Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Sitting at 9,301 feet on the polar plateau, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is operated year-round by the NSF. In summer it supports around 150 people; winter-over skeleton crew drops to roughly 45. There’s aviation fuel, a galley, medical support, and a greenhouse (yes, really). The station is the only resupply point for expeditions crossing the polar plateau — fuel and food caches have saved lives here. The environment is brutal: temps routinely hit -60°F in winter, altitude compounds everything, and the nearest help is a 900-mile flight to McMurdo.

Access is exclusively by LC-130 Hercules aircraft from McMurdo Station. No roads in or out — none. Civilian access requires NSF authorization or membership in a permitted private polar expedition. If you’re running a traverse on ski or snowmobile, this is the only real waypoint that matters between the coast and the pole.

90°S — the only stop at the bottom of the world.