True to the forecasters' predictions the weather in Punta was clear and calm this morning and shortly before 8am we arrived at the Punta Arenas airport. We piled out of the bus and walked through the nearly empty terminal, a line of climbers wearing layers of down, gore tex and expedition boots waiting patiently with passports in hand to pass through airport security. Shortly thereafter the pilot gave us the thumbs up and we headed out onto the Tarmac to board the plane. The Ilyushin is a giant Russian built cargo jet made for field landings with a glass nose and the plane was full of equipment and supplies bound for the Ice with just a few rows of seats in the front of the cargo area. We climbed onboard and settled into our seats while the Kazakh crew gave us the safety briefing. Within a few more minutes we were airborne flying south. The interior of the windowless plane doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment but the crew has rigged a gopro to film the view from the cockpit and it displays on a tv screen at the front of the cargo area. We spent the next 4.5 hrs swapping stories, reading, and gazing at the screen while we watched the southern tip of South America disappear behind us then a stretch of ocean that gradually filled with ice until all we could see was an expanse of white stretching out in all directions. As we neared Union Glacier the crew gave us a weather report: -15C and winds 10-15 out of the south - a beautiful Antarctic day. We all bundled up, adding layers of down and hats, sunscreen and gloves, as the plane lost altitude. On the screen the expanse of white began to be interspersed by rocky outcroppings and small windswept peaks - the foothills of the Ellsworth Mountains. Soon a faint strip of blue came into view: the ice runway of Union Glacier. Needless to say, landing a fully ladened cargo jet on a ice runway takes a long time to stop! Stepping out of the plane was incredible: we were surrounded by an expanse of ice and snow framed by mountains in every direction. Glaciers that seemed close enough to reach out and touch them were really 6-10 miles away. The cold snow and ice squeaked underfoot and the light breeze felt like a biting wind. With all of our gear unloaded we caught a ride in ALE's big oversized vans to their camp where we were greeted by their staff. They served us a delicious hot meal on the ice while they took stock of the weather and the loads and then delivered more good news: the weather was holding and they felt comfortable flying us the final leg to Vinson Base Camp. We hurriedly finished our hot drinks, grabbed our bags, and then climbed aboard the smaller Twin Otter aircraft parked outside. The flight along the edge of the Ellsworth Mountains went smoothly, we climbed steeply out of Union Glacier, passing through a layer of thin clouds, to an elevation of about 9500' and the flew north. To our left the Antarctic Ice Sheet stretched into the horizon while on our right a series of peaks passed by, gradually getting larger and larger until suddenly the Vinson Massif itself sprang into view. A 4,000'+ wall of rock and cascading glaciers guards most of the Vinson Massif and towers above the surrounding ice. We flew along the walls until the plane banked a hard sweeping downward turn and we came to a smooth stop on the Branscomb Glacier at Vinson Base Camp. We unloaded our gear from the plane, thanked the pilot, and then set to work establishing camp and setting up shop. We are now cozy in our sleeping bags and it's nearing midnight while the sun still shines on our tent. A thin layer of clouds has been moving over camp and the temperature is downright chilly in the shade but were staying warm and are thrilled to be here. We can't believe our good fortune in getting to the mountain so smoothly. Tomorrow were hoping to move a portion of our gear to the base of the steeper climbing at Camp 1 and find some good glacier skiing on our way back to Base Camp. RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team