The Vinson Massif is about 1,200 kilometres from the South Pole. It is about 21 km long and 13 km wide. The highest point is 4,892 metres, and it was named in 2006 after Carl Vinson, a member of the U.S. Congress.
Antarctica is the world’s coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent. Beneath the ice, some parts of Antarctica are 2,500 meters below sea level.
In 2010, only 1,400 climbers attempted to reach Mount Vinson. 98% of the continent is covered with ice, and rocky peaks are very rare, so Mount Vinson was not climbed until 1966.
In 2008, Johan Ernst Nilson climbed the highest mountain in Antarctica together with a small group of climbers from the USA.
The mountain is quite easy compared to mountains like Denali and Everest, but since it’s one of the coldest places in the world, the mountain can be dangerous.
The average temperature in the winter is -34°C, with a maximum down to -89°C. But the temperature can get much lower than that because of the highest wind speeds on Earth (over 322 km per hour). When Johan skidded to the South Pole in 2011, he experienced wind speeds up to 150 km per hour.
The expedition was the last of Johan’s Seven Summits climb.
