After landing in Antarctica, the WISSEMU (Women of Indonesia’s Seven Summits Mahitala Unpar) team arrived at Vinson Basecamp on their ascent to the Vinson Massif.
On December 29th, the WISSEMU team, an Indonesian women’s team that pursued a seven summiteers title, climbed to the seven highest points on earth, departing from Punta Arenas, Chile, using the Ilyushin 76 plane.
Punta Arenas is a city in Chile located in the Patagonia area and close to the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The city is often used as a starting point to go to Antarctica.
After spending about 4.5 hours the WISSEMU team arrived at 11 am local time at Union Glacier, Antarctica.
The WISSEMU team consist of Fransiska Dimitri Inkiriwang (23) and Mathilda Dwi Lestari (23). They were accompanied by two Himalayan Expedition guides, Hiroyuki Kuraoka and Shinji Tamura.
“Before boarding the plane, the shoes should be completely clean from soil,” recalls Janatan Ginting, an Indonesian climber who has managed to reach the seven world summits in 2011. Special mats are provided just under the stairs of the plane, so that all passengers can clean their shoes first . This is also done by the WISSEMU team at Punta Arenas airport.
Previously, on December 28th, the WISSEMU team also had a briefing in the office of ALE (Antarctic Logistic & Expeditions). ALE is a company that manages transportation from Punta Arenas to Antarctica, as well as the Base Camp at Union Glacier.
In this briefing , the WISSEMU team received a picture and explanation of the rules they must obey during their stay in the Antarctic continent. Among other things are the regulations on cleanliness. Like other Antarctic visitors, the WISSEMU team will be provided by a special bag containing decomposing bacteria to remove rubbish.
Antarctica (which is the fifth summit for the WISSEMU team) is a very sterile and limited area. Only a handful of people are allowed into the continent, and holds the title as the coldest continent with temperatures reaching minus 40 degrees Celsius.
Today at 07:21 pm by satellite phone, the WISSEMU team inform Mahitala Unpar that this day they are reexamining climbing equipment, while adapting to Antarctic air.
Weather permiting, the WISSEMU team will travel to Low Camp, on their trip to reach Vinson Massif, the highest point in Antarctica on around January 5, 2017.
( Titania Febrianti )
Source: http://nationalgeographic.co.id (December 31, 2016)
