Down to Vinson base camp
The team is now safely down to Vinson base camp and Conrad Anker reports on the day in this expedition dispatch:
Greetings sports fans! This is Conrad calling from Vinson base camp. It’s the 8th of January 2020. What a way to start this fresh, new decade. We’re all back here after a wonderful and adventurious and trying expedition to the summit of Antarctica, Vinson Massif.
We had bad weather and a couple clear windows and today we started out at about 6am in a blizzard and we had to pack up camp, and head down to Low Camp, and then all the way back to Vinson base camp. The team was really excited for everything that went on.
What we have now at Vinson base camp is probably about 45 climbers that are all backlogged hoping to get out on a flight tomorrow. But it’s been foggy and no flights here for the last week to get to Union Glacier, all be it with weather in the mountains. But our team was happy to have spent six nights at High Camp inside a small tent that turned into a Top Raman sauna everytime we cooked.
Taking our changes on less then optimal weather and getting shut down and then coming back to wake up on a beatiful crystal clear day and getting the summit. So that’s what you come to expeditons for is to challange yourself, to make new friends, to be in scene places, and maybe have a laugh along the way.
For all of us here a big shout out especialliy to Roxy – yup that’s her – for her Seven Summits success and everyone else on the team. So wishing you all the best. Take care and stay tuned. Bye
By the way, it’s not too early to start making your plans to join us on Mount Vinson for the 2020/2021 season next December! Contact our office for details.
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow the teams as they make their attempts to summit the highest mountain in Antarctica on:
– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:
- Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates
– Instagram:
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