Mount Vinson, as seen from Base Camp on the Branscomb Glacier

We are absolutely thrilled and privileged to start another season of helping climbers pursue their dreams of climbing to the highest point on the continent of Antarctica.  Mount Vinson soars to a height of 16,066 feet (4897m) in the Ellsworth Range.  Located at 78 degrees south latitude, the mountain is shrouded in glacier and regularly sees temperatures plunge to -30F or colder, even during the summer climbing season.  This is one of our favorite expeditions, as there are few places on our planet that can rival the raw wildness of Antarctica!

Joining us for this first of our four expeditions to attempt Mount Vinson are three climbers who have all climbed with Mountain Trip previously.

Tashi and Nungshi Malik are twin sisters from India who are attempting to complete their quest to become the first female twins to climb the highest peak on each continent.

Chris Jentz is joining us from Oregon

The guide for the expedition is Jacob Schmitz

The team will meet in Punta Arenas, Chile where they will spend two days finalizing their preparations before boarding a Russian cargo jet for the four hour flight to Antarctica.  On December 7th, they will make the flight to the Union Glacier, a massive, blue ice glacier, where they will unload and board a smaller, ski equipped Otter for the short flight to Base Camp.

The team plans to call in and give us updates on a daily basis, but communicating from near the South Pole can be challenging, as the satellite connections can be rather short at times.  We encourage you to follow their adventure, but please understand that there could be some lapses in posts.

Enjoy!!