Mountain Trip Guide Ryan Gould called in today after Team Ema had a pretty mellow day of descending a bit to retrieve the cache they deposited at 13,500′ a couple days ago. Enjoying good weather, they made good time and are now well provisioned for the challenges of the upper mountain.
Tomorrow, they plan to climb up the steepest section of the route, known as “The Headwall.” This 600 foot tall ice slope is 45 degrees steep in spots and climbers ascend it while clipping themselves into ropes that are attached to the ice at semi-regular intervals. Know as “fixed lines,” these ropes provide additional security on the steep terrain.
The team is doing great and they are looking forward to pushing higher tomorrow.
Here’s Ryan –
