Jacob called in again, to let everyone know that the team is doing great and having a good time as they explore their surroundings and prepare for their attempt of the highest peak in Europe.
Today, they took a series of gondolas and ski lifts before hiking a short ways to an area known as the Barrels Huts. This will be the site of their advanced base camp, and they will move up to sleep in these huts tomorrow. Today, they climbed a couple hours higher than the huts, to roughly 13,500 feet in elevation. They were able to review glacier skills and spend some time refining their crampon and ice axe technique, before descending back to the valley for the night.
The Barrels Huts are, well… just that! They are giant fuel barrels that have been perched and supported on the flank of the mountain, and each hosts a handful of cots, where climbers can sleep while waiting for their summit day. This is an interesting place to spend time, and the huts themselves are a tribute to imagination and ingenuity of vision!
Here’s Jacob:
