We are at Low Camp on Mount Vinson, and our plan is to head up to High Camp (3536m/11,600ft) tomorrow if the weather is good. We’re about ready to get to bed here for a good night’s rest. And then, tomorrow, wake up, have breakfast, and take a look at the weather. If it’s good, we’ll head up to High Camp.
All’s well here on Vinson. Have a wonderful Christmas Day! We’ll check in soon.
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_4247-credit-Fon-Winsor-Clive.png10001334Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2021-12-26 02:40:112021-12-26 04:36:46Merry Christmas from the Slopes of Mount Vinson!
Our second Mount Vinson team arrived at the jump-off city of Punta Arenas, Chile, and are making their preparations, getting ready to fly to Union Glacier, Antarctica in a few days. Terray Sylvester provides the first expedition dispatch:
Hello, this is Terray calling in for the second Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition. The whole team arrived today here in Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan. It’s a beautiful Christmas day, a beautiful mid-summer warm Christmas day here, light until past 9 o’clock.
We had a nice dinner and we’ll be there for a few days while we wait for our flight to Antarctica. Merry Christmas!!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/PHOTO-2021-12-25-16-50-05.jpg6711600Kurthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgKurt2021-12-26 00:54:372021-12-26 04:11:05Vinson Team Two Arrives Punta Arenas
Today our Mount Vinson team one moved into their Christmas location of Low Camp on Mount Vinson. Meanwhile, in Punta Arenas, Chile, our Mount Vinson team two arrived and will spend the next few days preparing for their flight to Union Glacier, Antarctica. Here’s Garrett via sat phone with the recap of the day on Mount Vinson:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team. It’s Christmas Eve, December 24th here and we climbed up from Vinson Base Camp to Low Camp today on Mount Vinson.
We left base camp mid-day after packing up and caching our gear. We climbed about eight hours up to Low Camp (or Camp 1) on Vinson. We had nice weather, it was a little blustery and snowy starting out for the first few hours and then the wind let up a little bit and we actually got a little sun up here at Low Camp and had a Christmas Eve dinner. We had some salmon, some mixed vegetables, some empanadas, and some mangos and chocolates for dessert. It was a fun evening. We’re glad to be up here at Low Camp. It was a long and tiring day but we’re feeling good and we’re looking forward to a rest day tomorrow on Christmas Day.
All’s well here at Low Camp on Mount Vinson. We’ll check in soon and happy Christmas Eve to everyone out there!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
Our first Mount Vinson team of the season has flown from Union Glacier Camp to Mount Vinson Base Camp and made their carry towards Low Camp. Expedition leader Garrett Madison provides the day’s dispatch via satellite phone:
Hello. This is Garrett calling for the Mount Vinson expedition team. Today is Wednesday, December 22nd and we are in Vinson base camp.
We arrived late last night just before midnight on our flight from Union Glacier Camp and we set up tents and moved in. Today we got up, had breakfast, and did a carry up halfway to Camp 1. We carried up food and fuel and some other gear and cached it about halfway from base camp to Camp 1. We got back to base camp, had dinner, and are just getting tucked in for bed.
We’re doing well here. A little marginal weather at the moment, a bit stormy. But we’re hoping it will clear out in the next day or two and we can resume heading back up the mountain – hopefully, get up to low camp and focus on getting to high camp.
All’s well here at Vinson base camp and we’ll check in soon. Thanks!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/IMG_1260.jpg10951280Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2021-12-23 00:22:582021-12-23 01:00:58Vinson Base Camp and Carry Completed
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team.
Today is Monday December 20th and we are still at Union Glacier camp. No one is flying out of Union Glacier camp for a few days to Vinson because of the bad weather at Vinson base camp, but we’re doing well here. We’re eating lots of good food and resting and getting organized. Excited to fly over there to start climbing Vinson when the weather cooperates. But until then will just keep hanging out here eating well.
All is well and we’ll check in soon! Thanks!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_0207-scaled.jpg25601920Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2021-12-21 02:06:242021-12-21 02:56:54Still Hanging at Union Glacier
The team for our first Mount Vinson expedition of the season has arrived at Union Glacier camp in Antarctica and is getting things ready for the flight to Mount Vinson base camp. Here’s Garrett with the details:
Hello. This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition. This is the first expedition on Mount Vinson for our season here in Antarctica and yesterday we flew in from Punta Arenas, Chile to Union Glacier camp in Antarctica.
Right now we are in Union Glacier camp, just had a nice dinner. Good day here organizing our gear, and we’re hoping to fly to Mount Vinson tomorrow if the weather is good. But we’re not quite sure. It’s a little foggy and cloudy over at Mount Vinson base camp. So not flying at the moment.
We’re hoping we’ll get an opportunity here in the next few days and be able to get over there and start climbing. We’re really happy to be here in Antarctica and having a good time here, just relaxing and enjoying the sites at Union Glacier camp and all is well.
So we’ll check in soon. Thanks!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Aerial-View-of-UG-c-Russ-Hepburn.jpg498747Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2021-12-20 02:10:472021-12-21 03:03:25Vinson Team One at Union Glacier, Antarctica
Our first Mount Vinson expedition of the season is just boarding their flight to Antarctica from Punta Arenas, Chile. Here’s expedition leader Garrett Madison with the details:
Hey! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Vinson expedition – our first one of the season. We are flight to Antarctica! We just getting ready to board the Boeing 757 jet here in Punta Arenas. We are taking off in about a half an hour and we’ll fly for four and a half hours over the Drake Passage to Union Glacier camp in Antarctica, where we’ll spend a couple of nights and then fly over to Vinson base camp and start our climb.
So, we’re very excited that everything’s on schedule here – we’ve got good weather and we’re looking forward to getting to Vinson! All’s well here and we’ll check-in soon!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
Our Mount Vinson season has kicked off with our first wave of climbers arriving in the historic jump-off city of Punta Arenas, Chile – the largest city south of 46 degrees south. Here’s expedition leader Garrett Madison with today’s expedition dispatch:
We’re getting ready for our flight on Saturday to Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica. After that, we’ve two more Mount Vinson expedition teams. Hoping for a great season with lots of good weather and great views of the Antarctic continent and Ellsworth mountain range.
Just looking forward to getting down to Antarctica after last year not being able to travel here due to the pandemic, so we’re very thankful and fortunate that we can be here and soon heading to Antarctica. So, we’ve been enjoying Punta Arenas, seeing the sites here in town, having some great meals, and looking forward to getting our expedition underway.
All’s well here in Punta Arenas, Chile. We’ll check in soon. Thanks!
Checking out the Mount Vinson route!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
With a beautiful summit day, our team topped out on Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus, this morning. Here is Garrett Madison with a recap of this quick climb:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Elbrus climb. Today is Friday, September 10th and we had a perfect summit day on Mount Elbrus.
We were blessed with beautiful conditions, couldn’t have been a better day. No winds, no clouds in the sky and good route conditions. Chase and I got up to the summit with our Russian guide, George around 7:00am and had it all to ourselves for a little while. We took some photos and admired the views and made it back down to our high camp and then descended all the way back down to Terskol and Cheget, where we had a celebration dinner with our group and another group that we summited with today.
It’s been a great climb here on Mount Elbrus, a very quick climb. Normally we spend a few days here, acclimatizing here at the Terskol/Cheget area and also up on Elbrus at the high camp. But due to the weather, we knew today was the good day, and we had to go for it. So, we took advantage of the good weather and did a quick climb and got lucky with a beautiful summit.
So, we’re going to rest here a couple of days, do some fun activities and then head off to our next mountain, Dykh-Tau in the Bezengi base area, not to far from here.
The view of Mount Elbrus’s twin peaks from the high huts
Sunrise on Russia’s Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest mountain
Perfect summit day on Mount Elbrus!
At the Mount Elbrus summit with Chase and our Russian guide George
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PHOTO-2021-09-10-10-37-01.jpg1024835Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2021-09-10 17:38:222021-09-10 18:24:51Beautiful summit day on Mount Elbrus
Our 2021 Russian adventure is in full swing. Garrett Madison and team member Chase M. are in position for their summit attempt on Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus starting in just 11 hours:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in from Mount Elbrus, Russia – highest mountain in Europe!
Chase and I arrived here on Mount Elbrus and we’re up here at the mountain huts at 3800m. Looks like the weather is going to be great tomorrow. And then after that, a few days of snow and high wind – some stormy weather. So, we are going to go for our summit push tomorrow morning. Just a short trip up here, hopefully good weather. If we can’t get up tomorrow, we’ll rest a few days, let the storm pass, and then go for the summit next week.
At the moment, it looks like good weather tonight and tomorrow, so we’re going to go for it – fingers crossed for calm winds. We are looking forward getting up to the highest point in Europe (5685m / 18,650ft).
We will check-in soon!
The view of the Baksan Valley from the slopes of Mount Elbrus
The twin peaks of Europe’s highest point, Mount Elbrus in Russia.
Enjoying the high camp huts on Mount Elbrus
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“
