Do It Yourself

Ski Antarctica

It's spring in the Great White South. That means daytime temperatures above zero and no nighttime temperatures, since this is the other land of the midnight sun. Until recently polar athletes who wanted to ski, hike or jog in Antarctica had to get there by ship, an arduous trek. Now the Beaconsfield, England-based Adventure Network International will fly you to the southernmost landing strip on earth, a solid ice runway at the company's Patriot Hills base camp in the Antarctic interior. From there, 680 miles from the South Pole, you can cross-country ski in daylight around the clock. It isn't cheap—$14,000 per person for a two-week ski safari, and $25,000 for an airborne expedition to the Pole—but neither is Club Med, and this is more memorable. Says one Antarctic veteran, "It's like going to the moon." Adventure Network may someday shoot for the moon. The 14-year-old firm hopes to offer a new destination soon: outer space.