The team called in an audio post that was too garbled to understand, but they are hanging tough at the basin camp at 11,200′ (3413m).  One of the climbers, Kat, developed some health issues that presented a few days back and were sufficient cause for her and the guides to decide that it was no longer prudent for her to continue her ascent.

On Saturday, Sebasitan Grau, along with one of the Mountain Trip guides from our June 17 team, accompanied Kat back to Base Camp, from where she flew out to Talkeetna.  Mountain Trip co-owner Bill Allen met her there and drove her back to Anchorage, and she quickly caught a flight home.

The guides returned to 11,200′ camp on Sunday and prepared to move higher today; however, weather has conspired to not allow them to make the move up and around Windy Corner.  They are waiting and watching the weather, hopeful to move up to the big camp at 14,200′ (4328m) as soon as they are able.

The 11,200′ camp is one of the most challenging to communicate from, as a tall ridge, immediately to the south of camp, prevents satellite phones from communicating for any length of time with the satellites passing around the equator.

Here is a view of the basin that makes up the 11,200' camp. The huge buttress of rock and ice above is the West Buttress, around the right side of which the team must pass to get to the14,200' camp.