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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
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 10,000'
Buenas tardes from Huaraz!
What a day we had! We were greeted by a sunny morning in Huaraz, with excellent views of the Huascaran and Copa mountains right from our hotel. After breakfast, we headed without hesitation to the "Laguna Churup" trailhead for a morning stroll (which by the way, felt really good after two days of flying and riding a bus.) It was the perfect acclimatization hike, since we were taken from 0' to 10,000' by a bus, so exercising a bit at this elevation we found very beneficial. From the trailhead at 13,000' we hiked a good 2 1/2 hours towards this glacial lake at around 14,400' (oddly enough, similar height of Mount Rainier) and we all got a better chance to start getting to know each other a bit better. Governed by "Nevado Churup", a small but steep peak on the southern end of the Cordillera Blanca, the turquoise of its waters, inspired the better picture moments of the day. After a short snack, we began our descent to the trailhead. Once back in town, we run the logistics of buying some extra snack food, a couple gear items and final arrangements with our outfitter to hit the trail towards Ishinca Valley tomorrow at 8am sharp.
Our next dispatch will be from Base Camp and from our satphone. Best regards to everyone back home!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
82 degrees and 100% humidity at 5:45am today in Richmond. Enjoy the cooler weather!!!!
Posted by: Carter on 7/3/2014 at 4:46 am
Looks like the start of a great adventure. Super photos and a very fit and intrepid looking group.
Everyone here is anxiously awaiting word of your progress.
Posted by: Carter on 7/2/2014 at 7:14 pm
Posted by: Leon Davis, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Greetings from Talkeetna!
So we made it off the glacier just in time! This morning we woke at 3:30 am to start the 5.5-mile walk back to basecamp. The forecasted storm was slowly creeping in from the southwest and as we walked down glacier in the twilight, clouds came spilling over Mt. Foraker, threatening to shut down visibility. At 11:30 we could hear the mosquito hum of K2's Otter as Randy flew in just below the cloud ceiling and set the plane down on the runway. Forty-five minutes later we were in sandals and t-shirts in downtown Talkeetna enjoying the warm air and flowering fauna. It has been an excellent experience for our folks. As we dry our gear on the lawn, everyone is quietly reflecting on the last six days spent in the Alaska range.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
Yesterday the weather deteriorated during the afternoon, wind picked up to 30 mph and clouds bringing snow arrived. It was the first time that we were forced to have dinner inside the tents. The weather this morning improved a lot at Camp 1, but we could see how hard the wind was blowing by the spin drift. The weather forecast that we got last night for the next few days estimates that the strong winds at 18,000' would continue until this evening and then they will drop significantly. So we decided to spend an extra day at Camp 1 today and to avoid moving camp in these windy conditions. Now, the afternoon conditions at Camp 1 are very nice, so hopefully we are enjoying the beginning of the good weather window that the forecast is calling.
Tomorrow we will move to Camp 2 and then rest a day there.
Posted by: Mike King, Avery Parrinello, Dominic Cifelli
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
Saturday, June 22, 2019 - 4:07 PM PT
We got an early start, up at 12:30am at 11k Camp and got to the airstrip by 8:30am. In the process we kicked, pulled, punched and cussed our heavy sleds as they barrel rolled, tipped and flipped down Ski Hill into 7800’ Camp. From there the clouds and ominous skies that had hung over us from Kahiltna Pass began to clear and we got some spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. We hit the bottom of Heartbreak Hill and 50 minutes later were at the airstrip. All sorted and ready for the De Havilland turbo Otters to arrive we kicked back for a few moments to reminisce on a great trip and felt kind of bad for the fresh meat just heading out for their first day on Denali.
Currently back in Talkeetna, a quick breakfast at the Roadhouse and now sorting gear for flights home. Looking forward to showers, burgers and beers, not necessarily in that order. We will reconvene for dinner and a session at the Fairview to bring a close to a wonderful 3 weeks on Denali. RMI-5 signing off, thanks for all the blog comments and support along the way.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Congratulations to you all. What an unforgettable experience.
Enjoy your achievement - and the beers burgers and showers.
Awesome!!
Thanks to your great guides as well.
Posted by: Stephanie on 6/23/2019 at 10:38 am
Fantastic!! Congratulations to you all. Thank you for the updates it’s been good reading them. Take care xx
Posted by: Anna Naylor on 6/23/2019 at 10:24 am
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
The 2019 Denali climbing season is getting under way. Our team met this morning for breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse for heaping servings of eggs and sourdough hotcakes. After breakfast we strolled down to the Susitna River where chunks of recently broken up ice flowed out from the direction of the Alaska Range. On a clear day we would be able to see Denali from here, but our view was obscured by clouds.
Next up was a trip the National Park Service office for a pre-trip orientation. We went over specifics of the route as well as safety issues and environmental stewardship responsibilities we climbers have in keeping the mountain clean.
The rest of the day was the meat and potatoes, where we headed to the K2 Aviation hangar to sort our gear and food to be prepared to fly into the range, hopefully tomorrow.
We'll keep you posted with our status...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Go get’em Kelby!
Posted by: Mike Potter on 5/13/2019 at 9:28 am
Wishing the first team of the season an awesome weather and an unforgettable experience! I’ll follow your footprints in a few weeks!!!
Posted by: Anna on 5/11/2019 at 10:10 am
Namaste from Phakding,
We made it in! But... what a day! The weather on the mountains grounded all airplanes, and after a six-hour wait, with the news that there were people backed up from previous days' weather delays, and with the bad forecast ahead, we decided to make a small sacrifice and hire a private helicopter, which can fly below the cloud deck, and safely fly to Lukla.
A little bit of a late start brought us to late lunch rather than breakfast at the 2800-meter high Himalayan village that serves as the start point to arguably the most famous trek on Earth. But, hey... we were in the Himalaya!
We then enjoyed a short late afternoon hike through the low villages of the Khumbu until our arrival to our lodge in Phakding.
The journey is on, and we're heading upwards!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Posted by: Ben Liken, Adam Knoff
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hola From Quito,
What a change from 24 hours ago. As I write this the horns from Quito's busy streets blare below our window and the team is preparing with hot showers and clean clothes for a dinner on the town.
This wasn't the case last night. Twenty-four hours ago we were camped at 17,500 feet on a small perch located on Ecuador's highest peak. For weeks now Chimborazo has thwarted climbers attempting a summit push with unusually bad weather and deep snow. I am sorry to say things haven't changed.
After a solid meal of freeze dried chicken and rice we hit the tents for a few hours and tossed and turned until the alarm went off at 11:30, pm that is. From here we ate a hasty breakfast and geared up. The sky was clear so hopes were high. The first two stretches of climbing were going well until we hit the end of the trail made by climbers the previous night.
We took a break at 19,000' and had a long discussion about what was happening with the snow conditions and how that played into an ever-steepening route. In the end we could not justify continuing up into the unknown with a team of 13 climbers. All the other teams on the mountain had already turned around but we held onto hope for just a bit longer. Finally we had to make the call to turn around. Chimborazo has not seen a successful ascent yet in 2017 and for now it will stay that way.
Even though the team did not summit we gave it a serious shot which our bodies will confirm. So after dinner I'm sure we will toast a great journey and then crash hard for a restful 12-hour snooze. We are all looking forward to coming home to see our families.
Thanks for following along.
Hast Pronto- or until next time.
Team Ecuador saying adios.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
RMI Guide Jake Beren checked in from their 6,400' camp on Mt. Shuksan where they stayed last night. The team is planning to do some training today and spend another night at their current camp. They will be making their summit attempt tomorrow morning via the Sulphide Glacier.
Have a grand summit adventure, Sarah et al!
Posted by: Maggie on 8/4/2014 at 9:47 pm
I am very excited for all of you, I wish I could be up there to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Congratulation and have the best day tomorrow. Best wishes Tom from your friend, Nikki
Posted by: Nikki P. on 8/4/2014 at 1:39 pm
Hello, this is the Alpamayo climbing team. We are calling from Base Camp. We had a really nice day. We went up to Camp 1, also known as Moraine Camp, to do a carry. We climbed about 600 meters of elevation, some 2,000 feet. We dropped off the gear, set up camp, and we came down. We’re now relaxing here. It’s about 1:30 local time. And we’re going to have another awesome meal prepared by our own cook, Emilio. The plan for the remainder of the day is to rest, and we will do that tomorrow, as well – a rest day before we start moving up. That’s pretty much it for now. Kensie, Parker, Tony, and Pete are doing great, and we are psyched! That’s all for now. Elías speaking here. We’ll keep you posted on our next moves tomorrow. Hope everyone’s doing well back home.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Elias de Andres Martos called in from Moraine Camp.
Wishing you a great climb with views that define breath taking and air that feels good to breathe deeply. Hope you all continue to feeling good as ur elevation increases. And that your weather behaves nicely through out your ascent. Happy for each step that brings you closer to the summit. And then again back down. Stay safe!
Posted by: Trudi Skinder on 7/18/2014 at 11:57 pm
On this Thanksgiving morning I am thankful for your arrival at base camp and your great communication along with technology that allows it.
Posted by: carol colleran on 11/27/2014 at 6:27 am
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