Tag Archive for: South America

Bolivia expedition wrap up

Pequeño Alpamayo summit photo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

The climbing has come to it’s conclusion in Bolivia for the Madison Mountaineering expedition team after a successful summit on Pequeño Alpamayo! This expedition had it all, from cultural and culinary experiences to technical climbing on a Bolivian classic, which made for an epic combination.

Despite challenging route conditions, our team was able to safely persevere on their way towards the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo. After a short rest in La Paz, the team directed their attention towards their next objective: a climb up the French Route of Huayna Potosí’s East Face. This route involves navigating crevasses on the approach to the route, climbing up to 55 degrees, and possible cornices as you near the summit. After an early morning alpine start, our team made the difficult, but prudent decision to turn around after facing challenging conditions on the glacier.

Happy and satisfied with the expedition behind them, our team has returned to La Paz and gone their separate ways with plans to climb again in the future. Most importantly, everyone is back safe with memories to take home from a successful expedition and dreams of the future climbing to come!

Climber, Stephane Mayer and guide, Estalin Suárez after a successful summit of Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Climber, Stephane Mayer and guide, Estalin Suárez after a successful summit of Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Cordillera Real of Bolivia (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Cordillera Real of Bolivia (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Climber, Stephane Mayer rappelling down Pequeño Alpamayo after successfully reaching the summit! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Climber, Stephane Mayer rappelling down Pequeño Alpamayo after successfully reaching the summit! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Summit push on Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Summit push on Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Nearing the summit Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Nearing the summit Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Under the night sky in Bolivia's Cordillera Real. (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Under the night sky in Bolivia’s Cordillera Real. (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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One summit down… One to go!

Climber, Stephane Mayer on the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

With one summit down and one to go, the Madison Mountaineering Bolivia expedition is going excellent so far! In the last few days, our team reached the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo under beautiful, clear-blue skies and with great climbing conditions! After returning to La Paz, the team is set to depart for their next objective, Huayna Potosí. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Bolivia:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Bolivia expedition – today is September 23rd. Yesterday we summit Pequeño Alpamayo! After the night, we went back to La Paz. Just a great, great day – it was a beautiful day, clear skies! It was great climbing.

At the moment we are getting ready to go to Huayna Potosí! This is going to be our last climb.

I left you a couple of pictures of our days in the Kunturiri area with the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo. Stay tuned – bye!

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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Climbing in the Kunturiri!

The team hiking along with Lake Titicaca behind! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

The team enjoyed their last day of acclimatization and sight-seeing before they depart for the mountains tomorrow! Another magnificent lake day with views and tasty meals have the team feeling strong, relaxed, and ready to go. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez, checks in with this dispatch from La Paz before tomorrows journey takes them into the the Kunturiri:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Bolivia expedition. Today is September 19th – another great day in Bolivia! Today we visited the Island of the Moon, did a short hike there and visited ruins on the island. After that we went back to Copacabana, which is the main town there, and had a great lunch!

After that, we drove back to La Paz. Now we are just resting. Tomorrow, we are going to the area of Kunturiri where there are a couple mountains that we are going to climb. Hopefully the weather will help us a little bit! We are motivated to climb those mountains, so tomorrow we are going to leave more or less, 9:00 AM and will be in the mountains for about five days.

We are not going to be in contact in the next days, but hope everything goes very well and to come back with great news and summits! Stay tuned… Bye!

The Island of the Moon (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

The Island of the Moon (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Visiting ruins on the Island of the Moon! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Visiting ruins on the Island of the Moon! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Climber, Stephane Mayer taking in views of lake Titicaca! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Climber, Stephane Mayer taking in views of lake Titicaca! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Exploring Lake Titicaca!

Views from today's adventures around Lake Titicaca! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

The Madison Mountaineering Bolivia expedition team spent the day venturing around Bolivias’ beautiful Lake Titicaca! First by car, the team drove to Copacabana for site seeing before boarding their private boat towards Isla del Sol! They enjoyed a delicious lunch of local cuisine upon their arrival, fueling the rest of the day for a visit to Temple del Sol, which translates to “Temple of the Sun,” and the hike to their lodge where they watched the sunset over Lake Titicaca. Expedition Leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Bolivia:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Bolivia expedition – today is September 18th!

We started early in the morning from La Paz, drove for about three and a half hours to Copacabana, which is the city located right there on the Titicaca Lake. The first thing that we did was visit the (Mount) Calvario, which is a small peak that’s almost 4,000 meters located just in the sight of Copacabana. This is a very special place for the locals because on top, there are some shamans. The local people are going there if they need to clean the body from bad energies – there are shamans there who can help them. Also, if you have a wish for the future that you want to have, he’ll bless you to give you luck to get all that you wish. It’s very interesting because they mix different cultures and religions – Catholic and the ancestral traditions from the local people.

After that we took our private boat to Isla del Sol where the local people were waiting for us to have a really good lunch – local dish! Then we visited the Temple del Sol. In the afternoon we did a hike to our lodge, which is a really beautiful lodge where we watched the sunset here in Titicaca Lake.

Well, it was a really beautiful, beautiful day with amazing views! The landscape is really beautiful. It was our first day for acclimatizing and tomorrow we will visit a different island, and back to La Paz.

Stay tuned – bye!

Hiking under beautiful, clear-blue skies! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Hiking under beautiful, clear-blue skies! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Lunch is served! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Lunch is served! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Beautiful views from the days lunch spot! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Beautiful views from the days lunch spot! (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Sunset over Lake Titicaca (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

Sunset over Lake Titicaca (Photo: Estalin Suárez)

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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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2023 Bolivia Expedition is Underway!

The Madison Mountaineering team touring the city of La Paz!

Hello, from Bolivia! This custom expedition is off to a beautiful start in La Paz! After getting settled into our team hotel in the bustling city center, we ventured out taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the starting point for this special trip. Towering peaks look over the city from afar – a taste of whats to come!

With some acclimatization in the days ahead, our team will then set forth on technical climbing routes for what’s sure to be a fun and exciting adventure! Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from La Paz:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Bolivia expedition. Today is September 17 and Stephane, Patricia and I just arrived in La Paz (3640m/11,942ft)! After a couple hours of resting, we did a short tour around La Paz – mostly in the center of La Paz.

Now, everybody is resting after a nice dinner and getting ready for tomorrow which is going to be our first day in Titicaca Lake (3812m/12,507ft). Stay tuned – bye!

Towering peaks watching from afar over the city streets. Photo: Estalin Suárez

Towering peaks watching from afar over the city streets. Photo: Estalin Suárez

The streets of La Paz! Photo: Estalin Suárez

The streets of La Paz! Photo: Estalin Suárez

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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Pre-Departure Day!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive.

Our bags are packed and we’re jonesing to get this expedition going! With good weather tomorrow, our team expects to depart from Chile en route to Union Glacier, Antarctica. The team plans to spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying a nice dinner this evening, before their expedition begins on the ice! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with todays pre-departure dispatch from Punta Arenas:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition. We are in Punta Arenas (34m/112ft); just got all of our luggage checked in for our flight to Antarctica and fingers crossed we’ll be flying out tomorrow morning from Chile to Antarctica! So, we’re really excited to go out and have a nice dinner tonight and the expectation of a flight tomorrow.

So, we’re ready to go! Can’t wait to get down there and start our climb 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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Mount Vinson Expedition Kickoff!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive.

The 2022 / 2023 Mount Vinson season is underway for the first of two, Madison Mountaineering teams! Our team has arrived in Chile where they’ll spend the coming days preparing to depart on their expedition to one of the most remote and pristine places on Earth. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with todays dispatch from Punta Arenas, Chile:

Hello, this is Garrett checking in for the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team! We are in Punta Arenas (34m/112ft), Chile and we are preparing to head to Antarctica the day after tomorrow. We’ve been doing our gear checks, packing up last minute items, and I’m very excited! Fingers crossed for good weather. Hopefully we will get to fly to Antarctica on Thursday, and start our expedition to the highest peak in an Antarctica!

Please follow along on the dispatch page, I’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:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Aconcagua Summit!

Happy team on the summit!

Congratulations to our Aconcagua team members that stood on the summit of South America yesterday! At 6961m / 22,837 ft., Aconcagua is the highest point in both the Western and Southern hemispheres.  They made quick work of climbing up from Plaza Argentina base camp on 12/18 through camps 1, 2, and 3.

Today they made the descent from high camp (5989m / 19,650ft) to Plaza de Mulas base camp (4367m / 14,327ft).  Everyone is safely off the mountain and looking forward to hiking down the Horcones valley tomorrow to the end of the trail and back to civilization with cold drinks and warm showers!

We will have more pictures and details soon.  Merry Christmas to all!

Happy team on the summit!

Happy team on the summit!

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Plaza Argentina Base Camp

Team at Plaza Argentina Base Camp

Yesterday the Aconcagua team arrived at Plaza Argentine base camp after a three-day trek in from the trailhead.  Their first segment from the Punta de Vacas trailhead (2415m / 7,900ft) covered 7.85 miles and gained 2,091 ft. of elevation gain to the first camp, Las Lenas.  On the second trekking day, they continued 9.43 miles up the Vacas valley from Las Lenas (2864m / 9,400ft) to the beautiful riverside camp of Casa de Piedra (3245m / 10,650ft), gaining another 1,721 ft. of elevation, where they enjoyed their first views of the Aconcagua peak.  The third and final trekking day to Plaza Argentina base camp left Casa de Piedra camp and headed west, first crossing the chilly morning waters of the Vacas river, then proceeding along the Relinchos river for 7 miles gaining 3,360 ft. of elevation.

The team is now enjoying the comforts of the well-appointed base camp, including three meals a day in a dining tent with tables, chairs, plates, and silverware.  Ah, luxury!

With the base camp trekking complete, the team transitions into the climbing phase of the expedition.  They are making preparations for the first carry of supplies and gear to cache at Camp 1.  On these “double carry” moves, the team first carries loads up to the next camp, places in the cache and then descend back down to the previous camp for the night.  The following day, they move up to the next camp with the remainder of their gear.

Our mule support team will transport the team’s trekking specific duffels of gear back to the Punta de Vacas trailhead and then up the Horcones valley to meet them at the Plaza de Mulas base camp on the far side of the mountain when they descend.

As the team moves up on the climb, communications will be very limited and it’s possible that we will not have another update from them until they descent to Plaza de Mulas.

Team at Plaza Argentina Base Camp (4200m/13,780ft)

 

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Aconcagua climbers complete carry to Camp 1

Today our Aconcagua climbers finished their first carry up to Camp 1 at an elevation of 16,100′, spending 5 hours on the way up and 3 back down towards base camp. The conditions have been beautiful with blue skies as our team moved gear and food up the mountain.

The plan is to climb to Camp 1 and sleep there tonight and then carry a load tomorrow to Camp 2. The following day we plan to move to Camp 2 and then evaluate the weather forecast. If all looks good we will carry a load to camp 3, then climb to camp 3 and sleep, going for the summit the following day.

To see our teams detailed itinerary for getting to the top visit our page here!

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Aconcagua climbers

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Aconcagua climbers

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Aconcagua climbers

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