Summit Stories - part I

A few details are trickling in...lots of fresh snow and super high winds all night and morning of the summit bid with gusts of up to ~60mph, which would knock you over if you didn't brace yourself.  Scott broke trail to the summit, gaining 6,000 feet of elevation in those conditions.  Lots of wind burn, but he made it to the "tip top" as EP says.

Apparently a lot of climbers take a snow cat up to 16,000 ft. and then start climbing from there to the peak (~18,510 ft.), which seems a bit like cheating to me.  Team MountainWaz made a true summit bid from camp, which means climbing ~6,000 feet of elevation to the peak.

Video of Scott's snowboard descent from below the Saddle of Mt. Elbrus, Caucasus Mountains, Russia

#6 is in the books. One last continent to go before Scott is a member of the Seven Summits Club, meaning that he will have climbed to the highest point on each continent.  The only outstanding one is Mt. Kosciuzko in Australia, which is more of a hike rather than a technical climb.

Of course, there is some debate whether Carstenz Pyramid, located in a remote area of Papua, New Guinea should actually be the highest point in Oceania, depending on our definition of that continent.  And so the climbing continues...

Safe and Sound

Message received here at Portland base camp early this morning (about an hour ago) that they are all headed back down the mountain to Cheget (ski village) after a very long night/day of wild weather.  Scott made it to the summit, and Aaron & Alexis reached 17,500 ft. before they had to turn back because they ran out of time.  With the tight schedule to make it down to the gondola in time to reach Cheget and the 3-hour ride back to Mineralnye Vody to catch their flight, they did not have much flexibility in the time table, and the weather did not cooperate.

We will post more details about the summit bid soon.

Thank you to everyone for all your support.  Your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes have meant so much to us.  Also, thank you to Aaron & Alexis for providing photos throughout the trip.  All of Scott's pictures are on our camera, so we will also share those after they make it home safely from Russia on Saturday afternoon/early evening.

Last Chance!

Finally got a call from Scott tonight after he has been unable to get a signal due to the horrible weather the past few days.  He said that their spirits are still pretty good, even though it's been frustrating to be "stuck" at camp since July 2. [As noted previously, they were able to make it up to ~15,800 feet and snowboard/ski down, but the weather has been so nasty that the snowstorm, high winds, and low visibility prevented a summit attempt.]

He assured me that at least from that elevation, the ride down was not too steep, and he compared the terrain to riding down from the Cascade chair lift at Mt. Hood Meadows!  The snow is wet and heavy - also similar to Mt. Hood conditions - but there is a lot of fresh snow, and it's very rideable.  Fortunately there are also markers (red stakes to mark the path) every 150 feet or so to help keep them on course. The main path is a fairly wide open snow field, but beyond the primary track, there are crevasses, so the markers are a safety measure that the mountain guides set to designate the main path.

Today they are packing up camp as much as possible so that they will have little to do to finish when they return back to camp.  Because they fly from Mineralnye Vody (MRV) back to Moscow on Thursday, they have a compressed schedule to descend the mountain and drive to MRV.

So tonight is the final chance at the summit.  Though a bit unconventional to climb at night on Elbrus, they will start out at 9 or 10pm with the goal of reaching the summit by 5 or 6am. They will snowboard/ski back down to camp and pack up the rest of their gear.  Then it will be a race down to the gondola, which closes by 3pm.  From there they have a 3-hour cramped car ride back to Mineralnye Vody where they catch their flight to Moscow.

 The all-too-familiar view from Camp toward the summit of Mt. Elbrus before a final summit push.

Wishing and Waiting for Summit-worthy Weather

One of the less exciting facets of mountain climbing is when you are stuck at camp for an undetermined amount of time inside a tent hoping that your patience, sanity and allotted trip schedule can outlast the mountain's unpredictable weather.

Following the previous day's hail storm, the team made an attempt at the summit yesterday, but they had to turn back and return to camp due to heavy snow, high winds and low visibility.

As is often the case, in the mountains, the weather changes very quickly, and the conditions vary greatly with just a small difference in elevation.  So even if weather conditions are favorable at camp, it may not be decent climbing conditions just a little bit further up the mountain and particularly at the summit.

They are nearing the end of their scheduled alternate days, so we are really hoping for a good weather window so that they can make it to the summit of Mt. Elbrus.

Socked in at Camp (12,750 ft.)

Small break in the weather yesterday that gave them a glimpse of hope for the summit...

Comparison photo of the bluebird weather on 4th of July before acclimation process was completed.

Waiting out the Weather

Brief update that the team has been hunkered down at camp for the past 24 hours due to a weather delay. They are waiting for some forecasted clear, sunny skies to roll back in after sitting in the clouds for a day or so.

Everyone is in good spirits, and the forecast looks good for Monday-Wednesday, so a summit bid will ensue in fairly short order!

Pastukhova Rocks

Yesterday the team set out on another acclimatization hike. This time they hiked up to the Pastukhova Rocks at ~15,387 ft., and then they skied / snowboarded back down to their camp.

Weather-permitting, they plan to attempt the summit tomorrow.

Aaron shot this video from the Pastukhova Rocks.

Camp Like a Champ

Yesterday the team moved up to the Garabashi area otherwise known as the "Barrel Huts," which are really like big barrels where some of the guided groups stay. In case you are curious, the Russian name for barrels is "Bochki."

Scott called tonight to say that they are all feeling good, and they are planning another acclimatization hike today up to Pastukhova Rocks, which is at ~15,000 ft. elevation. They will return to their camp and since the weather forecast has been consistently good for the next few days, they will likely make a summit bid on July 5 or 6 depending on the snow conditions.

So far the snow conditions have been good for them to "skin" up the mountain on their skis and splitboards. Since Mt. Elbrus has wide open snowfields in the main route up to the summit, it is a safe area for skiing/snowboarding down after they ascend.

There is a lot of activity on the mountain with various climbing teams, and they have secured a good camp location just above the Barrel Huts. They decided to keep their camp where it is now (at ~12,700 ft.) rather than move up to a higher camp since they are adjusting well to the altitude, and moving up would just require carrying more loads.

Here is a map of the Elbrus region:

Some photos from their camp (~12,700 ft.)

Camp set-up includes prayer flags:

Chillin' in the camp chair that was a Father's Day present from his girls:

Peeking through the clouds...

Aaron's video from the ride up the chair lift with their packs hanging in the balance...

More video compliments of Aaron - this one of their camp...

Cheget (Russian: Чегет) : A Nuclear Briefcase?!

In this case (pun intended), Cheget refers to the village and ski & snowboard area near Mt. Elbrus, but apparently the black suitcase containing the communication system to activate nuclear weapons (and other critical military communications) that has been carried by Russian Presidents since the 1980's was indeed named after Mt. Cheget.

Cheget is located in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria republic in Russia, between the Black and Caspian Seas close to the Georgian border. The lower Mount Cheget is located about 2km south of Mount Elbrus.

Today the MountainWaz climbing team rode up the antiquated ski lift from the village to reach a higher altitude and hike to acclimate their bodies to the altitude. Then they will hike back down and spend one more night in Cheget before moving on to begin their climb on Thursday.

Scott in the village of Cheget

Hotel in Cheget where the team is lodging

View from their balcony in Cheget

Video taken by Aaron on the chair lift up to day hike

First view of Mt. Elbrus on acclimatization hike

Panoramic view of the area

Watching avalanches in the distance

Made it to "Mini" (Mineralnye Vody - MRV)

Team MountainWaz reported this morning that all 6 bags arrived safely with them in Mineralnye Vody (MRV).  That's critical as you can imagine since they spent a lot of time reducing their packs to only the most necessary of gear, so if anything was missing, it could delay the climb (or worse).

Next step is the 3-hour trip to the Baksan Valley, where they will encounter mountaineering teams from all over the world who are also climbing in the Caucasus Mountains.

Happy climbers as all their bags arrived at MRV...

A bit of a squeeze for 3 mountaineers and all their gear (there's a joke in there somewhere) on the ride to the Baksan Valley - it will be a long 3 hour drive!

From Russia with Love

Scott, Aaron and Alexis arrived safely in Moscow and spent a day there sightseeing and making final preparations for the flight to Mineralnye Vody and ground transport to the Caucasus Mountains.

Fortunately their bags arrived safely as well.

Scott enjoyed a nice meal of salmon upon their arrival.

On their first full day in Moscow, they toured the city after some morning coffee.

And rode on one of the steepest escalators...

Stretching it out before entering Red Square in the center of Moscow

Admiring a 200-ton bell at the Kremlin...

Sampling more coffee - at Basco Cafe in the Kremlin...

Back at the airport again the next morning (7/1 in Russia) - flying to Mineralnye Vody, gateway to Mt. Elbrus! From there they will have a 3-hour van ride to Baksan Valley (village of Azau). 

2014 Mt. Elbrus Expedition

On the quest to summit the highest point on each continent (the "Seven Summits"), Scott flew to Russia last Saturday (June 28) with climbing partners Aaron & Alexis Saari.  They did training climbs on Mt. Hood and another on Mt. Rainier a few weeks ago to prepare for the trip.

Located just inside the border of Russia in the Caucasus Mountain range, Mt. Elbrus is officially the tallest point in Europe.  It lies on the southern border of Russia just a few miles from Georgia.  Mt. Elbrus is an extinct volcano, its crater filled with snow and ice. The mountain has two summits: the Western summit, which is the taller of the two at ~18,510 ft., and the Eastern summit, which is ~18,442 ft. tall. The area between the two summits is called a saddle and lies at 17,769 ft.

Refer to the posted itinerary to see the planned schedule for their climb of Mt. Elbrus.

Here's a photo of the expedition team at PDX just before their departure.  They have arrived safely in Moscow and have one more day in Moscow before their flight to Mineralnye Vody and transport to Mt. Elbrus.

Photos from Antarctica - Mt. Vinson

Welcome to Antarctica!  "The Illusion" lands on the natural blue ice "runway" of Union Glacier.

Scott at Vinson Base Camp with Twin Otter ski plane in the background

Twin Otter ski plane - Mt. Vinson in the background (far right)

Mt. Shin (peak to the left) - Scott summitted Mt. Shin on Jan. 5. Mt. Tyree is pictured to the right.

Hiking with a load up to Camp I pulling gear in the sleds

Scott at Camp I

Climbing fixed lines to Camp II

Scott at High Camp with Mt. Shin behind him

View of Ellsworth Mountain Range

Scott's team ascending the summit ridge

Summit photo of Scott with MountainWaz Expeditions flag

View from the summit of Mt. Vinson (16,050 ft.)

Descending down the ridge line of Mt. Vinson

View from the summit of Mt. Shin

Scott on the summit of Mt. Shin

Descending from the summit of Mt. Shin

Ground transportation Antarctica-style

Back Home Safe & Sound 1/13/12

After a minor delay in flights last night, Scott made it home from Antarctica via Punta Arenas, Chile.  We are enjoying some much-needed family time at home. Thank you for your support.

We'll get some pictures posted within the next few days or so.

Back at Base Camp!

Scott and his group made it safely back to Vinson Base Camp after a successful summit!  Mission complete!  Since they have a few extra days, they are looking to climb one or two of the other taller peaks in the Ellsworth Mountains.

Mt. Tyree - 4,852 m / 15,918 ft
Mt. Shinn - 4,661 m / 15,292 ft

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!  We appreciate your support!

Call from the Summit of Mt. Vinson (16,050 ft.)!

Scott called from the summit to tell us that he made it safely to the top of the bottom of the world!  They successfully reached the peak of Vinson Massif, the highest point on Antarctica.  He said the weather has been phenomenal - it has been sunny with low winds, so it has been unexpectedly warm compared to the anticipated conditions.  Great news!

Just last night we were watching videos of Antarctica (there are some good ones available on the National Geographic and Discover channel websites) and looking at the breathtaking views of Antarctica and its wildlife (penguins, seals, whales, and birds).  Em is hoping that her Daddy is taking pictures of penguins for us!

Surprisingly Antarctica is actually a desert climate, and they get the least amount of precipitation of anywhere in the world with only 2" annually on average.  (That's really hard to imagine since we live in the Pacific Northwest, the home of precipitation!)  Besides being the driest continent, it's also known to be the coldest, windiest, and the highest (average elevation of Antarctica is 8,194 ft.).

Nearly completely (98%) covered in ice, Antarctica has about 70% of the world's freshwater supply (in frozen form!).  The mean thickness of the ice surface is 6,000 ft., though the average is only ~4K ft. thick in West Antarctica where Mt. Vinson is located.

Stay tuned as we hope to hear from Scott again after they safely descend to High Camp, Low Camp (Camp I) and back to Vinson Base Camp!  We appreciate everyone's support.

Happy New Year's from Camp I (9,100 ft.)

Scott called to wish us a Happy New Year from Camp I on New Year's Eve.  They had moved up to Camp I that day, and they were planning to overnight there and spend a rest day at Camp I on New Year's Day.  Provided that the weather holds, they expected to climb to High Camp today (Jan. 2).

He said there was a nice light snowfall but that it was still sunny and that he had actually been pretty warm climbing in just a long-sleeved shirt.  The sun reflecting off the snow generates a lot of heat.

Because of their location so close to the South Pole and due to the time of year (it is mid-summer there now), they are in the midst of a 2-week period of 24-hour daylight.  Scott said that he had trouble sleeping at first because of the constant sunlight, but he is starting to get adjusted to it.

As they ascend to higher elevations and the wind increases, they will need more of their polar gear.  Here's a picture of Scott in his mountaineering boots and his down gear as he was packing for this trip.  Our daughter Emma Pearl was excited that they had "matching puffer coats."

Happy New Year everyone!

Touchdown at Vinson Base Camp

Scott called to tell me that they arrived safely at Vinson Base Camp as planned on Saturday (12/29) and that they're planning an acclimation climb up to Low Camp on Sunday (12/30).

It's important to allow your body time to adjust to altitude slowly, which is what acclimation is all about.  Proceeding too quickly without allowing your body to adapt to higher elevations can result in altitude sickness and even life-threatening illness such as high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE).  Unrelated to physical fitness or demographics (like age or gender), some people are simply more susceptible to altitude sickness than others, but at extreme altitudes, the risk is higher.

One important way that mountain climbers help their bodies adjust to the elevation is to "climb high and sleep low."  That means that they climb up to a higher elevation during the day and then descend to a lower elevation to sleep.  This is why Scott and his fellow climbers will climb up to (or near) Low Camp and then climb back down to Vinson Base Camp to sleep on Sunday.

The Polar Express 2012/13: Mt. Vinson Expedition

Scott is climbing the 5th of the Seven Summits (highest point on each continent) over the next 2 1/2 weeks, and I will be updating news about his expedition here.  He arrived safely in Chile late on the 26th after a few delays state-side.  During the past couple days in Punta Arenas, Chile, he attended a briefing on Antarctica and the polar conditions, including information about environmental and safety procedures. He is traveling with a guided group for this expedition due to the costs involved for the logistics (private plane to the glacier and specialized 4x4 shuttle to Vinson Base Camp).  Since his arrival in Punta Arenas, the team has been through extensive gear checks to ensure they have the appropriate polar clothing and also a bio-security check to ensure that the pristine environment of Antarctica will not be compromised.  Due to strict limits on the weight of their baggage on the charter flight, there is also a luggage weigh-in.  Flight conditions are very unstable due to the weather, so once everyone has completed the necessary steps, they are on "standby" for the flight to Antarctica.  They are expected to depart on Saturday, December 29.  (Note: only 4 hours ahead of Pacific Time Zone.)

More information to come but for now here is a map that gives you a sense of Mt. Vinson's location in relation to the continent.  The Ellsworth mountain range where the Vinson Massif is located is within West Antarctica.

Home at last - photos from Aconcagua '11

After 28 hours of travel, they made it home safely on Sunday, January 16th.

Here are just a few pictures from summit day:

Sunrise in the Andes

Aaron on the way up

Sick View!

Summit 22,843-FT

Man it's bright up here with the shades off

View of gnarly South Face from the summit

Back at Camp 2