Entries By dave hahn
A long and easy day at high camp, preparing for the summit. There wasn't a breath of wind, which we are hoping will be the situation tomorrow as well. Still plenty of cloud about, although we seem to be near the top of it all. I spoke on the radio with Vinson basecamp and they seem to be down in the soup. Clouds shouldn't present any great problem for us though, as long as the predictions hold true and the calm continues. The forecast calls for -38 C tomorrow on top. It was far more comfortable than that in our tents today though. We napped, we drank water, we napped, we ate food, and we napped. Tomorrow we climb.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Half past one in the morning and the sun is blazing away at high camp on Mt. Vinson. We made the move up today. It was a murky day from the start, with lazy clouds and light snowfall keeping the views pretty limited as we cranked on up the steep fixed rope section. We made the trip in about 6.5 hours, coming in to camp just after 9 PM. By midnight we'd gotten a good hot dinner and the team was turning in while the clouds began to drop away. We'll likely take a rest day tomorrow and go for the top on December 11th if weather permits.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
You guys are amazing!! While we are sitting in our warm places you are weathering the incredible cold hights..Wishing you great weather all the way to the summit!! Go, Vlado go!
Lumir, Maria and Patrick
Posted by: maria popek on 12/9/2011 at 10:38 pm
It is a quarter after one in the morning in the Ellsworth Mountains of Antarctica. We made our carry of summit supplies to Vinson high camp today. It all went quite well. We made it up there in under six hours, arriving just before 8 PM. Two-and-a-half hours later we were back down the fixed ropes and thirty-five hundred feet lower in camp one. These are late days, but we are simply trying to use the best sun of the day. In such cold temperatures it doesn't make sense to do otherwise. Our storm is gone, but there is still a lot of high cloud in the area. We were warm enough going up the fixed ropes but met with a nagging four mile per hour breeze on the less steep slopes before high camp and that allowed us to fully appreciate the ambient temperature (forecast to be -24 C today with about -35 C at the summit) It was all good training for the bigger and harder days which will follow. Climbing out of the Branscomb valley, the team got to look out upon the endless world of ice to our west today. It is a stunning and magnificent view, and virtually impossible to tell where ice ends and sky begins.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Fantastic Li! You’re getting closer & closer! Love Dean
Posted by: Dean on 12/9/2011 at 6:11 am
Winds stayed mercifully calm throughout last night, but just as we got hoping for the morning sunshine (it takes until 11:30 AM for the sun to get around the mountain and into our camp) the storm came in again good and strong for several hours. There was not any question of going ahead with our carry to high camp. Instead, we rested, which turned out to be quite pleasant when the cloud caps blew off the peaks and the winds quit. Just a lazy day in the sun, trying to drink plenty of water and get organized for going higher. This evening's dinner was relaxed and leisurely, the total opposite of our battle with the elements 24 hours before. Things don't seem totally stable yet, but there isn't much doubt now that we are headed for better days.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi Mindy we are thinking of you. Stay warm!
Posted by: Chris on 12/8/2011 at 8:19 am
Another day of storm, as predicted and expected. But it seemed as though things were improving gradually and so we thought we might sneak up into position at Low Camp so as to be ready for the good weather. This plan worked well, at first. We packed up and got rolling from basecamp at 1:30 PM. At the big right-angle turn of the Branscomb Glacier we picked up our cache from yesterday and marched on. Travel was actually easier than it had been for the first Vinson team since much of the soft snow blew away. With a good path and calm and even occasionally sunny conditions, the miles flew by. We hit low camp at 9,300 ft right on five hours, at 6:30. That also happened to be the moment that the first big cold and random wave of wind played through. Sure enough, the storm had a sting in its tail. We got hammered by gusts as we carefully built our tents and lit stoves. It all certainly lent drama to our situation, but the team remained in good humor and coped well. Meals were served up in the sleeping tents instead of in the POSH, but that worked out just fine. By 10 PM the wind was behaving much better and it pretty much quit by midnight (although it can still be heard howling through high camp, 3,500 ft directly above us). Obviously we want our share of good and stable weather to begin tomorrow, but if necessary, we can wait right here for whenever the fine stuff shows up.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The storm rages on. When we could catch a glimpse of the Vinson Massif today, it was continually capped in thick wind-sculpted cloud. But it really wasn't bad down here on the Branscomb Glacier. Our basecamp is nicely sheltered... so far. It is rare for big winds to find their way into our valley, but it does happen. This storm isn't finished yet either. Our forecast from ALE suggests it will be with us at least another day. Today we did manage to get a carry of food and gear in to "half camp" about 2.5 hours above Vinson Base Camp. It was great to stretch legs and it will certainly ease our eventual move up to low camp. We took about an hour to scoot back down to base in cold and shadowy conditions. A hot dinner in our dining tent got all feeling good again.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
It turned out to be a lucky thing we flew into Vinson basecamp last night. It would not have worked today as the weather has gone down. Looking at things philosophically, this is not a bad time to get a storm. Considering that it has been nearly two weeks now of generally good (and at times -perfect) weather, we were due for a change and we definitely did not want that change to come as we got higher -and more vulnerable- on the mountain. Our plan for this first day of the expedition involved sorting gear and reviewing climbing techniques. We thought we'd make a carry of supplies partway up the Branscomb Glacier, but with a whiteout and new snow falling, it was easy to scrap the carry in favor of napping. Travel to this point on the Antarctic continent from North America has taken days and nights and lots of "hurry up and wait" and so a rest before the climb begins in earnest isn't wasted time by any means. Especially when we can hear winds ripping the ridges above. The team doesn't seem stressed by the change in plan and do seem to be quickly adapting to expedition life on ice.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
_Union_Glacier_Vinson_-_2.png)
Dave Hahn called from Vinson Base Camp early this morning after the team arrived on the mountain. Below is the transcript from his call:
Hey, this is Dave Hahn on calling from Vinson Base Camp again. The Illyusion came in today at Union Glacier, it was a spectacular day - actually started a little bit cloudy, still a little bit ice crystals in the air, chance of fog, but the afternoon was just sparkling and beautiful and the airplane came in in the evening and brought in my next group of climbers. So the four of us then clambered...out of the Illyusion and into Twin Otters. But first we had Illyusion Stew there at Union Glacier - the traditional meal there on the ice in the ALE Dining Tent. Then kind of a midnight ride through the Ellsworth mountains, really beautiful, the shadows long. And the Twin Otters on skis, brought us out to Branscomb Glacier. A perfect landing going uphill on the glacier at 7000' and Vinson splendid out in front of us. And now it's 2:30 and we've gathered our tent's up. We're in shadow. So, I'm not gonna stay up too much longer... [Call lost].
Rooting for you, Mom! I know you can do it! -Tianna
Posted by: Tianna on 12/4/2011 at 12:54 pm
Great luck guys! Li, you’re living your dream! Much love and support from Toronto Canada! d
Posted by: Dean V. on 12/4/2011 at 11:41 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
It took all night, but finally the victorious Vinsonites evacuated the continent. At two in the morning we all clambered into a giant open sledge being dragged by a Tucker snow machine. Thus began a surreal hay ride across the endless Union Glacier to the blue ice runway in some of the coldest and windiest conditions of our entire trip. We got to watch the massive Illyusion 76 scream in for a landing, but it was then still a few hours wait to get the big aircraft unloaded. Luckily ALE had a convenient (and spartan) warming hut staged close to the aircraft. I said my congratulations and goodbyes to the gang and watched them jet off the ice at 5:30 AM. In particular, I made sure that Seth Waterfall and Billy Nugent knew the extent of my gratitude for their help and friendship these past weeks. Of course I was a little sorry to miss out on what I'm certain will be a fun victory dinner in South America, but my season on the Ice isn't finished just yet. I'll pass a few days now at Union Glacier waiting for the next RMI Vinson climb (space on the Illyushin is limited and pricey so the best plan is for me to stay put). ALE is hosting a marathon for about 30 runners tomorrow and I have volunteered to assist in conducting the event... It should be interesting.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
This is Dave Hahn calling from Union Glacier, we got in this morning about 4 AM. Twin Otter brought us from Vinson Base Camp and we waited a good part of the today with the hope of flying back to South America with the team. But the Illuyshin flight didn't come about for today and now we're putting our hopes on tomorrow. The weather is gone down a little bit here but waiting is pretty easy here at Union. It's considerably more comfortable, easier living than back out at Vinson, but everybody is doing well, and hoping to be moving around soon, bye.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Dave Hahn and team at Union Glacier awaiting weather and flight back to South America.
I envy your capability to publish wonderful article on http://www.rmiguides.com simply wanted to say I like this !
Posted by: website promotion on 1/24/2012 at 12:38 pm
thinking of with every step, Vlado. enjoy the vistas at the top!
Posted by: Maria on 12/11/2011 at 10:13 am
Good luck on making it up to the summit tomorrow!
Posted by: TRACY OWENS on 12/10/2011 at 10:36 pm
View All Comments