After 10 days of arduous trekking, the inland members of China's 28th Antarctic expedition have now pushed 740 kilometers into the Antarctic interior, marking the halfway point of their long overland journey.
On December 16, eight snow vehicles of China's 28th Antarctic inland expedition team, towing 33 sledges loaded with fuel, logistical supplies, and scientific research construction materials totaling over 200 tons, set off from near Zhongshan Station en route to Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic ice sheet. Due to vehicle malfunctions, the inland team has temporarily left two snow vehicles along the way. Currently, all 26 inland team members are in good health, and the vehicles and equipment are operating normally.
On December 16, eight snow vehicles of China's 28th Antarctic inland expedition team, towing 33 sledges loaded with fuel, logistical supplies, and scientific research construction materials totaling over 200 tons, set off from near Zhongshan Station en route to Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic ice sheet. Due to vehicle malfunctions, the inland team has temporarily left two snow vehicles along the way. Currently, all 26 inland team members are in good health, and the vehicles and equipment are operating normally.
On December 26, six snow vehicles towing 24 sledges of supplies continued their advance toward Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic ice sheet. On the 26th, the inland convoy traveled 76 kilometers. To date, the inland team has advanced 740 kilometers into the Antarctic interior, with the altitude rising to 2,787 meters. By 20:00 that day, the local temperature had dropped to -20°C.
Jin Bo, head of the Kunlun Station at Dome A and leader of the inland team for China's 28th Antarctic expedition, reported the day’s progress to Zhongshan Station at 20:35 local time (23:35 Beijing time) on the 26th. He stated that since departing on December 16, the inland team has completed more than half of the journey to Dome A, enduring severe weather and multiple challenges including vehicle repairs.
China's Kunlun Station at Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic ice sheet, is located 1,250 kilometers from Zhongshan Station. The journey will take the team across crevassed ice, soft snow zones, hard snow zones, sastrugi, and complex icy terrain, while also subjecting them to the low air pressure and oxygen deprivation caused by the high altitude, as well as extreme cold and harsh weather conditions.
Jin Bo said that the remaining distance will take the team through hilly terrain, also known as the "devil zone." Beyond the "devil zone" lies the soft snow zone, where vehicles are very prone to getting stuck, requiring back-and-forth relay towing of sledges.
According to experienced inland team members, when encountering steep slopes and soft snow surfaces, the traction of snow vehicles is significantly reduced, forcing them to use a relay method to transport supplies. That is, snow vehicles first tow some sledges to relatively flatter ice, then return to pull the remaining sledges, repeating the process and thereby increasing the overall travel distance of the expedition.
Based on previous expeditions to the Antarctic interior ice sheet, as the team ventures deeper into the interior, temperatures and air pressure drop further, katabatic winds intensify, and the team will face complex terrains such as ice crevasses, sastrugi, and soft snow zones—making the journey both grueling and perilous.
China's third scientific research station, Kunlun Station, located at Dome A—the "Pole of Inaccessibility" in the Antarctic interior—at an altitude of 4,087 meters, is the highest-altitude scientific research station on the continent. Upon arrival at Kunlun Station, 26 inland team members of China's 28th Antarctic expedition will carry out Phase II construction of the Kunlun Station comprehensive building and the steel structure foundation of the garage, build the deep ice core drilling site and install guide tubes, and will also install and commission China's first self-developed "Antarctic Survey Telescope" (AST3) to ensure its proper operation.
