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.