NZ Antarctic Peninsula

A few days before they left New Zealand this team learned that a French team had just made the first ascent of the West Ridge of Mount Parry (2520m) on Brabant Island, their intended objective. Undeterred they continued, and after sailing from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula they looked around for an alternative, and selected a classic line on the West Face of the First Sister of Fief (986m) on Wiencke Island. Ice cliffs prevented a landing near to the peak, but access only took half a day on skis. Although at 12 pitches it was shorter than the route on Parry it was far more technical, as it followed a central line of steep ice and snow rather than a ridge: they graded it NZ Alpine Grade 5. Descent was by 7 abseils down a gully between the First Sister and Mt Luigi to complete a 14 hour day.

Penny Goddard holds dual NZ and UK nationality, and was awarded the Alison Chadwick Memorial Grant for 2010.