Trip Reports
Jacob just called in from the Union Glacier of Antarctica! The team arrived last night, but have been unable to fly from Union to Vinson Base Camp, because the Twin Otters are busy flying toward the South Pole. This is a longer flight and requires a better weather window than does the short hop over…
Guide Seba Grau called in a quick report today as he was standing on the summit of Imbabura Volcano at 15,190 ft. This is the team’s second acclimatization day, and it sounds like everything is going well and everybody is feeling good. Seba reports beautiful views from the summit, and the weather is good, with…
The winds abated and the team is in the air, flying to Antarctica!! We should hear from them after they arrive, but it can be very hectic, so we’ll just sit tight and wait patiently. The goal upon arrival, is to unload the Ilushyn aircraft that they flew to the Ice and then load up…
Well, the flight service has told the team that they won’t fly until tomorrow morning, at the earliest. The winds down on the Union Glacier are still too high to land the Ilushyn aircraft. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they can all fly tomorrow!
The team had a great day climbing to the summit of Fuya Fuya, a 13.986′ (4263m) volcano, that is actually part of two conjoined volcanoes, which form a complex of high alpine crags, and stunning lakes. The team began their hike at a lake called Laguna Grande and followed a trail through the “paramo,” a…
Jacob called to let us know that the planned flight to Antarctica has been delayed due to high winds both in Punta Arenas and also at the blue ice airstrip on the Union Glacier. They are hoping to fly this evening. They spent the day exploring Punta Areans and the twins rubbed “El Dedo Del…
Sebastian Grau called in two posts from the top of the extinct volcano, Fuya Fuya, north of the capital city of Quito. It seems as if the satellites dropped both calls, but the team is doing well and are excited to ave completed their first acclimatization climb of the trip. Helmut arrived a couple of…
Alillachu kapangui jintikuna! Quechua for “Howdy friends!” Ecuador is a wonderful country to visit, with a rich cultural history and diversity. The geography is stunning and very complex for such a small country. Beautiful beaches are lapped by waves to the west, with two chains of 400-600m peaks rising just a short distance from the…
Hola everyone! Welcome to first of our four Mountain Trip Mount Vinson Expeditions for the 2014-15 climbing season! I’ve been in Punta Arenas, Chile for the last few days preparing for a season guiding the highest peak in Antarctica, Mount Vinson. The first team has arrived with all of their bags and we are all…
The team has all arrived, along with all of their bags! This is an auspicious start for what we hope will be an exciting adventure!