Patriot Hills Base Camp

Patriot Hills Base Camp was a private seasonally occupied camp in Antarctica. It was located in the Heritage Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, next to the Patriot Hills that gave it its name.

Patriot Hills Camp
Antarctic Camp
Patriot Hills Base Camp
Patriot Hills Camp Location of Patriot Hills Base Camp in Antarctica
Coordinates: 80°18′00″S 81°20′39″W
Country	United States
Location in Antarctica	Heritage Range Ellsworth Mountains Antarctica
Administered by	Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions LLC
Established	1987 (1987)
Type	Seasonal
Period	Summer
Status	Operational

The camp was run by the private company Adventure Network International (now Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions LLC, known as ALE),[1] a company that provides expedition support and tours to the interior of Antarctica.[2] It was constructed in 1987[3] and used during the summer months of November to January.[4] Patriot Hills was for many adventurers and explorers a stop on the way from Chile's Punta Arenas into the interior of Antarctica. The flight time from Punta Arenas is about 4.5 hours.[3]

As of November 2010 ALE has moved operations. Union Glacier Camp is the new base of operations and Union Glacier Blue-Ice Runway SCGC is the new runway, they are 70 kilometers from Patriot Hills. Patriot Hills is being retained as a backup runway.[5]

In the summer months the temperature rises to −15 °C. The temperature in the winter months is estimated to be about −40 °C, but no one has yet overwintered in the Ellsworth Mountains.[3]

History

In the Antarctic spring of 1988 Patriot Hills was the staging point for the first expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, led by Martyn Williams. This 50-day expedition opened up the doorway for South Pole overland journeys, and has become the classic route for most expeditions.[6] In 1989 Patriot Hills was the staging point of the continental crossing by Reinhold Messner and Arved Fuchs that started at 82°S-72°W, crossed the South Pole to McMurdo Station.[7] It has also been the starting point for many expeditions to Mount Vinson, some 120 kilometers away.

See also

• Blue-ice area
• List of Antarctic Field Camps
• List of airports in Antarctica

Airfield

Location of Heritage Range in Western Antarctica
IATA: none ICAO: SCPZ
Summary
Airport type	Blue-ice runway
Operator	Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC
Serves	Patriot Hills
Location	Heritage Range Ellsworth Mountains Antarctica
Elevation AMSL	2,900 ft / 884 m
Coordinates	80°18′53″S 81°22′29″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 24M 3,281 × 164 1,000 × 50 Ice

The camp was built near one of the rare blue ice fields. A blue ice runway was used as the takeoff and landing strip for large intercontinental aircraft including DC6, L-382, C130 and Ilyushin Il-76.[8]

The heart of the camp was the communal tent that serves as a common lounge and dining room. In the communications tent, using devices powered by solar power, high-frequency radio equipment maintained contact with Punta Arenas and the traveling expeditions. The residents of the camp were housed in two-person tents.[9]

References

1. Website der Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions LLC. Accessed on March 25, 2010
2. Patriot Hills Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, Polar Conservation Organisation
3. Adventure Network International: Patriot Hills. Accessed March 25, 2010.
4. Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions News Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 25, 2010.
5. Union Glacier Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Polar Conservation Organisation
6. First NGA ski trip to Pole from Hercules Inlet: . Accessed April 4, 2015.
7. Messner-Fuchs Antarctic Crossing: . Accessed April 4, 2015.
8. National Science Foundation - Office of Polar Programs: Initial environmental evaluation – development of blue-ice and compacted-snow runways. 9. April 1993. Accessed March 25, 2010.
9. Antarctic Ice Marathon: Accommodation Facilities in Antarctica Archived 2010-02-06 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 25, 2010.

Further reading

• Swithinbank, C.W.M. 1991. Potential airfield sites in Antarctica for wheeled aircraft. Hanover, USA, CRREL Report 91-24.
• Murphy J. 1990. South to the Pole By Ski.
• OpenStreetMap

Aerial view of base camp tents

Storage tunnels beneath the camp