On the third day of their safari, our Kilimanjaro climbers caught sight of the world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah, capable of hitting a top speed of up to 80 miles per hour. The game viewing has just been spectacular. Drew reports:
@drewmaloney A mind blowing morning here in the Serengeti. We saw a male Cheetah kill a Gazelle and now a female Cheetah with her 4 cubs walk right next to our vehicle
Cheetah and cubs with giraffes on the horizon (📷: @drewmaloney)
The safari continues for our Kilimanjaro climbers. This evening they rolled on into the mighty Serengeti. Their words speak for themselves:
@drewmaloneyI have been to Africa countless times and this is my first safari. I am blown away🤯 by the beauty and majesty of the amazing wildlife. Off to the Serengeti today for two nights literally sleeping amongst the lions in tents.
Viewing elephants while on safari (📸: @drewmaloney)
Beautiful safari viewing giraffes and other amazing wildlife (📸: @drewmaloney)
Lending a helping hand to fix a flat on the Serengeti (📸: @drewmaloney)
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:
Still savoring their Kilimanjaro summit success, today our team of Drew and Jordan kicked off their Africa safari! Leaving Arusha they were driven southwest to the Tarangire National Park for some game viewing. Already they are enjoying some elephants and zebra frolicking.
After the Kilimanjaro summit, this incredibly strong team hiked all the way down and out – what a big day! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison calls in from Arusha with all the details:
Hello this is Garrett calling in for the Kilimanjaro dispatch. We got back from the summit late last night after reaching the top at 06:00 am on August 15th. It was a beautiful day, we had the mountain all to ourselves. Stunning views over the Serengeti. Myself, Drew, and his daughter Jordan made it to the top and back down, packed up our camp and just kept going! We got all the way out to the [Mweka] gate and back to Arusha in time for a late dinner.
Tomorrow Drew and Jordan are heading off on safari. It should be a beautiful time on the Serengeti and Ngorongoro game parks – good game viewing.
It’s been a wonderful Kilimanjaro expedition. He are very happy that we got to work with our crew here in Tanzania of porters, cooks, guides, … and support their livelyhood here. They’re just a wonderful group of guys and hopefully we will get to see them again very soon!
Sunrise on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
Beautiful African Sunrise
Happy climbers summit Kilimanjaro
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:
Well, we had a great season in Antarctica this past month. We did two Madison Mountaineering Vinson expedition climbs that were successful: one in late December and one in early January along with co-guide Conrad Anker. And then I stayed down with Conrad and some of his friends came in and we climbed Vinson in a day via a variation of a new route that Conrad had actually climbed 20 years ago: The Central Ice Stream on Mount Vinson.
After that one day ascent, we skied down most of the mountain and then flew over to Mount Tyree, the second-highest mountain in Antarctica. Beautiful location — the valley next to Mount Tyree, which has only been climbed a handful of times. We spent six nights there attempting climb Mount Tyree but did not summit due to very unusual heavy snow conditions and very high avalanche risk up near the summit of Tyree. We got up fairly high but turned around on our summit day due to the unsafe, unstable snow conditions.
Everybody had a great trip. It was a wonderful season in Antarctica, and we just feel so lucky to have been down there with so many great people and very beautiful and surreal natural beauty surrounding.
So, great season and we are looking forward to going back next year. Please contact us if you would like to consider joining one of our Antarctic programs!
Garrett, Conrad Anker, and Jimmy Chin on the summit of Mount Vinson
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 our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020.01-Vinson-Garrett-at-High-Camp.png10001333Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2020-01-23 21:29:242020-01-29 13:31:18Antarctica Season Wrap-up
Here’s Conrad with the final dispatch for the second of our two successful Mount Vinson expeditions for 2019/2020:
Greetings folks, this is Conrad Anker with the final dispatch from Vinson 2020 with Madison Mountaineering. It’s a beautiful sunny day here at Vinson base camp and all the team is safely back at Union Glacier camp. They are awaiting the Ilyushin to fly home.
We’ve had a successful expedition. It wasn’t the best of weather, but, as we well know, the strictest teachers are the best teachers. So, we all came away with knowledge, experience, and newfound friends.
Thanks for listening in. Stay tuned. Talk to you soon. Bye!
(photo: Madison Mountaineering archives)
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:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Union-Glacier-Camp-Conan-Bliss-e1547942697720.jpg16001200Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2020-01-12 21:46:112020-01-12 21:46:11Team returns to Union Glacier and back to Punta Arenas soon
Another day at Vinson base camp where the team is keeping themselves entertained while waiting out a change in the weather that will allow the planes to fly:
Well, we had another nice rest day in Mount Vinson base camp and the weather wasn’t good enough for the Twin Otters to fly from Union Glacier camp. So, we just rested and relaxed here in Vinson base camp.
We had a nice, leisurely pancake breakfast this morning and lounged around this afternoon and had a nice salmon, chicken, asparagus, and risotto dinner here in camp, played some music, and then a few members of our team went off to make a few laps on the ski hill here next to Vinson base camp.
Everyone’s doing well. We’re still savoring our summit success and looking forward to hopefully some good weather tomorrow and getting the team back to Union Glacier and onward back to Punta Arenas, Chile and on to home to family and loved ones.
So, it’s been a great expedition and we’ll keep our fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow. All’s well here at Vinson base camp. We’ll check in soon. Thanks!
(photo: Madison Mountaineering archives)
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:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2053-credit-Conan-Bliss-1.jpg12001600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2020-01-11 03:17:482020-01-11 03:17:48Another day at Vinson base camp
The team is at Vinson base camp waiting for good flying conditions so they can get back to Union Glacier camp. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides today’s expedition dispatch:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson expedition climb with Conrad Anker. Today, January 9th, we had a rest day in Mount Vinson base camp.
We were hoping for good weather and good flying conditions so that the Twin Otters could come from Union Glacier to Vinson and pick up our climbing team to return everyone back to Union Glacier camp but it was foggy here at Vinson base camp. So, instead we relaxed and orginized gear.
We had a nice breakfast and then this evening had a fun team dinner and then after dinner Conrad Anker gave a lecture on the discovery of George Mallory on Mount Everest and his 1999 expedition where they found George Mallory on the north side of Everest and also recounted the 2007 recreation of the Mallory and Irvine climb with period specific clothing and equipment. It was a fun day and a fun evening here at Vinson base camp. We had a couple of other teams join us for the lecture and now we’re off to bed.
Hopefully on January 10th we’ll have clear skys and good flying conditions so that our climbers can get back to Union Glacier camp and then hopeful catch the Ilyushin jet which is now scheduled for the 11th back to Punta Arenas. But, all’s well here. We’ve had a full value expedition.
Everyone’s doing well and in good spirits and we’ll check-in tomorrow. Thanks!
(photo: Madison Mountaineering December 2019 Vinson team #1)
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:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PHOTO-2019-12-30-07-47-02-2.jpg12001600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2020-01-10 04:30:412020-01-10 04:30:41Waiting for good flying conditions
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:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cdv_photo_002.jpg300300Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2020-01-09 01:22:002020-01-09 01:22:00Down to Vinson base camp
Today the Vinson team bided their time at High Camp waiting for the weather to clear. Conrad Anker provides a recap of the day and the plan for tomorrow in this sat phone dispatch:
Greetings folks, this is Conrad Anker from Vinson High Camp. It’s the 7th of January, 2020.
Well, the weather gods, we like them, we honor them, we respect them. After our 15-hour window of good weather where we had the majority of our team make the summit, it came in fast and furious. It was blowing wet snow coming in off the Amundsen Sea. So, we did the right thing, which was to hibernate, sit in our tents, and not go down the ropes, seeing as it was, we could barely see across camp.
It’s about 9 o’clock in the evening here local and it’s calm and clear. Well, it’s clear – it’s still blowing. But relatively calm after these last few days of a steady 20 knots to 25 knots of wind coming from the east. So, it’s looking good.
The team is out breaking their tents out of the snow that has kind of cemented them in and getting them ready. We are going to wake up early tomorrow and get down to advanced camp, the Low Camp and then from there head to Vinson base camp. And, weather permitting, we’ll catch our Twin Otter flights to Union Glacier.
And for the team of V4, we’ve had a wonderful time, we’ve made new friends, we’ve experienced the highs and lows that Antarctica has to offer. Pretty much the consensus over our humble fare this evening as we had dinner was that the trying and challenging trips are the ones that leave a lasting memory. So, we’re coming home with lots of memories and we’re thankful to all of you out there in the far reaches of the world that tune in and listen to us.
So, this is Garrett and Conrad signing off. Be well. Talk to you tomorrow.
(photo: Madison Mountaineering December 2019 Team #1)
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:
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PHOTO-2019-12-30-07-47-03.jpg12001600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2020-01-08 00:52:402020-01-08 00:52:40Vinson team ready to head down to base camp tomorrow
