Antarctic Reality

Antarctic Peninsula, Le Mar Channel, Antarctica

Athlete: Andrew McLean

Camera: Hasselblad XPan

What makes it special: "The moment I stepped onto the Antarctic Peninsula the experience was infectious."

The story:  "I spent most of my life exploring planet Earth, wandering, tasting, discovering. But Antarctica was an idea more than a place to me. People claim that our frontiers are diminishing. I disagree. Like almost everything, it depends on your perspective, how you look at the world, and with whom you share your adventure. The quest to taste and experience new perspectives will always drive my curiosity. It is human nature.

My dreams of Antarctica had been filled with images of an icy world, dotted with the unexpected. I had heard about the actors that had held this stage, Shackleton, Amundsen, Scott, Byrd. I had heard about the whales, the seals, the penguins and flying birds as big as hang gliders, but I never had a sense of what it would feel like to be in their environment.

On the coldest, most windy and stormy continent on our planet, I got sunburned...fried is more accurate. Remember the ozone hole; its impact is real.

Antarctica is everything my heart had dreamed, and more. Exploration was a bitter test of faith and mind, but rewarded the spirit immeasurably. This stunningly beautiful, wild, icy world touched my heart.

I made it to the top and joined my team. I looked around and breathed in the pure Antarctic air, taking it all in and telling myself it was real. We planned how we were going to shoot the slope; then Tom Day and I dropped in and skied five or six very steep, happy turns and then stopped and side-slipped a few more feet until we had the perfect angle. I carefully removed my skis, set an anchor for my pack, stomped out a platform on the 52-degree slope, pulled my gear, checked the settings on my camera, and turned to Tom and signaled, "Camera ready."

Andrew McLean was the first in. He counted down, pushed off and hit three clean, technical turns in front of me before he skied out of the frame. Just another day on the job, only the job was in Antarctica.

Once again I took a moment to breathe in where I was, shifting from what felt quite ordinary to me, realizing it was extraordinary. Far below I could see our tiny giant cruise ship with its promises of another luxurious meal and yet another night of celebration. A small zodiac full of smaller people made its way through the glassy waters, leaving a reflective water trail to the crested, moon-shaped island above."