Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Our day began differently than what we've been used to. The seemingly eternal sun had hid herself away behind a thick veil of clouds, and a dusting of snow fell during the night. Finally, the cold of Antarctica was showing us its stuff, and I for one was impressed.
Loading up packs, we all sorted through our things, deciding what could be left at High Camp and was needed to stay to keep us warm and happy down here at Low Camp. There's always a desire to bring as much as possible up on a carry in the hopes of having a lighter pack when you finally do move up. But, the worst-case scenario must always be considered, and generally it's better to leave less the first time, and carry more the second time, ensuring you have what you need if the going gets tough. So, we all had heavy packs, but not too bad.
The move up to High Camp on Vinson is a fairly expedient one, taking a steep line up the Branscomb Glacier headwall. It's steep, but not overwhelming, and fortunately gains altitude quickly. The entire team moved well, and the cloud cover was actually a blessing in disguise, keeping the temperatures reasonable. Step after step, foot after foot, we climbed upward into the clouds, dusted with snow from time to time. Eventually, the fixed lines gave way to a windy ridge and gentler terrain leading to High Camp.
As we moved up the final 1000 feet to camp, the mountains decided to show us some scenery. The clouds lowered a bit, and Mount Shinn, the third highest peak on the continent, reared up from the ether below. A stunning sight, and a nice culmination of a hard day's work.
We're now all safely back at Low Camp. The weather is socked in, with a light snow falling on the tents. Antarctica has finally showed us her cold side; we're all hoping she warms to us again soon.
-Jake Norton
Hi yo, this is Peter Whittaker and calling in from Antarctica, Mount Vinson. It's just a little before 11 PM, and today the whole team left this morning from Camp 1 at about 1:20 and we carried up the fixed lines, a load to Camp 2 at about 12,500 feet. The weather was kind of marginal, with a little bit of sun in and out, a lot of fog, not much wind which was good, but it was definitely Antarctica-like. A little bit of chill along the way. The team did great and we drop the load and then descended, and got back here and brewed up. Just finished with dinner and are in the tent right now. The forecast is still pretty good for the next couple days our plan is to move up tomorrow. And occupy the high camp and if things go well, we could be on top the following day. Yeah, we're right on track. Things are good. We also just got word down here in the bottom of the world that the Seattle Seahawks won. Congratulations to Pete Carroll and the Hawks. Go Hawks! And we will check in tomorrow, hopefully from high camp. That's it for now.
Peter Whittaker calling from Camp 1
Rest Day
First off, my apologies at not getting a dispatch off last night. After downloading images to my netbook, I encountered some issues with both charging the computer and a corrupt driver for the satellite phone. Fortunately, I brought a backup laptop with me; unfortunately, that laptop had been left at Vinson Basecamp. So, last night from 10:30 PM until 2:30 AM, I had a nice journey back down to Basecamp to swap out laptops, pick up some additional gear, and head back to Low Camp. Not what I had in mind, but being out during the "night" was a great time, albeit a long one!
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Rest days are always nice.
This morning we awoke leisurely, mainly because here at Low Camp we're in the shade from 3:00 AM until 11:30 AM while the sun is behind Vinson. As a result, the temperatures drop from reasonable and pleasant to painfully cold during those hours. It's best to stay inside.
Seth and Caroline - after making another great breakfast - left to make an additional carry from Vinson Basecamp to Low Camp of some additional food and equipment. Meanwhile, the rest of us went about our day. Peter and Ben began with ice sculptures, carving a great First Ascent "A" out of the ice. Kent and I moved up the glacier to do some shooting with Ed.
The highlight of the day was our journey up to a nearby Col which was part of the original route used by the 1966 first ascent team on Vinson. It was the common route until about 15 years ago. From Low Camp, a short, 30 minute walk leads to the Col, and immediately a stunning landscape is laid out ahead. An ocean of white, pockmarked by black-rock peaks, and bounded on one side by the giants of Shinn, Epperly, and Tyree. It is a stunning sight to behold, and one more of what will be many happy memories of this special land.
- Jake Norton
Peter Whittaker from Camp 1
We had a really great week! Lots of super successful training!
I wish we could have gone to the summit on the first day because it was such a spectacular day to be in the mountains, beautiful, sunny and not a breath of wind! We couldn’t, though, because we hadn’t completed our basic mountaineering training yet, and then the weather just closed the window.
The winds seemed to have hammered the slopes pretty hard prior to our arrival as everything was sporting a windslab. Nothing had released naturally, but we saw several releases propagated by icefall.
We really focused on our training and spent a lot of time outside. Avalanche hazard awareness, beacon searches, and the decision-making process of travel in avy terrain dominated much of the week. We also spent quite a bit of time on camp craft – building bomber snowcaves and setting up expedition-style camps. Of course, rope and anchor work, fixed line travel, crevasse rescue systems and other Denali-prep skills kept us busy as well.
A great week!
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Welcome to the start of the RMI Aconcagua Expedition!
Everybody in the group is in Mendoza and we are very excited. Our plan is to have dinner and try the great Argentinian beef! Tomorrow morning we will get the climbing permits and do some shopping for lunch food and other last minute items. After that we will drive three hours through the Andes Mountains and arrive at Los Penitentes (8200-8500 feet) to spend our first night at altitude and start with the acclimatization.
We will be checking in tomorrow.
-RMI Guide Gabriel Barral and the RMI Aconcagua Expedition
I always thought that Antarctica was cold. And, I'm sure it is sometimes; we just haven't really seen that yet, and I for one am not complaining.
Our day began with a late-morning breakfast, brilliantly prepared by Seth and Caroline. We don't bother to get moving until mid-morning; it's warmer then, and with perpetual daylight, there's no real worry about setting camp before nightfall. After breakfast came the mountainous task of sorting and packing our various piles of equipment: food, stoves, ropes, crampons, tents, clothes, bags, pads...all of it needed to move uphill, either in a backpack or on a sled. And, for Kent and I, there was a bit more; laptop, batteries, cameras, satellite phone, and a solar charger had to be added to the mix.
But, somehow, we got most of it. Seth and Caroline headed off early, on skis, toting heavily-laden sleds full of group and personal gear. The rest of us - Peter, Ed, Cindy, David, Ben, Kent, and I - followed along under the blistering sun of Antarctica. It is amazing: While the actual air temperature might only be zero or less, with no wind and bright sun, it feels much, much warmer. So warm, in fact, that we all were in midweight baselayers most of the day. But, even the slightest puff of wind chills to the bone and sends one running for gloves, hat, and a Downlight Sweater.
After just over five hours on the trail, we crested a small knoll and saw the ice-block walls of Low Camp ahead. Tired but happy, we pulled in. Seth and Caroline had arrived long before, and hot drinks were waiting on our arrival - not bad service for 9,200 feet in Antarctica.
Above us, stunning peaks rise all around, and the eternal sun blazes overhead. It's colder here, but still pretty nice. I'm smiling...
-Jake Norton
Hey everyone, Peter Whittaker here with the First Ascent and RMI team in Antarctica checking in. We had a great day today. We actually moved from Basecamp up to Camp 1 on the Branscomb Glacier. Five and a half miles and it took us about 5 ½ hours, and we gained 2,000 feet. So we're up at 9000 feet now, just over 9, at Camp 1. We had beautiful weather today with very little wind kept conditions nice and the whole team moved up smartly. Seth and Caroline got out before us on skis, and hauled up a load into camp, set up tents and had a hot brewing for us when we got in. It was awesome. And so we're here now. It's about 9 o'clock at night. It is January 6th and Seth wanted to be sure and wish Solveig a “happy birthday.”
Our plan for tomorrow is to… most of us are gonna hang out up here, a couple of us are gonna head back down, and do a back carry, grab loads from base camp. The rest of our food and fuel to bring it up to [Camp] 1 and then will be self sufficient here from Camp 1 to move on up to [Camp] 2 and then eventually the summit. The weather's been just fantastic so far, and we're hoping that it does hold. The team’s well, everyone is enjoying themselves, and we just wanted to share with you our latest. We will talk to you soon, over and out.
Peter Whittaker from Vinson Massif
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It was a long day, although with perpetual daylight and a lot of excitement, we hardly noticed.
Starting at 4:30 AM, we were off to Punta Arenas airport to board our Ilyushin flight to Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica. The Ilyushin is a remarkable plane, capable of carrying huge payload long distances in tough conditions. But, luxury is not its forte. To get an idea, imagine 3 railroad freight cars tied together and sent aloft. Luxury aside, the Ilyushin is an experience of Antarctica not to be missed, and is quite a plane. The pilots dropped us on the 3 mile, blue ice runway as if it were a strip of cotton, and we all excitedly stepped off onto the ice.
The new Union Glacier camp - Antarctica headquarters of ALE - is as nice as it gets in every aspect. The ALE staff, who spend months here on the ice helping people fulfill their Antarctic dreams, do great work making sure every need is attended to. It all started with a gourmet lunch in the toasty dining tent, filling our bellies and putting smiles on our faces. We were all pretty comfy at Union Glacier, and not too opposed to the idea of staying a night there. But, then word came we would continue our journey, flying in an hour on to Vinson Basecamp (VBC).
It is rare to NOT have a delay at some point in the transition from Punta Arenas to Basecamp. Delays of a week or more are actually quite common. So, we weren't going to complain at getting all the way to Vinson Basecamp in one day - especially a warm, sunny one like we had.
Yet again we were off, in a two-part journey to VBC. A larger plane ferried us to the Nimmitz Glacier, where a Twin Otter took us the final 10 minutes to VBC. Kent Harvey and I went first in order to get good imagery of the Otter landing on the snow at VBC and the team's arrival. Unfortunately, after dropping us off, the Otter pilot fell and broke his wrist. Fortunately he'll be OK, but that incident added another 4 hours to the rest of the team arriving.
But, arrive they finally did, and we got camp set up in the stunning cirque of VBC. Jagged peaks soar above us, clad in massive glaciers under a never-setting sun. Seth made a great dinner of Dinty Moore meals, and sent us all to bed. It was 12:10 AM when I finally turned in, sunglasses still on. Welcome to Antarctica.
The winter seminar had one of the most spectacular sunny and wind free days possible on Mount Rainier yesterday! Our entire team successfully made the long walk to Camp Muir just in time to watch the sun set. We had warm drinks, a hot meal, a lot of laughs, and a nice night's sleep in the bunkhouse.
Today we woke to a wonderful sunrise with great views of Mt. Adams, Hood, St. Helens, and Jefferson. This morning we worked on ice axe, crampon, and rope travel skills on the flanks of the Cowlitz Glacier. We plan to train in avalanche beacon skills and avalanche terrain assessment for the afternoon as clouds swirl and conditions remain reasonable.
We are enjoying the winter beauty up on Mount Rainier!
-RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Walter Hailes, Andy Bond and Solveig Garhart
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Just got off the phone with our outfitter ALE. There will be no flight tonight. We are to dress in our gear, boot up, and be “wheels up” in the lobby at 4:30 am tomorrow morning. I have mixed feelings…glad to get another night in a bed after the enduro flights to get here, but I’m anxious to get on the ice and start.
This will be my third trip to Vinson and I am stoked to go back. Viesturs and I have been planning this trip for years. First Ascent is our primary sponsor, and the team consists of Ed Viesturs, Seth Waterfall, Caroline George, and Jake Norton, who are all First Ascent team members. Also coming along is Kent Harvey, one of the best high altitude cinematographers in the business. Rounding out our team are clients Cindy Outlaw, Ben Dimock, and David Pritchett. This team will climb Vinson, celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the first ascent done in 1966 by Americans, who were wearing…you got it, Eddie Bauer expedition clothing. We have the original flag from that expedition and plan to place it on top to commemorate their climb. After Vinson, the guides and production team will fly to an unexplored area and ski several first descents. Throughout the trip the entire team will be testing 2011 and 2012 First Ascent prototypes.
Just another day in the office…
Stay tuned for more updates,
Peter Whittaker
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