Taylor Sweitzer, 18, skied to the South Pole and reached Mt. Vinson.
A Wilmette teen made the journey to the highest mountain in Antarctica on Jan. 19, skiing to the South Pole and then scaling the summit of Mt. Vinson, which is 16,040 above sea level, Chicago Tribune reported. Adventure seems to run in Taylor Sweitzer’s blood, the 18-year-old made the trip with a group from Polar Explorers, a Wilmette adventure company run by his father, and three years ago, the Wilmette teen became the youngest person to ski to the North Pole, according to the Chicago Tribune. In 2011, Polar Explorers led a trip to South Pole to commemorate the 100th anniversary of man’s arrival at the South Pole. Related Coverage
PolarExplorers is bringing about 30 people to Antarctica to commemorate the centennial anniversary of man's arrival at the South Pole.
A hundred years ago this month, the first humans to ever set foot at the South Pole planted their flag in that supremely inhospitable place. Today, hundreds of people from around the globe are returning to that flat, white expanse of Antarctic ice to commemorate the centennial anniversary, including about 30 adventurous souls who are either skiing or flying to the pole with Wilmette-based PolarExplorers. The company is leading six expeditions during this Antarctic summer, which is the most it has done in a season. The first two groups arrived at the South Pole in time to mark the Dec. 14 anniversary of Norwegian Roald Amundsen’s arrival at that spot 100 years earlier. One group of six flew to the pole. Another group of 12 flew in but skied…
Emily Stone
12:39 pm on Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Hi Beth-I was lucky enough to spend two summers in Antarctica working for the NSF newspaper at McMurdo Station. (Our dirty little secret being that it was often warmer in McMurdo in January than in Chicago. But don't tell anyone. It makes us seem much less tough.) It is an amazing, special place. I'm glad your daughter got to experience it, too! more ›