South Pole trek: Skiing to the Nth degree

At 6 p.m. each night, we would set up camp. Then, more snow melting to prepare our freeze-dried dinners. After the meal, we'd hit our sleeping bags, rated -40, for some shut-eye. Even this was difficult, despite our exhaustion. In the height of the Antarctic summer, the sun remains 23 degrees off the horizon and never sets. It just rolls around the edge of the sky. On the bright side (so to speak), the constant light helped heat the tent. Sometimes, at "night," the temperature would rise to above freezing inside, while outside it might be 60 degrees colder.

After six days, the Amundsen-Scott Station appeared, first as a dot on the horizon, then as a small complex of buildings. What relief! It was our first glimpse of life in a week. It took yet another day to reach the pole, but once we arrived we were treated to a hot meal and a tour by the gracious National Science Foundation and Raytheon (nyse: RTN - news - people ) staffs.

Established in 1957 by the U.S. to mark the International Geophysical Year (and rebuilt in 1975), the base houses about 240 people during the summer. They work on science projects and the construction of a new main building (the 1975 dome is slowly being covered by snow). In winter, the number of personnel drops to 60 hearty souls, managed by our hostess Liesl Schernthanner.

Not surprisingly, the base has its own quirky sense of humor. A recent edition of The Antarctic Sun newspaper, available in the cafeteria, featured a piece on "Dumbest questions Pole workers are asked back home." One example: "So, how many seasons have you worked in Alaska?" The dining area also exhibits an upside-down globe with Antarctica--and the South Pole--at the top. Down the hall is a small store for souvenirs (U.S. currency only, no credit cards!) as well as a post office, where we had our passports stamped.

We camped at the Pole for the next three days, touring a new telescope built by the California Institute of Technology to study the origins of the universe, and visiting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration polar complex, established in 1997 to measure the ozone hole over Antarctica. We posed for photos at the ceremonial Pole marker. Walk around it and you'll have covered 24 time zones in a few seconds!

As we left, the famous polar explorer Victor Boyarsky (his team crossed Antarctica via the Pole in 1989) landed with a group of Russian tourists. I wasn't sure how to feel. Having endured such discomfort on our ski in, I felt I had earned the Pole. But these guys?

Still, I had only skied the last 70 miles. How about adventurers who ski to the Pole from the Antarctic coast--a distance of 700 miles? Or Robert Scott, the British explorer who raced Norwegian Roald Amundsen to the Pole in 1911, only to finish second and die on his return trek. What would these fellows think of us?

I decided not to judge. I was here, finally, at the bottom of the world--and without the help of Dr. Quam.

Video: Visiting The South Pole

Jim Clash's Adventurer column appears in Forbes magazine and online at www.forbes.com/adventurer. He is also the author of To the Limits (John Wiley & Sons, 2003).

Essentials:

Cost: $41,000 (excluding round-trip airfare to Punta Arenas, Chile)

Outfitter: Geographic Expeditions ( http://www.geoex.com/) and Voyage Concepts ( http://www.voyageconcepts.co.uk/)

Conditioning: Excellent cardiovascular fitness; leg strength to pull heavy sleds; ability to withstand extreme cold

Flight Option: For $36,000, you can skip the skiing and fly directly to the Pole. ( In a few years, you may even be able to drive to the South Pole. For more, click here.)

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