From November 19–December 19, Albert Argemi (Spain), Ken Ellison (Canada), Julie Jones (U.K.), Arnount Wittert (Netherlands), and I, as leader, summited and skied 12 peaks on the Peninsula. Six of these, located between Andvord Bay and Paradise Harbor, were previously unclimbed. Earlier, I had noted these peaks from the summit of Mt. Hoegh, their dramatic west faces towering above Leith Cove in Paradise Harbor.

From the yacht Iceberg, we accessed these summits from Andvord Bay via a narrow and initially very steep, unnamed glacial ramp, midway between Duthiers Point and Steinheil Point. We camped on the Almirante Ice Fringe on December 7, and the following morning relocated our camp in a high glacial bowl east of the Doktor Peaks and south of Mt. Hoegh. We believe this glacier had never been explored.

From our camp we ascended Peak 828m the same day and reconnoitered a route to Peak 1,030m. We summited Peak 1,030m the following day, December 9, by dropping into a hidden valley to the east. We returned to camp via the summit of Peak 772m. After only sleeping for one hour, Albert Argemi, Ken Ellison, and I set off in late evening and climbed Peak 652m, which we named, unofficially, Andvord Nipple.

The following day the whole team climbed Peak 783m before continuing to the south summit of Mt. Hoegh and on to its north summit, from which we returned to camp via the summit of Peak 706m. All the unnamed summits likely were previously unclimbed, and although Mt. Hoegh has seen several ascents via the northwest slope, this was the first ascent from the south. All ascents were made on skis, although the summit slopes of Peak 828m, Peak 1,030m, Peak 772m, and Mt. Hoegh each required several pitches using axes and crampons.

Phil Wickens