NEW EXTREMES: THE LUXPEDITION

The modern travel industry increasingly groans with neologisms, with the likes of staycation and babymoon among the more established of irritants. Try this more recent addition for size: the luxpedition.

No longer content to pour money into Maldivian sun loungers, Mediterranean bound superyachts, or the palace hotels of ski resorts such as Courchevel, a growing breed of wealthy traveller is donning their crampons and reaching for new extremes. Boutique operators such as London-based Pelorus put together one-off itineraries in which luxury is more often access than it is Michelinstarred cuisine or sumptuous spas: think climbing giant sequoias with climate change researchers in California, or off-road crossings of Namibia with comfortable tents.

These wealthy adventurers often go in search of bragging rights. The luxury market on Everest is booming as premium operators lay on ‘flash’ expeditions for the time-pressed executive. Last year, clients of Austrian outfit Furtenbach Adventures got to the summit and back in just 23 days, compared to the more typical 65 days. The climbers, who included an automotive consultant and the owner of a solar energy company, had trained in altitude tents that mimic high elevations allowing them to acclimatise before departure.

Base camp on the Tibetan side of Everest is becoming ever more luxurious thanks to road access and demand among this new breed of adventurer for real beds, saunas and opulent dining tents. A Sherpa each has become standard, but these packages don’t come cheap; Furtenbach charged $110,000 (£85,158) for its flash expedition, while Nepali outfit Seven Summit Treks laid on a $130,000 (£100,641) ‘VVIP’ package last year. It included a mid-climb break, via helicopter, at a five-star Kathmandu hotel.

Similarly, Antarctica used to be the preserve of sponsored expeditions by hardy adventurers with beards and frozen toes.

Now anyone can pay to stay in the world’s remotest — and perhaps coldest — luxury hotel. Whichaway Camp, launched in 2016, sits on the edge of the Schirmacher Oasis, five and a half hours by private jet from Cape Town. White Desert, the company that runs the camp, created six pods with en suite bathrooms, set around a dining pod with furlined chairs for meals prepared by its top chef.

Visitors can hike and ski or visit science research bases. A second flight, by propeller plane, reaches an Emperor penguin colony. Or they can fly even further to step onto the South Pole itself for one of the world’s most expensive selfies — week-long trips cost from $92,500 (£71,610) per person.

Earlier this year, I had a taste of this new way of travelling when I joined a London-based Russian businessman on his luxury yacht for a week of ski-mountaineering in Arctic Norway. Andrey Yakunin, a fund manager, spent £8m to build the boat. “I skied in Courchevel years ago and hated it,” he said. And so, Firebird was born. It’s been insulated for the icy fjords, and is soon to take private groups to Svalbard and Antarctica. Chartering it for a week in Norway costs a glacier-cool £47,000, though that does include a mountain guide. pelorusx.com furtenbachadventures.com white-desert.com sevensummittreks.com oysteryachts.com SU