Lead guide Jacob Schmitz sent in the following report late last night.  The team flew off the Ice yesterday and arrived back in Punta Arenas.

The team, back at Union Glacier and about to fly back to Chile

Hello!
Thank you for following our Mountain Trip Mount Vinson  expedition.

As I write this, Mountain Trip has one more expedition underway on Mount Vinson. Sebastian stayed on the ice and is on his way to Vinson Base Camp to lead our third team of the season.  Good Luck and have fun my friend!

I am back in Punta Arenas after leading two Mount Vinson trips, both of which have been great! We were graced with amazing weather, and we only had two bad-weather days during the past month down in Antarctica. Luckily, on both occasions, we were able to weather the wind in Base Camp from the comfort of our large Mountain Hardwear dome dinning tent, while feasting on some pretty great food for the mountains.  We had a lot of fun with the menu this season and  ate a variety of dishes from hamburgers and french fries, fresh cheese raviolis, steak and veggies, pizza  and mixed things up a Thai meal with shrimp…  I eat better on these trips than I do at home!

All of the team members did great!  It was a wonderful trip all around, and I enjoyed getting to know my new friends.
Sitting in the dinning tent at Union Glacier, we enjoyed looking at and sharing photos with each other.  Although it was only a few days ago, it seams like along time ago, as many fun trips do.  It’s funny how you start to miss the mountain as soon as you go back to your “normal life.”

I’m already looking forward to my next trip and I hope to climb and visit my new friends soon.  Our team was comprised of a great group of people who worked hard, helped each other out, and this resulted in us all fully enjoying the experience. It’s always great when a team really enjoys just being on the mountain and sharing their collective experience with like minded people.

Climbing on Mount Vinson in Antarctica is truly an amazing experience.  I look forward to returning and seeing old friends and making new ones.

Remember, it’s a small world. Hope to see you in the mountains!
Jacob Schmitz
Punta Arenas, Chile