cold, and logistical intricacies.
Alpine Ascents can adapt the expedition to the needs of different teams and offer a level of personalization and care that continually sets us apart. Our expedition leaders are among the industry’s most experienced high-altitude guides, with a depth of knowledge that is hard to find elsewhere. Jangbu Sherpa and Ben Jones routinely lead our Seven Summits expeditions from Vinson to Everest.
Key Components
Experience: 30 years of expertise. 100% success rate over the past 15 years
Expert leadership: Led by Ben Jones and Jangbu Sherpa, Himalayan and Antarctic veterans widely regarded as the most experienced Vinson guide team in the industry
Rigorous screening: We ensure every team member arrives prepared, minimizing the summit-day turnarounds that often derail less vetted expeditions
Optimized logistics: We reduce climber pack weight to approximately 45 lbs. and are one of the few guide services permitted to cache group equipment at base camp, low camp, and high camp
Comprehensive instruction: Expeditions Include hands-on mountaineering instruction throughout the trip, covering crevasse rescue, rope travel, and fixed-line techniques
Full-service support: Benefit from 24-hour contact with our full-time office staff, including proactive assistance navigating Antarctic flight logistics and comprehensive support during delays
Punta Arenas, full-service support: We provide airport pickup, hotel coordination, team meetings, and thorough gear checks before your flight to Antarctica
Refined nutrition: Enjoy carefully composed expedition menus refined over more than 30 years on the continent
Connectivity: Wi-Fi is available at base camp and Union Glacier
Private & Custom Expeditions: We offer private expeditions and customized itineraries with flexible dates, personalized pacing, and dedicated guide support.
Combined options: Combine your climb with Ski the Last Degree — skiing the final 60 nautical miles to the Geographic South Pole
This expedition was by far the best experience
I’ve had while on a climb. Antarctica is a magical place, and Alpine Ascents delivered that each day we were there. Exceptional guides— the knowledge and skill level was amazing to watch. It was like an ongoing lesson in mountaineering, the history of Antarctica, and social responsibility. Fabulous teachers.
The Vinson expedition was top notch
on all dimensions and exceeded my high expectations. My son and I enjoyed every minute. It was a memorable and moving experience on multiple fronts; one for a lifetime.
Antarctica is basically another planet
and so much has to go right to make this expedition a reality — weather, logistics, unforeseen circumstances. This expedition went flawlessly. Alpine Ascents has considered every single detail and executed the trip beautifully.
The Alpine Ascents Way
One of our core Seven Summits programs, our record of successful Mount Vinson summits has been one of our most outstanding achievements. A key to this success begins well before departure.
We start with a thoughtful screening process and firm prerequisites, similar to our Denali and Everest expeditions, ensuring all climbers arrive prepared. Mismatched teams or underprepared climbers are primary causes of full-team turnarounds; our approach significantly reduces that risk and sets each team up for success.
We offer personalized support at every step. Climbers receive a pre-trip training consultation, assistance curating equipment, and full administrative backup throughout the journey. Upon arrival in Punta Arenas, Alpine Ascents staff will meet you at the airport, assist with hotel check-in, and host a detailed gear-check and welcome dinner before your flight to Antarctica.
Once in Antarctica, our decades of experience becomes evident — from dome-style communal dining tents at base camp to strategically preset camp equipment that reduces pack weight. We begin each expedition with a full skills review that covers glacier travel, fixed-line techniques, crampon and rope management, and cold-weather systems.
Throughout the climb, our guides provide coaching and instruction to support both your summit success and your overall experience on the mountain.
Alpine Ascents: History on Vinson
Our history on Mount Vinson is long and distinguished, beginning with our first commercial expedition in 1992, when flights to “the ice” were rare. For more than 30 years, we have operated in polar environments, helping to shape modern Vinson climbing practices. Our expertise has led to professional film projects, including productions for major platforms such as Netflix. This work reflects both our recognized expertise on the mountain and the trust our guides have earned.
Last season, we continued that tradition of excellence. Fourteen climbers reached the summit, under the leadership of Ben Jones, Jangbu Sherpa, Bryce Hill, and Don Wargowsky. This 100% success rate brings our lifetime success rate (since 1992) to over 97%, including 15 consecutive years where every team reached the summit.
Many of our climbers complete their Seven Summits journey on Vinson, and our ability to run multiple expeditions each season allows us to adapt to changing conditions and provide resources well beyond what a single-guide or single-trip model can offer.
About the Climb
Mount Vinson expeditions begin in Punta Arenas, Chile, where our staff meets climbers at the airport, assists with hotel check-in, and hosts a full team briefing and gear check before the flight to Antarctica. We depart Chile by way of a specialized 737 aircraft that lands on a naturally prepared blue-ice runway at Union Glacier. Surrounded by some of the most dramatic terrain on the continent, we might overnight in Union Glacier or bump on over to Vinson Base Camp the same day — flight and weather depending.
From Union Glacier, a ski-equipped Twin Otter transports our team to Vinson Base Camp (6,900 feet) on the Branscomb Glacier, where your journey truly begins. Views from here immediately set the tone for the climb: vast ice sheets, sculpted ridgelines, and the dramatic west face of Vinson rising above the glacier.
After establishing base camp, Alpine Ascents guides conduct a comprehensive skills review, covering glacier travel, fixed-line travel, crampon techniques, cold-weather systems, sled rigging, and camp craft specific to polar conditions.
From base camp, we ascend the broad Branscomb Glacier to low camp (9,000 feet), traveling as a roped team and hauling sleds during the first portion of the route.
After a rest or weather day, teams climb the steep headwall to high camp (12,400 feet) via a well-established section of fixed lines. This section gains roughly 1,800 feet, with sustained slopes averaging 35–45 degrees. Climbers use crampons, ice axes, and ascenders. The fixed lines are well-maintained each season and backed by solid snow or ice anchors. High camp offers unparalleled views of the Ellsworth Range.
Summit day typically involves an 8–10 hour round-trip climb up the gently rising ridge and final summit slopes. Your reward is extraordinary: unobstructed views across thousands of square miles of ice caps and glaciers, including the elegant summit pyramids of Mount Tyree, Shinn, Epperly, and the vast, untouched landscape that defines the interior of Antarctica. You’ll see the curved horizon — a reminder of the continent’s sheer scale.
Throughout the climb, our guides prioritize regular breaks, monitor weather closely, and maintain conservative decision-making so that your quest for the summit in one of the planet’s most remote environments is both safe and deeply rewarding.
About Antarctica and Mount Vinson
Antarctica is a continent of staggering scale and stark, sculpted beauty. Spanning 5.5 million square miles of solid ice — twice the size of Australia — it is one of the most remote and uninhabited wildernesses on Earth. Technically a desert, Antarctica is defined not by sand but by vast expanses of ice shaped by relentless wind and cold. Temperatures have reached the limits of human understanding, such as the –128.6 degrees Fahrenheit recorded at Vostok Station, while summertime brings 24 hours of daylight and surreal clarity. Though the continent has no native population, it supports numerous international research stations and holds a magnetic pull for explorers drawn to its isolation, scientific intrigue, and raw, elemental grandeur.
Mount Vinson, rising from the Ellsworth Mountains, is the continent’s highest peak. Located roughly 600 miles from the South Pole, Vinson anchors a chain of jagged summits that rise above the Ronne Ice Shelf, forming a dramatic skyline in an otherwise endless white horizon. First ascended in 1966 by a U.S. expedition led by Nicholas Clinch, Vinson is an iconic Seven Summits peak.
This journey begins with a leap across the Southern Ocean from Punta Arenas to the interior ice runway at Union Glacier, an otherworldly environment with only sun-lit silence and drifting snow. Conditions are typically stable due to the polar high, but bitter cold, strong winds, and sudden storms remain a constant consideration.
The climb itself is moderate but demanding, requiring self-care, proper gear, and respect for the cold. For many, Vinson offers more than just a summit; it offers a profound immersion into one of the most untouched and awe-inspiring corners of the planet.
Nearly 200 years after James Cook circumnavigated Antarctica, the American Alpine Club and the National Geographic Society sponsored an American team to climb Mount Vinson. Two weeks after their arrival, on December 17, 1966, the American team ascended this last of the Seven Summits to be conquered.
This was my fifth expedition with AAI
and I have come to expect very high standards in terms of experience, care and quality of the guides and the overall organization of the expedition. The Mt Vinson expedition did not disappoint! It was one of my most memorable trips and absolutely loved being on the incredible continent.
Trip of a lifetime, I couldn’t have asked for anything more!
Our guides were superb at everything
from guiding to cooking to making the summit day achievable for everyone on the team. Also, when weather kept us on Antarctica for an unexpected extra five days, Mike and the team from ALE made us very welcome in the tents and added excursions to fill the extra time.
Type 2 fun requires leaders who can laugh,
joke, banter, sign, and story-tell to break up the cold, wind, and pain. Our guides Vern and Jangbu are both amazing at that. Both guides successfully emphasized teamwork and self care to allow 8 strangers to become a team. The people were just as important as the objective.
I’ve laughed with Jangbu more than with anyone else. Since I play guitar I spent a lot of time jamming blues and country songs with Vern and we connected well. They’re both great and interesting people.
Private Vinson Expeditions
Each season, Alpine Ascents operates a limited number of private Mount Vinson expeditions meticulously designed for climbers, athletes, and teams seeking a highly customized Antarctic experience. These smaller, purpose-built expeditions allow us to tailor every aspect of your program — from schedules and summit strategies to logistics, staffing, and on-mountain objectives — while maintaining the same conservative approach that defines our Vinson operations.
Climbers choose private expeditions for many reasons. Whether your specific goal is intensive technical coaching, a ski descent from the summit, professional media production, or private 1:1 guiding, we can build an itinerary around your objectives. In the past, we have supported high-profile private projects, including a dedicated expedition for a Netflix documentary, as well as private ski expeditions from the summit of Vinson with professional athletes.
A private expedition gives you increased guide attention and the ability to adapt route decisions, pacing, camp strategies, and rest days to your group’s specific goals, rather than fitting into a fixed itinerary.
We build private Vinson expeditions on the same logistical backbone, guide expertise, and Antarctic experience that we’ve refined for all our climbs over the decades, while offering a truly personalized approach to climbing the highest peak in Antarctica.
Vinson & Ski Last Degree
If pairing your ascent of Mount Vinson with a trek to the Geographic South Pole is your ultimate Antarctic expedition, we offer a “Vinson & Ski the Last Degree” combo package.
Ski the Last Degree involves traveling from 89 degrees south to 90 degrees south — the final 111 kilometers/60 nautical miles across the profound, silent expanse of the polar plateau. This is a true expedition: you navigate as a roped team (where appropriate), haul sleds, build daily routines around cold-management and efficiency, and camp on the vast, quiet white horizon until the South Pole marker finally comes into view.
What makes this pairing special is the contrast: Vinson offers a high, glaciated summit with big-mountain logistics while Ski the Last Degree delivers the steady, mental rhythm of polar travel — day after day in a remote environment where systems, pacing, and discipline matter. Both rely on the same foundation of Antarctic infrastructure, flying through Union Glacier, and operating within a tightly managed window.
Alpine Ascents builds the combined itinerary to keep transitions smooth, gear dialed, and decision-making conservative — so you can focus on what you came for: a Vinson summit and a trek to the bottom of the world.
Mount Vinson | South Pole: Ski The Last Degree Blog
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Environmental Responsibility
Alpine Ascents is deeply committed to maintaining ecosystems at home and around the world, especially in the pristine environment of Antarctica where biosecurity is paramount. With each expedition, we not only attempt to leave the environment as we found it, but strive to assist the local population in protecting the land and people indigenous to that region. Alpine Ascents reaches for the highest ethical business practices at home and abroad.
Environmental stewardship remains one of our core values and we take Leave No Trace ethics and practices very seriously. The mountains are our home and we are unwilling to sacrifice their preservation for human objectives. On every one of our courses and climbs we teach and follow the environmentally appropriate Leave No Trace principles and practices.
Over the years, with the assistance of our Sherpa teams, we have stepped up efforts to clean Mt. Everest. Our Wag Bag® program made a pioneering step in human waste management for the National Park System and Forest Service in the North Cascades. On Aconcagua and Vinson, we pioneered a waste removal system on our climbs, utilizing the WAG Bag® system. We continue our on-going maintenance and minimal impact plans wherever we guide. We believe that given the proper information most people will do all they can to help protect and maintain the environment. Alpine Ascents is committed to developing risk-cognizant, self-reliant, and environmentally conscious mountaineers.
Frequently Asked Questions
No two Antarctic experiences are exactly the same. Our 19 Day itinerary highlights typical activities and experiences. Exact timeline and details will vary from trip to trip. Trip length may vary by departure.
Please anticipate delays and do not plan anything for at least a week after your scheduled return. Allow yourself to enjoy this unique experience without the stress of pending commitments.
Mt. Vinson, located 600 miles from the South Pole and 1,200 miles from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, is the highest peak on the continent. Vinson is part of the Ellsworth Mountains, which rise majestically from the Ronne Ice Shelf.
Those wishing to embark on this unique journey should possess previously established climbing skills and be prepared for harsh conditions of extreme cold and, at times, ferocious winds. Mountaineering skills required include: self-arrest, glacier travel, and crevasse rescue. Climbers should have successfully completed at least a week-long training course, as well as some other climbs such as glaciated peaks in Washington State or Alaska.
Climbers also need to be skilled at personal maintenance and hygiene. This is more than just having the right gear, but a sense of one’s working body, an ability to detect cold and other issues, and a willingness to communicate your level of health with your guide.
Mount Vinson is 16,067 feet / 4,897 meters.
You need high-altitude mountaineering gear, extreme cold-weather layers, and expedition camping equipment to climb Mount Vinson.
See our Mount Vinson gear list.
To prepare for Mount Vinson (16,050 ft / 4,892 m), the highest peak in Antarctica, you must build high-altitude physical endurance. Most people will need to train for at least 4-6 months. Climbers also need technical skills and must have summitted prior glaciated peaks and have completed at least a 1 week long mountaineering school in glaciers.
An effective training program for Mount Vinson should be primarily composed of endurance training with significant strength components as well. Your training should progress slowly and be modulated, incorporating progressively harder weeks with planned rest weeks to consolidate the training loads into fitness gains.
Read our Mount Vinson training page.
We climb during Antarctica’s summer, late November through January are the months when the weather is most stable for flights to Antarctica.
Climbers must be able to carry an average of 45 lbs. or more. We reduce climber pack weight to approximately 45 lbs. and are one of the few guide services permitted to cache group equipment at base camp, low camp, and high camp.
Additional costs for the Mount Vinson expedition can be found on our Price & Policies page.
Yes! You can combine your climb with our Ski the Last Degree option — which involves skiing the final 60 nautical miles to the Geographic South Pole. There are also options to visit the South Pole by flight after your climb.
Alpine Ascents is deeply committed to maintaining ecosystems at home and around the world, especially in the pristine environment of Antarctica where biosecurity is paramount. With each expedition, we not only attempt to leave the environment as we found it, but strive to assist the local population in protecting the land and people indigenous to that region. Alpine Ascents reaches for the highest ethical business practices at home and abroad.
You fly into and out of Punta Arenas, Chile for the Mount Vinson climb. Due to the nature of the connecting flight to Antarctica, we highly recommend that you are able to adjust the departure date of your flight as needed.
We use high quality 4-season mountaineering tents on the mountain and dome-style communal dining tents at base camp to strategically preset camp equipment that reduces pack weight.
During climbing days we average about 6-8+ hours of climbing, and summit day can be on average 9-12+ hours of climbing.
Upon arrival in Punta Arenas, Alpine Ascents staff will meet you at the airport, assist with hotel check-in, and host a detailed gear-check and welcome dinner before your flight to Antarctica.
Our history on Mount Vinson is long and distinguished, beginning with our first commercial expedition in 1992, when flights to “the ice” were rare. For more than 30 years, we have operated in polar environments, helping to shape modern Vinson climbing practices. Our expertise has led to professional film projects, including productions for major platforms such as Netflix. This work reflects both our recognized expertise on the mountain and the trust our guides have earned.
We start with a thoughtful screening process and firm prerequisites, similar to our Denali and Everest expeditions, ensuring all climbers arrive prepared. Mismatched teams or underprepared climbers are primary causes of full-team turnarounds; our approach significantly reduces that risk and sets each team up for success.
We offer personalized support at every step. Climbers receive a pre-trip training consultation, assistance curating equipment, and full administrative backup throughout the journey.
Alpine Ascents maintains a 95% success rate in over 35 years of guiding Vinson and we have staff on ground in Punta Arenas to meet every expedition.
