Tag Archive for: Vinson Base Camp

Summit Success on Mount Vinson!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive.

We’ve received word from the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team that everyone has reached the summit! After taking in the views and some sunshine from the roof of Antarctica, the team safely descended to High Camp for the night, and plans to continue their descent to Vinson Base Camp tomorrow. Congratulations to the entire team! Here’s expedition leader, Garrett Madison, with todays dispatch from High Camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition climb – today’s January third  and we reach the summit of Mount Vinson today! It was a beautiful day, couldn’t have asked for better weather – clear skies, calm winds, warm temperatures, and just great views all around! The whole team made it to the summit this afternoon and we made our way back down to High Camp (3536m/11,600ft), just had dinner, and tucking in for bed!

Tomorrow, we’re going to pack up High Camp and head down to Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft). All is well here 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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New Years on Mount Vinson!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. Photo: Ted Hesser

Happy New Year from the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson team! The team brought in the New Year by ascending to Low Camp under blue-bird conditions, followed by a celebration with other teams and climbers on the mountain. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this update from Antarctica:

Hello and happy New Year from Mount Vinson! This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team and we are up at Low Camp (2774m/9,100ft). We moved up from Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft) today to Low Camp – perfect weather today, beautiful views in all directions! We set up our camp, had dinner, and had a New Year celebration with some of the other teams up here; it was a really fun occasion and we’re so happy to be up here and on schedule!

We’re gonna take a rest day tomorrow, do some fix line training, organize gear, and then get ready to move to High Camp (3536m/11,600ft) the following day.

So, all is well here on Mount Vinson! The team’s doing great, everyone’s feeling strong and healthy, and just so happy to be here in Antarctica – it’s a very magical place! We’re looking forward to some good times ahead.

We’ll check in soon and happy New Year! What a way to bring in 2023.

 

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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Onward to Low Camp!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. Photo: Terray Sylvester

Under beautiful, clear-blue skies our team is moving up to Low Camp today at 9,100 feet! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with a brief message before the teams departure from Vinson Base Camp:

Heading up to low camp (2774m/9,100ft) today, nice weather here!

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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Primed to Start the Climb!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. Photo: Terray Sylvester

After settling into Vinson Base Camp in the day prior, the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team wasted no time as they continue their preparation to move higher up Antarctica’s tallest peak! The team spent today sorting gear, resting up, and reviewing rope travel, ice axe arrest, and crevasse rescue techniques. Everyone is in good spirits and is itching to start the climb tomorrow! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, checks in via Garmin inReach Mini with a brief update from Vinson Base Camp:

Nice day resting, sorting gear, and training in Vinson base camp (2140m/7,020ft)..

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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Arrived in Vinson Base Camp!

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering Archive. (Photo: Ted Hesser)

After a week full of travel, our team has finally arrived in Mount Vinson Base Camp (VBC)! With the team settled into their camp, expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief update from VBC:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team. We made it to Vinson base camp (2140m/7,020ft) and are all settled in! The team is doing great!

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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Celebration at Vinson Base Camp

Clients Sarah Brittain and Thomas Moore move from Low Camp to High Camp with guide Garrett Madison on a Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition in the Sentinel Range of Antarctica’s Ellsworth Mountains on January 1, 2021. (📸: @terray_s)

With the full team down to Vinson Base Camp, expedition leader Garrett Madison checks in with today’s dispatch recapping summit day and the journey down to base camp where everyone is celebrating:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team. Today is January 19th.

Our team came down from High Camp today after reaching the summit of Mount Vinson yesterday on January 18th. We had a good summit day and a nice trek down from High Camp. We arrived in base camp this evening and had a fun, celebratory dinner with our team – everyone was present. We enjoyed some champagne and burgers and had a good finish to our expedition here on Vinson.

We might be here another day or so at Vinson Base Camp. We’re not sure when the Twin Otters will be able to arrive to fly us out – hopefully in a day or two. But everyone’s in good spirits; we’re happy to be down safe and had a great summit yesterday, especially being up there with Ed Viesturs on the highest point in Antarctica was really special.

It was a wonderful expedition, and we’re just going to be here in Vinson Base Camp, hanging out, enjoying Antarctica until our flight back to Union Glacier and Punta Arenas, Chile.

(📸: @terray_s – Team Two climbers Sarah B. and Thomas M. moving up to high camp with guide Garrett Madison earlier this month)

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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Team Three Moves to Vinson Low Camp

Antarctica 2021! (📷: @johnhorgan73)

Our already speedy Mount Vinson Team Three flew from Union Glacier Camp to the base camp for Mount Vinson and immediately headed up the hill to Low Camp (2774m/9,100ft)!  Guide Terray Sylvester checks in from there with today’s expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition.  We’re on our third climb of the season.  It’s January 12th.

Today we flew from Union Glacier Camp to Vinson Base Camp – a beautiful sunny day.  Then we moved directly to Low Camp (2774m/9,100ft).  We just enjoyed a good dinner of hamburgers and tortellini with red sauce and sauted pumpkin.  Now everyone’s heading to sleep.

Tomorrow we’ll take a rest day and then hopefully move on up to High Camp (3536m/11,600ft).

All is well!  We’ll 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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Team One Departs and Team Two Arrives Vinson Base Camp

Victorious Vinson Team One departs Vinson Base Camp and Team Two arrives!  Expedition leader Garrett Madison calls in from Vinson Base Camp with a recap of the day:

Hello!  This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition season.  Today myself, Jen, and John all came down from High Camp after our summit yesterday and made it to Vinson Base Camp where the Twin Otters came in, picked up Jen and John and brought them back to Union Glacier Camp where they will be awaiting their flights back to Punta Arenas in a few days.

Meanwhile, guide Terray Sylvester and climbers Thomas and Sarah arrived at Union Glacier Camp and flew to Vinson Base Camp today, so we’re all together here.  It’s a beautiful sunny evening – very calm and warm considering we’re in Antarctica.  We’re glad to be here, everything’s on schedule, and nice flights coming in today – great views and we’re looking forward to getting our second expedition of the season on Mount Vinson underway!

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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Merry Christmas from the Slopes of Mount Vinson!

Hauling sleds!

Merry Christmas from our team at Mount Vinson Low Camp (2774m/9,100ft)!  Here’s Garrett with holiday wishes and the climbing game plan:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team.  Today is Christmas Day.  Merry Christmas!

We are at Low Camp on Mount Vinson, and our plan is to head up to High Camp (3536m/11,600ft) tomorrow if the weather is good.  We’re about ready to get to bed here for a good night’s rest.  And then, tomorrow, wake up, have breakfast, and take a look at the weather.  If it’s good, we’ll head up to High Camp.

All’s well here on Vinson.  Have a wonderful Christmas Day!  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 guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Celebrating Christmas at Vinson Low Camp!

Mount Vinson Low Camp

Today our Mount Vinson team one moved into their Christmas location of Low Camp on Mount Vinson.  Meanwhile, in Punta Arenas, Chile, our Mount Vinson team two arrived and will spend the next few days preparing for their flight to Union Glacier, Antarctica.  Here’s Garrett via sat phone with the recap of the day on Mount Vinson:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team.  It’s Christmas Eve, December 24th here and we climbed up from Vinson Base Camp to Low Camp today on Mount Vinson.

We left base camp mid-day after packing up and caching our gear.  We climbed about eight hours up to Low Camp (or Camp 1) on Vinson.  We had nice weather, it was a little blustery and snowy starting out for the first few hours and then the wind let up a little bit and we actually got a little sun up here at Low Camp and had a Christmas Eve dinner.  We had some salmon, some mixed vegetables, some empanadas, and some mangos and chocolates for dessert.  It was a fun evening.  We’re glad to be up here at Low Camp.  It was a long and tiring day but we’re feeling good and we’re looking forward to a rest day tomorrow on Christmas Day.

All’s well here at Low Camp on Mount Vinson.  We’ll check in soon and happy Christmas Eve to everyone out there!

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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