Christmas Eve at Vinson Base Camp

Here's a holiday message from Paul & Denise live from Vinson Base Camp!
They're having a white Christmas!




A champagne toast with the members of the other teams, all of whom made it to the summit as well! Look closely at the hands of the Japanese man in the blue jacket (top row left). He lost all ten fingers climbing Mt. Everest seven months ago, reminding all of us about the dangers of the extreme cold and the consequences of mistakes during any high altitude pursuits. Calling in by satellite phone with our periodic updates:

In adition to hiking the hill to take a ski run, here's a video of another way we passed the time waiting for the weather to clear. Although you can't see their faces, the person in front is Krushnaa Patil who is the youngest Indian woman to summit Mt. Everest (age 19 at the time - May 2009), followed by Helga Hengge who was the first American woman to summit Everest from the North side, followed by us. Quite an impressive bobsled team! This wasn't in the ALE Vinson brochure but it should be - watch the video!!

Summit Day

Breaking news just received from Paul & Denise, listen to the satellite call here:

Here is the actual view from the top of Mt. Vinson on our summit day. You may have figured out by listening to our call that the previous photo with blue skies was borrowed from an earlier expedition and uploaded in advance. The pre-written part about "extremely high winds and biting cold" was certainly accurate but the "spectacular views" were not exactly as earlier described.

This will be our longest day yet, the route is exposed and subject to extremely high winds and biting cold. The rocky summit ridge gives way to spectacular views of Mt. Gardner, Tyree, Epperly and Shinn. At the summit the true scale and majesty of the Antarctic continent become overwhelmingly apparent. There are a multitude of smaller peaks that emerge from the vast ice sheet that streches to the horizon. We will take photos, savor the moment, and retrace our steps back down to High Camp.

We Made it up to High Camp!

PAUL & DENISE MADE IT TO HIGH CAMP!!! Latest news just received from Paul & Denise via satellite phone. Click on the play button to listen:

Taking a breather at the top of the fixed lines. Unclipping and taking a wrong step here earns you a 3,000 vertical foot express ride back to Camp 1:

This was a difficult 8-hour day climbing many steep, fixed rope sections on 45 degree icy slopes. Elevation gain was 3,350 feet and we established our High Camp at approximately 12,350 feet.



If you would like to send a text message to our satellite phone we would love to hear from you. Simply send a short email (less than 160 characters) to the following address: 881651416463@msg.iridium.com We apologize in advance as we will probably be unable to respond. Cold fingers, fatigue, and altitude-induced dimished brain funtionality may prevent an intelligent response anyhow. Nonetheless we will read your message and reciprocate when we are able.

Camp 1 and Beyond

Click on the play button below to hear the latest report just received from Paul & Denise via satellite phone:

Our Camp 1 or "Low Camp" site, complete with wind protection walls that were already pre-built prior to our arrival!

We move upwards along the Branscomb Glacier to Camp 1 carrying our tents, gear, food, and fuel - some of which we are hauling behind us in sleds to lighten the load on our backs. We will be roped together due to the crevasse danger.

We Made it to Vinson Base Camp

Click on the play button below to hear the latest report from Paul & Denise via satellite phone:



The trusty Twin Otter, our transportation to and from Vinson Base Camp:

Here we are with our guide Scott Woolums, and a nice view of the Vinson Massif directly behind us:Carving up a slope above Vinson Base (it doesn't even have a name since so few people ski it!) Where's Warren Miller and his film crew?

Above is the location of Vinson Base Camp (notice the group of tents at center left). Elevation at Base Camp is 6,900 feet, although the earth's atmosphere is much thinner at the poles making the physiological effect on our bodies feel more like 10,000 feet. We will acclimatize here and eventually follow the trail heading to the right, up the Branscomb Glacier towards Camp 1.

And here's a view of Vinson Base Camp when the weather isn't as nice...

Here´s a video of the Twin Otter touching down for a landing on the snow:

Patriot Hills

Today, December 17th, was our first full day at Patriot Hills, which is an impressive operation located along one of two areas of blue ice on the continent suitable for landing heavy aircraft. The runway, while not quite as smooth as an ice skating rink, is very slick and climbers eager to rush off to the side to snatch that perfect photo often find themselves flat on their backs.

Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE), the only non-scientific operator of flights to Antarctica, maintains a number of Weatherport tents and a good deal of heavy machinery needed to keep the runway open when strong winds off the Antarctic Plateau cover it in snow. We have contracted directly with ALE (with Scott Woolums as our guide) and have use of these tented facilities where we will cook and dine in relative comfort in an otherwise most inhospitable place.

Today we took a 6 hour hike to the highest peak overlooking the Patriot Hills camp.

The next step in our journey will involve flying 1.5 hours to Vinson Base Camp in ski-equipped Twin Otter aircraft (in background of top photo). We are all eager to start climbing but must be patient for weather conditions to permit this next leg of our adventure.

Flight to "The Ice"

After loading gear into the IL-76 Russian cargo jet, we board through the rear belly ramp and prepare for a most unusual and memorable flight. Huge piles of gear are secured by cargo nets in the center of the hull and anxious, adrenaline filled climbers are lined up in jump seats along the walls. Almost like young soldiers fresh out of basic training and heading into battle for the first time, we nervously anticipate our impending adventure during the 4.5 hour flight.

Our Russian pilots take us over Tierra del Fuego, then the Drake Passage, and at 60 degrees south latitude we cross over the Antarctic Convergence. The ocean here is rich in plankton and other tiny creatures that form the base of the food chain. We have now entered the area governed by the Antarctic Treaty. At 66 degrees south we cross the Antarctic Circle, where the sun never sets at the the austral summer solstice and never rises at the austral winter solstice. Further south at the pole, the sun rises and sets only once a year.

Eventually we pass over an area of the Bellingshausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula, which is punctuated by an increasing number of icebergs. Not long after we fly over the ice shelves from which the icebergs calve, then along the Ellsworth Mountains, and finally reach Patriot Hills and the blue ice runway where our wheeled aircraft can land.