bitcoin++ will take 22 developers to Antarctica for a cold storage conference in 2028
A bitcoin conference is heading to the coldest venue it can find. bitcoin++ has announced Antarctica: Cold Storage Edition, a technical conference aboard an expedition ship that departs Ushuaia, Argentina, on 24 January 2028 and returns on 5 February, with just 22 places on offer.
The name plays on bitcoin's cold storage, the practice of holding keys offline. The organisers describe the trip as a way to take the conversation somewhere colder, with room for discussions that would otherwise fit into a hallway. The crossing follows the Drake Passage to the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, with possible stops including Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay, Port Lockroy and the Lemaire Channel. The trip's website lists kayaking, camping, hiking, snowshoeing and Zodiac outings among possible activities, and notes that weather, ice and expedition decisions determine where the ship lands.
The conference follows an unconference format, with attendees proposing the talks, demos and discussions. The ship will carry Starlink connectivity and a private room for impromptu hackathons and working sessions. The 13-day, 12-night trip explores the Antarctic Peninsula, not the geographic South Pole.
Fares are quoted in US dollars per person, from $14,900 in a four-person cabin to $16,700 in a two-person cabin, and can be paid in five equal instalments or in full at signup. Paying the full fare in bitcoin cuts the cost by 5%. Parkas are included; medical, evacuation and repatriation insurance is required and bought separately. The final payment is due 1 October 2027, and sponsors can place their brands on the expedition parkas for $5,000 to $25,000, each covering about 22 parkas.
bitcoin++ runs technical conferences, workshops and hackathons for bitcoin developers, with some 20 archived editions since the series began in Austin in 2022, including Berlin, Florianópolis, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Riga, Istanbul, Taipei, Las Vegas, Vienna, Nairobi, Toronto and Seoul. Its next conference, bitcoin++ Seoul, privacy edition, takes place on 5 and 6 November 2026.
