Tag Archive for: Union Glacier Camp

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

Today our second Mount Vinson expedition with guest-guide Conrad Anker flew to Antarctica arriving Union Glacier on the Illyshin 76 jet.  Here’s Conrad with today’s kick-off expedition dispatch:

Hello folks, Conrad Anker here at Union Glacier with the Madison Mountaineering V4 team.  We had a successful three days in Punta Arenas.  We went out and had fine food and saw the sights and we’re on schedule – maybe even a little ahead of schedule.  The weather’s good and the team’s all together.

 

It’s a real treat and an honor to be here with Garrett!

(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:

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:

Union Glacier Camp

Our Mount Vinson team #1 is now back at Union Glacier camp and getting ready to return to South America tomorrow.  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, calls in from camp with a recap of the busy day:

Hello. This is Garrett calling for the Mount Vinson expedition team #1. Today is Saturday, December 28th and myself, Bartek, Aga and Motoki have all return back to Union Glacier camp from Mount Vinson.

 

We had a wonderful day. We woke up this morning at Mount Vinson High Camp after our successful summit yesterday. We descended from High Camp all the way down the fixed ropes past Low Camp and down to Vinson base camp. And then a couple of hours later we were met by a Twin Otter aircraft where we boarded and flew back to Union Glacier camp. It was a very scenic flight, great views all around.

 

We had a nice dinner here at Union Glacier camp, and a shower and the climbers are looking forward to the flight out on the Ilyushin 76 jet tomorrow from the Blue Ice Runway back to Punta Arenas. Hopefully, the weather is good and our three climbers will be flying back to Chile and our next group of Mount Vinson climbers, along with guest guide Conrad Anker, will be flying into Union Glacier camp and heading to Mount Vinson.

 

All’s well here in Antarctica.  We will check-in again soon!  Thanks!

(photo:  Madison Mountaineering 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:

Union Glacier Camp

Our final Mount Vinson expedition of the season was able to go all the way from Mount Vinson High Camp to Union Glacier Camp in a day.  Listen in to expedition leader Garrett Madison‘s audio expedition dispatch:

Hello!  This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson expedition with Jim Lumberg and Garrett Madison (in conjunction with PolarExplorers).  Today is January 19th and we have arrived back at Union Glacier Camp.  We had a great summit yesterday on Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.  Today we woke up at High Camp, packed up our camp, descended down to Low Camp, and then all the way to Vinson Base Camp.  We were very fortunate to be met by a Twin Otter aircraft which then shuttled us 45-minutes back to Union Glacier Camp, the main hub here in Antarctica.

 

The plan is that tomorrow we hope to fly out on the llyshun jet back to Punta Arenas, Chile.  Then, in the next few days, be homeward bound.  We were very lucky to get out today from Mount Vinson to Union Glacier.  We are both doing well, just had a great dinner, and looking forward to some much needed rest.

 

Thanks for following along.  We will check in soon.

(photo:  Madison Mountaineering 2019 Mount Vinson team two)

Our Vinson expedition team had a big day today as reported by expedition leader, Garrett Madison:

Hello!  This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson expedition team number two.

 

Today is Friday, January 11th and we have reached Union Glacier camp!  We had a great day descending from our high camp on Mount Vinson all the way down to Vinson base camp.  And then we were picked up by a Twin Otter aircraft and flown back to Union Glacier camp where we all are now tucked into our tents and looking forward to a good night’s rest.

 

The team will be here at Union Glacier camp for a few days until the scheduled flight back to Punta Arenas on the Ilyushin-76 aircraft on January 14th.  So all’s well here, everybody’s doing great.  We had a wonderful summit day, again yesterday.  Everyone made it to the top and down safe and we had wonderful views of Antarctica from the highest point on the continent.

 

Thank so much for following along.

(photo:  Madison Mountaineering archives)