Australians reach Antarctic peak from sea level

Canberra, Jan 3: Four Australian climbers have reached the top of Antarctica's highest mountain, becoming the first to conquer the 4,892-metre peak after trekking from sea level across the frozen continent.

The team, led by Mount Everest veteran Duncan Chessell, 36, reached Vinson Massif's peak yesterday after setting out to cross a 300-km expanse of ice early last month.

''It was great to finally get up on top of the peak and look back over the 300-odd kilometres that we have trekked in from,'' Chessell told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio today.

''Looking across at the ice cap to our south, which stretches about 1,100 km to the South Pole was quite a unique and surreal experience.'' The four-man team used sleds to each haul up to 70 kg (154 lb) of gear, including tents, fuel, food and climbing gear, over three weeks and seven major glaciers.

Accompanying Chessell were fellow Australian mountaineers Peter Weeks, Robert Jackson and Robert North.

The summit push involved a 1,200-metre vertical climb and about 8 km of climbing, enduring temperatures of -35 Celsius.

Vinson Massif, standing in the Ellsworth Mountains near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, is about 1,200 km from the South Pole.

REUTERS