Tag Archive for: Vinson Low Camp

Summit push on Mount Vinson coming up!

Climbing towards Mount Vinson High Camp.

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has reached their high camp! That means they are in position to make a summit push, which is expected to take place tomorrow assuming good weather. The team moved strongly up the fixed-lines which separate low camp from high camp and crawled into their sleeping bags for the night. Today, the team rested and made preparations to go for the summit! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison and guide, Phunuru Sherpa checked in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson High Camp:

Hello! This is Garrett and Phunuru Sherpa checking in for the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition, first one of the season from Mount Vinson High Camp (3536m/11,600ft)! We arrived yesterday after a good climb up from low camp (2774m/9,100ft), had some clouds, some wind, but the team was strong and pushed through and made it to high camp. We set up our tents and made our dinner, and we got to bed before the wind picked up, and we had a good blow over the night of wind and snow, but today, it’s much nicer! The sun’s poking out. So our team’s resting today, and we’re hoping to make our summit attempt tomorrow, fingers crossed! And here’s Phunuru.

Here we go! I look forward to the summit tomorrow. Thanks!

All right, check in soon!

The team ascending fixed-lines between low camp and high camp.

The team ascending fixed-lines between low camp and high camp.

Up the headwall.

Up the headwall.

All smiles from Antarctica!

All smiles from Antarctica!

Mount Vinson High Camp

Mount Vinson High Camp

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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On up to Low Camp

Mount Vinson Low Camp

And they’re on the move! The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team wasted no time moving from Base Camp to Low Camp. After a good day climbing up the valley towards Low Camp, we settled in, fueled up with tasty meals, and took a rest day here with plans to continue up the route soon! The team reviewed fixed-line training and is feeling sharp and ready for what lies ahead in the coming 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 first Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) climb of the season. We are up at Low Camp (2774m/9,100ft)!

We flew into Vinson Base Camp (2140m/7,020ft) a couple nights ago, had a great night there. And then yesterday moved up to Low Camp here, settled in, and taken a rest day today. Team’s doing great! We did some fixed line training, had a couple of good meals and got organized. We’re planning to move up to High Camp (3536m/11,600ft) tomorrow if the weather’s good, and see what lies in store.

So all is well here on Mount Vinson, highest peak on the continent of Antarctica here, bottom of the world! I’ll check in soon.

The team together in Union Glacier Camp before their flight to the mountain!

The team together in Union Glacier Camp before their flight to the mountain!

Excellent views while flying to Base Camp!

Excellent views while flying to Base Camp!

Mount Vinson Base Camp

Mount Vinson Base Camp

Our Mountain Hardwear Trango tents set up in Vinson Base Camp.

Our Mountain Hardwear Trango tents set up in Vinson Base Camp.

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 High Camp

The team all together on a beautiful day on Mount Vinson!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team is in position to make their summit push! Now settled into high camp after ascending the fixed lines which climb high above the vast Antarctic expanse below, the team is stoked and ready for the day ahead. With good weather tomorrow, the team will  shoulder their packs and start their climb towards the top! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch from Mount Vinson:

We made it to high camp (3536m/11,600ft) today, heading for the summit (4892m/16,050ft) tomorrow!

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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Ready to go for the summit!

High Camp on Mount Vinson (photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive)

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has reached their high camp and is in position to go for the summit! With good weather tomorrow, the team will exit their tents with boots on and packs shouldered and begin moving up the route, step by step across the Vinson Massif on their way to the highest point in Antarctica! The team is well fueled, excited, and ready to go! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! This is Garrett and Benny at the high camp (3536m/11,600ft) of Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft). We are in position with our team for a summit push tomorrow!

We had a great day coming up from low camp (2774m/9,100ft) to high camp on the fixed ropes. Beautiful day, great views, warm temps, not much wind. We got up to high camp, dug out our gear, set up our camp kitchen. We had a good dinner, macaroni and cheese, some quesadillas, burgers, and strawberries for dessert and some french fries! Now we’re just making hot water for everybody so they can have hot water bottles in their sleeping bags – so deluxe up here!

We are going to wake up tomorrow and go for the summit! So fingers crossed the weather holds and we have good weather and route conditions tomorrow on our summit push on Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.

All is well here in high camp! 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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To High Camp!

Ascending fixed lines toward high camp! (Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive)

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team is on their way to high camp! Once settled in here, they’ll be in position to make their summit push. The team is in good spirits and enjoying their time in one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch from low camp:

We had a good day in low camp (2774m/9,100ft) yesterday resting & training, heading to high camp (3536m/11,600ft) today!

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 High Camp!

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

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has reached their high camp, putting them one camp closer to reaching the summit of Antarctica’s highest peak! While the day started out nice, a bit of a storm rolled in as the team was coming into camp. But, the team quickly worked together to set up their temporary home and then sat down for hot water, a warm meal, and to reflect on another good day in Antarctica! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from high camp:

Hey, this is Garrett and Benny up here at high camp (3536m/11,600ft) on Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft)! We climbed from low camp (2774m/9,100ft) today with our team up to high camp.

It started off a beautiful day, but then the winds picked up and some clouds rolled in, so it was pretty stormy getting into high camp! We had to set up our tents in a bit of a blizzard, but got all of our tents set up and every person moved into their tents. We melted some snow for hot water, had dinner, filled hot water bottles, and now we’re getting ready to go to bed. We’re going to take a rest day tomorrow – it’s supposed to be very windy tomorrow and then hopefully a nice day after that. Fingers crossed it’s a good day coming up for the summit day!

Everyone’s doing well, we’re happy to be up here, had some great views on the way up, and looking forward to a rest day tomorrow! 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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Mount Vinson Low Camp

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

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team spent another day in low camp while they await good weather for their move up to high camp and then the summit. Good company, food, and the anticipation for what’s still to come is keeping the team excited and ready for their move up the mountain. Fingers crossed for good weather in the coming days! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from low camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team. We are still in low camp (2774m/9,100ft) – decided to take one more rest day here. Hopefully, if the weather is good, we’ll keep moving up to high camp (3536m/11,600ft) tomorrow! The forecast was calling for high winds today so we decided to stay put, as well as a few other teams here. We’re thinking hopefully the weather forecast will be good tomorrow, clear skies, calm winds, and we’ll move up!

Everyone’s doing well. We spent the day building some snow walls around our tents to fortify our camp and had a couple of good meals. So, everyone’s doing well here, enjoying the views and our time in Antarctica! We’re looking forward to what lies 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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Active Rest on Mount Vinson

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

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team stayed put in low camp after their ascent on the previous day. Some good rest and a tasty breakfast fueled a technical skills review for the team where they practiced the skills needed for the coming days as their expedition continues on Antarctica’s highest peak! The team had great weather today and will see what tomorrow brings. With good weather, the team plans to make the move up to high camp. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from low camp:

Hey! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition number three of our season. We are up here at low camp (2774m/9,100ft). We had a great rest day today, slept in, had a nice long breakfast: pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Then we did some training! We reviewed fixed line climbing technique, ascending and descending. We actually had a pretty nice afternoon – nice weather, great views of the mountains, it wasn’t windy at all. We just enjoyed our rest day, had a nice dinner, and now we are heading to bed.

We are going to see what tomorrow brings! If the winds die down up high, we might move up to high camp (3536m/11,600ft) tomorrow. Otherwise, if it looks like high wind, we will probably stay here and rest another day. The team’s doing great and we are really enjoying our time here in Antarctica. We will 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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