Tag Archive for: Vinson Base Camp

To the summit and back to base camp!

Summit photo on top of Mount Vinson!

We’re excited to share that the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has safely and successfully climbed to the highest point in Antarctica, and descended all the way back down to their base camp in the same day! A strong team that brought the excitement all expedition, the team is now enjoying the comforts of their base camp and celebrating their achievement of climbing one of the famed seven summits, Mount Vinson! Congratulations to the entire team on a hard fought and well earned summit, and to all of our climbers this last season. It was another year for the books with 100% of our climbers and guides reaching the top! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition. This is our last trip of the season and we all summited Mount Vinson yesterday!

We had a beautiful summit day, perfect weather, and just wonderful route conditions all around. We climbed about six hours from high camp up to the summit, spent a good 45 minutes up there celebrating, enjoying the views, and then came all the way back down to high camp (3536m/11,600ft), and kept going! We packed up our camp and went all the way down to base camp (2140m/7,020ft)! Very strong crew and we just got down to base camp early this morning. We’re going to get a little rest and hopefully the planes will start flying later today and we’ll get back to Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft)!

All is well here – 100% success for this Vinson expedition and all three of our Vinson expeditions this season! So, big congrats to all of our climbers on all of our teams. (We’re) very happy to be here in Antarctica and looking forward to next season!

Climbing up high on Mount Vinson!

Climbing up high on Mount Vinson!

Beautiful, blue sky day in Antarctica!

Beautiful, blue sky day in Antarctica!

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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Vinson Low Camp

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive.

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team is patiently waiting in low camp to make the move up to their high camp, while high winds scour the summit. The team is staying busy and keeping spirits high by conducting technical trainings around camp, eating warm, nutritious meals, and enjoying each others company in this otherworldly place! With good weather ahead, the team looks to continue their climb up the fixed lines en route to high camp in the next few days. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson low camp:

Hey! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition climb, the last Mount Vinson climb of the season.

We’re up here at low camp (2774m/9,100ft). We had a good climb up from base camp (2140m/7,020ft) the other day and settling in here at low camp, resting, doing some training. It looks like high winds up high at the summit in the forecast, so we’re just waiting and watching the weather, hoping to move up to high camp (3536m/11,600ft) potentially tomorrow or the next day and then get into position for a summit attempt.

Everyone’s (garbled) here in Antarctica. Lots of mountains, great views, great times with good people! So, we’re doing well, we’re staying warm, well fed and good spirits! (We’re) looking forward to the days ahead and getting up higher on Mount Vinson! 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:

– 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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Made it to Vinson Base Camp!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive.

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has finally arrived in Vinson Base Camp! After challenging flying conditions delayed the teams arrival, we finally boarded the plane en route to the destination where we begin our climb. Everyone is psyched to make this move and to step foot on the mountain! Today, they make their move up to low camp. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Antarctica:

Hey! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering team, Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) number 5!

We arrived at Vinson Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft) last night, set up camp, settled in, had a good dinner and a good nights rest. Today, we are heading up to low camp (2774m/9,100ft) to begin our climb. Fingers crossed for good weather! If the forecast works out, maybe we’ll get an opportunity to summit on Friday or Saturday.

Everyone’s very excited to be here! We’re doing great and we’re excited for the climb ahead. 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:

– 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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100% Summit Success on Vinson!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive.

It comes with great pleasure to share that all members of the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team reached the roof of Antarctica today! Under blue skies and with excellent views of the surrounding Antarctic expanse, our team walked together up the final ridge on their way towards the top. Coming together on the summit, all nine climbers embraced with hugs, high-fives, and a birthday celebration for one of our team members, Alina! Now safely back in high camp, the team will get some rest before packing up and heading back down to base camp tomorrow. Awesome work, team! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson high camp:

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

We are back in high camp (3536m/11,600ft) after a successful summit today on January 8th, 100 % success! Everyone in our team of seven climbers, two guides made the summit. It was awesome! We had great weather, epic views, and a big celebration on the top. One of our members, Alina had a birthday today, so we sang her a happy birthday on the summit! We took lots of photos and videos and got back down here in high camp.

Winds are picking up, it’s storming a little bit. It’s supposed to storm more tomorrow, so we are going to pack up and head down first thing tomorrow and get down to base camp (2140m/7,020ft). So everyone is doing well and we will check in soon!

# Name Country
1 Garrett Madison United States
2 Benjamin “Benny” Lieber United States
3 Matthew Newton Australia
4 Alina Pekova Russia
5 Asad Memon Pakistan
6 Justin Barron United States
7 Putri Handayani Indonesia
8 Bart Heijermans Netherlands
9 Famke Heijermans Netherlands

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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Another Vinson climb is underway!

Hello, from Vinson Base Camp!

The Madison Mountaineering team is back at it again on the highest peak in Antarctica, Mount Vinson! After some delays due to weather, the team boarded their flight en route to their base camp which presented otherworldly views of the frozen continent. Now ready to begin their climb, the team is psyched and ready to go! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! It’s Saturday, January 4th, 2025. Happy New Year, everyone! This is Garrett Madison calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team.

We have arrived in Mount Vinson base camp (2140m/7,020ft)! After a delay due to some foggy weather, the twin otter took us from Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft) today over to Mount Vinson base camp. It was a beautiful, scenic flight. We saw many beautiful mountains along the way, many unclimbed peaks, and vast expanses of Antarctic ice.

Upon arriving in base camp, we unloaded the twin otter, set up our camp, moved into our tents, cooked a fun dinner with pepperoni pizza, empanadas, green beans and french fries! We’re just having some hot drinks now before heading to bed.

Tomorrow, our plan is to pack up and move up to low camp (2774m/9,100ft)! It looks like some good weather in the forecast, so we’re excited to get the climb underway. All is well here at Mount Vinson!

Settled into Base Camp!

Settled into Base Camp!

On the flight from Union Glacier Camp to Vinson Base Camp!

On the flight from Union Glacier Camp to Vinson Base Camp!

Blue skies and all smiles for the team in Antarctica!

Blue skies and all smiles for the team in Antarctica!

Biking around Union Glacier Camp a few days back.

Biking around Union Glacier Camp a few days back.

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 Low Camp

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Ted Hesser)

Despite clouds in the sky, the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team’s spirits did not waver! The team left the comforts of their base camp today and set forth up the Branscomb Glacier to their low camp. After setting up camp and eating a warm dinner, the team crawled into their tents for the night and are looking forward to a day of rest and training tomorrow! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Antarctica:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team. We made it up to low camp (2774m/9,100ft) today! We set off from base camp (2140m/7,020ft) around noon and climbed up. It was a cloudy day, but nice and cool. We got into low camp this evening, pitched our tents, and made some dinner. Now we’re tucking in for bed! It’s a little stormy up here – windy and cloudy with some snowfall. But it’s nice, it’s a good mountain storm.

We’re doing well! We’re just tucked in, we’re going to take a rest day tomorrow and do some training. The team’s doing well and we’re really excited to be here on Mount Vinson. We’re looking forward to the next few days. 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:

– 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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Another Vinson Expedition Underway!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Ted Hesser)

The final Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition of the season is off in Antarctica! The team has arrived in Vinson base camp after several days spent in Union Glacier Camp. When the skies cleared and allowed them to fly to their next camp, the team was gifted with spectacular views looking down on Antarctica below and the many mountains in all directions. With good weather ahead, the team plans to start their ascent on Antarctica’s highest peak! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Antarctica:

Hey! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition number three – last one of the season! Today we arrived in Mount Vinson base camp (2140m/7,020ft) after a couple of days delay at Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft). We finally had good weather to fly in by twin otter with the team and arrived at Mount Vinson. It was a beautiful flight over, clear views, great views of mountains all around Antarctica, and now we’re reunited with my colleague/co-guide, Benny Lieber. So, happy to have the team together.

We got our camp set up and did some training today, some review, and organized our group loads. We’re getting ready to move up to low camp (2774m/9,100ft) tomorrow assuming it’s good weather. (There’s) a little bit of wind in the forecast the next few days, but hopefully not enough to prevent us from moving up!

Everyone’s doing great! We’re really happy and excited to be here, and looking forward to getting our final expedition here of the season in Antarctica underway! All is well 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:

– 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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Up to Low Camp!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Ted Hesser)

After arriving in base camp the day prior, the team wasted no time on their move up Mount Vinson! From their base camp, the team heads up the Branscomb Glacier, having to navigate some crevassing along the way before reaching low camp. After assembling camp, the team refueled with a nice dinner all together. With more good weather in the coming days, the team will continue their ascent of Antarctica’s highest peak. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team. We are up at low camp (2774m/9,100ft). We had a great day climbing from Vinson Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft) up to low camp. We were in the clouds part of the day, but then the clouds parted! So we got some nice views of Mount Vinson and the surrounding peaks: Mount Shinn (4661m/15,292ft) and Mount Epperly (4359m/14,301ft).

We made  good time getting up here to low camp and then built our camp, set up our own kitchen tent. We had a nice dinner: some sausages, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, and a little chocolate and pineapple for dessert.

So everyone is doing great. There’s good weather here, very calm and (garbled).

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 #2

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team arrived in base camp after a few days of anticipation while they waited out the weather in Union Glacier Camp! After touching down in the Ellsworth Mountain Range, the team excitedly got settled into their camp, ate dinner, and prepared for the move up to Low Camp. The team is in high spirits and ready to get the climb underway! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson Base Camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition number two of the season.

Today, our team arrived at Vinson Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft) and we got settled in, built our camp, had some dinner, and checked some of our gear, our equipment for the climb, and now we are off to bed. We had a beautiful flight over from Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft), got to see lots of peaks on the way!

Everyone is in good spirits, feeling strong, happy to be here after a delay of a couple of days. But all is well here and we are really excited to get our expedition, our climb underway here. So hopefully we will be moving up to Low Camp (2774m/9,100ft) tomorrow. All is well here and we’ll check in soon from Mount 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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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A white Christmas on Mount Vinson!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team celebrated Christmas today with a good meal, friends, and in one spectacular place! While friends and family are missed, we are grateful for this time spent together as a team sharing memories we won’t soon forget. The team is settled into their base camp and will return to Union Glacier Camp soon, followed shortly after by making the return trips home, marking the conclusion of our first Mount Vinson expedition of the season. The Mount Vinson expedition team checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Antarctica:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in from Mount Vinson Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft). Merry Christmas! We’re all here just having a great meal and celebrating our climb of Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft)!

“Yeah, it was a good outing on the mountain – oh, I’m Benny (Lieber)!  We’re here with Sanjeev, Art, Kevin, and Garrett, and we had great weather. We’re having a big Christmas dinner and wanted to say “hello” to all of our families and friends, love you, and we are enjoying the holiday!” ~ Madison Mountaineering guide, Benny Lieber

“Hey, everybody – Kevin here! Thrilled to be on the adventure, the double header with Art. (Ski) the last degree went well, and now here we are doing post Vinson summit celebration! Benny and Garrett could not have looked after us better. Miss everybody, wish we could have been home for Christmas as well, but we’ll see you soon enough. Lots of love, all the best.” ~ Madison Mountaineering climber, Kevin Walsh

“Hi! It’s Art Muir and it’s a wonderful way to spend Christmas. I miss my family, but I couldn’t think of a better way to (garbled) great adventure, great success, a 5-star operation run by Garrett Madison of course. We’ve had a wonderful time here, so hopefully everybody comes to visit Antarctica, which Garrett says is “a magical place.” ~ Madison Mountaineering climber, Art Muir

“Hi, Sanjeev here! We’ve just had this out of this world experience. It felt like we were on a different planet! Thank you so much Garrett, Benny, and two great friends I’ve made, Art and Kevin. (garbled)” ~ Madison Mountaineering climber, Sanjeev Banga

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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