After a quick Twin Otter flight back to Union Glacier Camp, the Mount Vinson team took off on the Russian Ilushyn 76 for Punta Arenas, Chile. Congratulations to our climbers for reaching the highest point in Antarctica at 4,892m / 16,050ft!
Garrett will remain at Union Glacier Camp until the following team arrives from a ski trip to the South Pole. All is well on the ice and we will check in soon!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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On January 7th at around 3pm our Antarctica expedition team summited Mount Vinson! Garrett reported clear skies, hardly any wind and nice temperatures. The whole team had the summit to themselves on this special summit day. Now our team will rest and recover at high camp before making the descent to base camp. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to their return flight back to Union Glacier Camp. Team photos and video will be shared soon!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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Looking out over the Ellsworth Mountains 🙂
On January 7th at around 3pm our Antarctica expedition team summited Mount Vinson! Garrett reported clear skies, hardly any wind and nice temperatures. The whole team had the summit to themselves on this special summit day. Now our team will rest and recover at high camp before making the descent to base camp. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to their return flight back to Union Glacier Camp. Team photos and video will be shared soon!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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Looking out over the Ellsworth Mountains 🙂
Garrett Madison checks in from high camp in Antarctica before our climbing team makes their Mount Vinson summit push! The plan is to leave high camp at around 9am and reach the summit by early afternoon. This final day to the top involves climbing the summit ridge with breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks as well as looking to the horizon of ice as far as the eye can see. Mount Vinson is the highest peak in Antarctica, at 4,892 meters (16,050 ft). Weather report is looking favorable with light cloud cover and low winds, stay tuned!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison:
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After a successful move up to high camp our Mount Vinson team settled into their tents to rest. Beautiful sunny weather being reported with views looking out over the Sentinel Range within the Ellsworth Mountains. The plan is to push for the summit in the next 1-2 days after a rest day for our climbers. Everyone is doing well and excited to make a summit attempt toward the top of Antarctica!
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Audio dispatch by Garrett Madison
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Today our Mount Vinson climbers completed a carry up to high camp where they cached food fuel and equipment for the days to come. Now back at low camp, our team will rest up and prepare to make a full transition to high camp to put themselves in position for a summit attempt. With 24 hours of daylight the amazing views can be seen at any point in the day. Our team is doing great and enjoying their time on the mountain together!
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Audio dispatch by Garrett Madison
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Our Mount Vinson team enjoyed a relaxing rest day today at camp 1 while reviewing the technical climbing skills necessary to move up higher toward the summit. Garrett checks in below via satellite phone (brief disconnection in audio). The weather report is clear skies and low wind across the extreme polar climate of Antarctica. Stay tuned as our climbers prepare for their summit push!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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Our Antarctica expedition team has safely made the ascent to Camp 1 on Mt. Vinson in the Ellsworth mountain range. Mt. Vinson is the highest peak in Antarctica, approx. 600 miles from the South Pole and over 1,200 miles from the beginning of the Antarctic Peninsula. Garrett Madison reports beautiful conditions and a strong team as they move up the mountain. Today our climbers will either have a rest day or complete a carry of supplies and food up higher on the mountain. All is well in Antarctica and our climbers will check in soon!
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Our Mount Vinson climbers left Punta Arenas, Chile and have now arrived to Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica. The Union Glacier Camp is a seasonally occupied research and expedition staging site located in Ellsworth Land in Antarctica. The camp is located in the Heritage Range, south of the Ellsworth Mountains.
Garrett Madison checks in below after a night flight into Union Glacier Camp. The team will now organize their equipment before flying over to Mount Vinson in a couple hours. Our climbers plan to move up to low camp after a couple days of training with favorable weather conditions in the forecasts.
Happy New Years! : )
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Yesterday we left Mount Vinson base camp in the morning and flew by twin otter aircraft to Union Glacier camp, where we waited just a short time until the Ilushin 76 aircraft flew us to Punta Arenas, arriving late in the evening. Currently all members are in Punta Arenas or are enroute home. We have enjoyed 3 spectacular weeks in Antarctica, skiing to the South Pole and then climbing the highest peak on the continent, Mount Vinson, at just over 16,000 feet in elevation. Everyone on our team succeeded in both reaching the South Pole and reaching the summit of Mount Vinson. This has been an awesome journey, a great way to start off 2017! We look forward to repeating this program next season in Antarctica!
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Mt. Vinson Summit
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Antarctica Expedition Team 2017
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Descent on Mount Vinson
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Joel Schauer on the summit of Mount Vinson!
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