Tag Archive for: Union Glacier Camp

See You Soon, Vinson!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive.

The Madison Mountaineering Antarctica season has come to a close after another safe and successful season on the ice! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, checks in with one final dispatch from Antarctica:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team.

Welp, the teams have all concluded their expeditions on Vinson, reaching the summit in great weather! I am back at Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft) just waiting for the next flight out to Punta Arenas, Chile (34m/112ft) on the 757 scheduled for January 14.

It’s nice to be here and wrap up our season! It was a great season here in Antarctica – thanks so much to ALE for all the support. We’re looking forward to returning next year!

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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Departure from Antarctica

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive.

After another successful expedition, our team has packed their bags, loaded the plane, and said their ‘farewells’ to Antarctica! The team had a great time experiencing the remote and pristine nature that comes with this special place, all in while creating lasting memories that we will not soon forget! We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off 2023 than on the ice with friends, new and old. The excitement for the next Antarctica season has already started to build! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, checks in with this departing dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the second Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) team with Conrad Anker – today is Wednesday, January 11th.

The team got down from Mount Vinson High Camp (3536m/11,600ft) yesterday all the way back down to Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft), flew from Base Camp to Union Glacier (700m/2,297ft), and then flew from Union Glacier back to Chile (34m/112ft) – all the way home! So, it was a big day for the team after having summited Mount Vinson the day before, coming all the way down and heading out all in one day!

I’m back at Union Glacier Camp here for a few days sorting gear and equipment, and wrapping up our season here in Antarctica! It’s been a great season and looking forward to coming back to Antarctica next year.

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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Back in Vinson Base Camp!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. Photo: Ted Hesser

The team has arrived back in the comforts of Vinson Base Camp! After another safe and successful climb on the tallest mountain in Antarctica, the team is looking forward to their flight back to Union Glacier and the celebration ahead. As the sun sets on this expedition, another one is on the horizon! Stay tuned for more… Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with todays dispatch from Antarctica:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team – today is January 4th and we have arrived back in Vinson Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft).

We had a great climb of Mount Vinson yesterday – perfect weather, great views all around, the whole team made it to the summit! Today, we’ve arrived back down in Vinson Base Camp and the team is just looking forward to a flight tomorrow or the next day back to Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft), and onwards back home. It’s been a wonderful expedition and I’m very happy that we had great weather and route conditions, and a great team all around!

We’re looking forward to the next climb – should be starting soon! Another trip on Mount Vinson coming up shortly… Stay tuned!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. Photo: Ted Hesser

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. Photo: Ted Hesser

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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Third Vinson team arrives Union Glacier

Boarding the Boeing 757 to Union Glacier, Antarctica (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Moving day!  At long last our triumphant Mount Vinson climbers have returned to Punta Arenas, Chile and our third and final team of the season with guest guide Ed Viesturs have arrived in Union Glacier Camp.  Terray Sylvester has today’s expedition dispatch via sat phone from Antarctica:

Hello, this is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition.  It’s Monday, January 10th.

Our second Mount Vinson summit team flew back to Punta Arenas today and our third team of the season arrived here at Union Glacier.  We had a nice dinner and settled into camp.  Now it’s a beautiful sunny evening and we are just going to bed.  We are looking for continuing on to Vinson Base Camp as soon as possible.

So, we’ll be in touch!

2022.01.05 Vinson team dinner in Punta Arenas

2022.01.05 Vinson team dinner in Punta Arenas

2022.01.05 Vinson team obligatory Punta Arenas photo

2022.01.05 Vinson team obligatory Punta Arenas photo

Ed Viesturs and climber Steve M. studying the Mount Vinson map

Ed Viesturs and climber Steve M. studying the Mount Vinson route

Climber Kristin B. checking for the flight to Union Glacier, Antarctica (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Climber Kristin B. doing the required daily COVID-19 testing in Punta Arenas (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Ed Viesturs and Quazi R. on the bus to the Punta Arenas airport (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Ed Viesturs and Quazi R. on the bus to the Punta Arenas airport (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Climber Eva Z. has her boarding pass and is ready to finally get to Antarctica! (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Climber Eva Z. has her boarding pass and is ready to finally get to Antarctica! (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Climber Quazi R. boarding the Boeing 757 to Union Glacier, Antarctica (2022.01.05 Vinson)

Climber Quazi R. boarding the Boeing 757 to Union Glacier, Antarctica (2022.01.05 Vinson)

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 guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Hanging Tight at Union Glacier

Yet another satellite phone transmission that is incomplete from our team at Union Glacier Camp, but expert guide Terray Sylvester is able to squeeze out a little bit of detail today:

Hello!  This is Terray calling in for the second Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition of the season.  It’s January 7th.

For the last couple of days we’ve been in Union Glacier Camp as we wait for this team’s flight home on the 9th – the flight back to Chile – and our next team to arrive.  So there’s plenty of … [garbled and transmision cuts out] …

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 guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Rest Day at Union Glacier

Another relaxing rest day at Union Glacier Camp in between Mount Vinson climbs.  The climbers from the second team are waiting to catch their flight back to Punta Arenas and the third team is ready to fly into Union Glacier.  Guide, Terray Sylvester, phones in today’s expedition dispatch from Union Glacier Camp, Antarctica:

Hello, this is Terray calling in for the second Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expediton.  It’s Wednesday, January 5th.

Today we woke up to a bit of stormy, cloudy weather.  So, we hunkered down, took hot showers, enjoyed some great meals, and attended a history lecture on the famous polar explorer Ernest Shackleton.  And then in the evening, we watched a movie and stepped outside to see that the skies had cleared.  Antartica has some of the clearest, cleanest air on the planet and of course it is sunny 24 hours a day here.  So we stepped out into bright blue skies with mountains that surround us on both sides and the massive glaciers that pour down between them as well as the flat expansive ice that extends out towards the Weddell Sea to the northeast of us.

Tomorrow we will have a rest day while this group of guests waits for their flights and with luck we will go explore the Drake Icefall, which is a several hundred meter tall icefall just to the west of us.

So, we will be in touch!

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 guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Vinson Team Two back at Union Glacier Camp

Our Mount Vinson team two was able to quickly catch a flight back to Union Glacier Camp right after arriving down at Vinson Base Camp.  Guide Terray Sylvester checks in with the details of the day:

Hello, this is Terray calling in for the second Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition of the season. It’s January 3rd. Today after their successful summit, the team descended the route back to base camp where a Twin Otter was waiting for us and we’re headed directly back to Union Glacier Camp. So, in just about 24 hours after summiting Mount Vinson, we’re were eating a great dinner at the buffet here in Union Glacier Camp – chocolate cake, white fish, and fresh veggies. It tasted great!

Now, our team has dispersed – some of us have headed to bed and others are watching a movie. We will be here for the next few days while we wait for our flights back to the North.

We will be in touch!

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 guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Still Hanging at Union Glacier

Our first Mount Vinson expedition team is waiting out the Mount Vinson base camp weather at Union Glacier camp.  Here’s Garrett with the details:

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:

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

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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All team at Vinson base camp

Vinson Base Camp

After a quick turn at Union Glacier camp, the team flew over to Mount Vinson base camp and got settled in.  Here’s expedition leader Garrett Madison‘s day-end recap via sat phone:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson expedition with Conrad Anker. Today’s Sunday, December 29th and we made it to Vinson base camp!

 

The whole team flew over this evening on the two different flights. We got into Vinson base camp and set up camp. Got all of our tents buffed out and it’s just beautiful weather here at the moment. It’s warm, sunny.

 

Everyone’s doing well, enjoyed a hot drink and went to bed. Looking forward to a great day tomorrow here on Vinson. We’re gonna do some training and go for a short climb up the route.

 

So everyone’s doing well and look forward to checking in soon. Thanks!

(photo:  (c) Santiago Urrutia from the archive)

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:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking maps:

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