Richard Rollins called in from the Branscomb Glacier in Antarctica. The team was able to fly to Vinson Base Camp, and they stepped off the plane ready to move! Rather than taking a day to organize, as is common on Vinson, the team prepped while at Union Glacier so that they could move uphill right after de-boarding the plane.
The hike up the Branscomb Glacier to “Low Camp” took the team about four hours, a very respectable time. These guys are prepared and are moving well. The plan for the coming days will depend somewhat on weather, but they have a big day ahead of them, when they will ascend over 2,000′ of pretty steep terrain, much of it affixed with rope anchored to the ice at semi-regular intervals, commonly known as “fixed ropes,” to reach the site of their next camp. They are considering taking a rest and acclimatization day at Low Camp before making one push up the fixed ropes, but ultimately, weather conditions will dictate the strategy they employ.
Great job team! Well done to arrive ready to move, so as to capitalize on the good weather today.
Here’s Richard:
