Entries By dominic cifelli

The team awoke early this morning to frost encasing the tents. As we broke the icey zippers and looked out we saw what the crisp morning had brought. Sprawling views of Ixtaccihuatl, a smoking Popocatepetl, and the valley below. To let the frost melt, we hit the pause button and enjoyed our delicious breakfast/coffee before we donned our heavy packs and hit the trail. Unfortunately, the weather decided to change its tune too. We battled the cold wind and whirling clouds as the team pushed on. With a quicker clip than usual, we were all business and made great time getting up to our high camp at 15,400 ft, many of the teams high points. Now we’re bundled up, eating quesadillas, and planning for the climb ahead. Hoping for good weather for tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

The team has arrived at La Joya, our Basecamp for our climb of Ixta. We had a busy day of traveling, leaving Malinche to do some last minute shopping in Amecameca. Enjoying the warm Mexican sun, we walked around the markets and ate delicious street food before shipping off to our destination. It was right back to work though as we tuned up, packed and sorted our gear for the coming days. It's cool, breezy and cloudy here at Basecamp, but no rain so we are thankful!

The team is in high spirits and we are excited for the climb.  Good night to everyone at home.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

The team awoke bright and early today to eat a quick breakfast and start heading to La Malinche, our first objective of the trip. We were treated with sprawling views of the Mexican countryside as well as our first main objective, Ixtaccihuatl. We were thankful to stretch our leg and lungs as we hiked through the forest of Malinche, a welcome change from the urban jungle of Mexico City. Unfortunately, that’s where our hike ended, just below 13,000 ft, due to incoming weather. Though we didn’t reach our objective, we did get to our highest elevation of the trip so far, hiked with stray dogs that we named Beavus, Butthead, and Hank and ate a delicious carne asada for dinner. Now we rest and get ready to head to Ixta basecamp tomorrow.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

We did it. The Team has arrived in Mexico City safe and with all of our gear. We just wrapped up our first official team meeting where we discussed logistics, gear, and our various experiences today. Some of us enjoyed sightseeing, some of us saw a sword fight in the park, and others got some much needed rest. The group is in high spirits and ready for the adventure ahead. 

Now we’re off to go eat tacos and enjoy a good nights rest.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling and Team

What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday morning we woke at Vinson high camp and finished the “day” around a campfire in Miami, Florida. 

We packed camp on another cold but beautiful Antarctic morning and started climbing downhill at 11:30 AM.  Getting down the steep “fixed rope” section was the tricky part, but we managed it without great difficulty and pulled into low camp at 1 PM.  We switched gears, pulling off crampons and rigging sleds for the lower angled glacier walk to Vinson Basecamp.  There were some low clouds about and a forecast for more to come, so it wasn’t certain that we’d be able to fly out.  But we didn’t think too much about that as we walked the amazing walk down the Branscomb Glacier to VBC.  We pulled in at 4 PM… minutes after Russ landed his ski equipped Twin Otter.  We were greeted at VBC with fist bumps, champagne and COVID tests.  We did the duffel shuffle into the plane and shared a last cocktail with the top notch ALE staff.  Bidding Scott and Hannah goodbye, we loaded up and flew to Union Glacier.  Our timing being perfect, as always, we showed up at 6:30, just in time for an excellent dinner -sitting in chairs at a table in the comfortable dining tent.  By then we knew our Bombardier jet was inbound and so we simply extended dinner for a few hours to sit and talk and mingle with the other adventurers.  Nimsdai, the great Nepali climber and expedition leader, walked in fresh off a plane from the South Pole, and regaled our team with accounts of skiing the “Last Degree”

The “Global” landed at 11PM on the blue ice runway as we watched and cheered.  We took our last steps on the glacier and up the ramp to the luxury of the plane.  Within minutes, Sniggy transformed from Vinson climber to Pilot and lifted us off the Ice.  In less than four hours we were back to Punta Arenas, but only to refuel and say goodbye to Ed Viesturs -who stayed behind for a planned second Vinson climb.  The team toasted Ed as we flew through the South American night.  By early afternoon we were in Miami, Florida and welcomed “home” by Sean “Stroker” Gustafson.  Stroker -the famous F16 pilot and former Vinson climber- had us out to his place for a memorable evening of jet skiing, fishing, and fabulous dining.  Stroker’s family made us quite comfortable and welcome around a campfire to finish the “day”.  The team told stories of mountain climbing and space travel.  We laughed and plotted future adventures long into the night.  It is rare to end an Antarctic journey with a campfire in the sand, but I highly recommend that you try it. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We went for it today!  Another absolutely beautiful, sunny, calm and clear day.  It was something of a long shot for our entire team to be fully acclimated and ready for this serious push to 16,000 ft but we decided it was worth the try.  That summit or not, we wanted to give it a go.  And so we set off at 9 AM.  It was cold at first, but rapidly becoming evident that -without even a hint of breeze- we wouldn’t suffer so much from the low temps.  In fact, many of our team were pealing off down pants and bibs in the first uphill hours.  We made steady progress, but the altitude took a toll and ultimately we formed turn around ropes.  Those of us coming down early put our hopes and best wishes into those continuing to the top.  Those pushing on got determined and efficient and topped out at 4:45 PM with inspired help from Scott, from Conrad Anker and from Hannah.  Our entire team was reunited at high camp by 7:30 PM and enjoyed several easy, comfortable New Years Day hours recounting the adventure and looking out over the precipice of Vinson’s great western wall.  We blew out candles on cookies for Sarah’s perfectly timed birthday and called it a day.  An incredible day in a wondrous place. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Friday, December 31, 2021 - 4:39 pm PT

Rest day at Vinson High Camp was restful.  And welcome. Many of the team felt the altitude of our new home after a night of tossing and turning.  But breakfast and another fine day, weather-wise got folks feeling a little better as the day went on.  We drank lots of water and snacked throughout the day in order to recoup from yesterday and prepare for tomorrow.  The forecast is certainly in our favor.  We could see clouds forming far down below us and a few wispy formations on nearby peaks but there wasn’t much evidence of wind anywhere in the range.  We’ll see how the gang fares with this second High Camp night -nobody had explicit plans for partying hard on this New Year’s Eve- but all things being good we’ll set out for the top tomorrow. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Thursday, December 30, 2021 - 8:38 pm PT

Our run of perfect weather continues on Vinson Massif!  We got out of the big sleeping bags at 10:15 this morning when the shadow loosened its cold grip. We weren’t interested in a quick and hectic start or jumping out on the climbing route immediately.  Scott and Hannah -our superb ALE guides- cooked up a sumptuous breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.  We ate, we looked each other in the eye, we polled the gang as to how the night had gone and how each climber felt about pushing higher.  And then we pushed higher.  We put on our crampons and got ice axes in hand and headed for the fixed ropes.  This section would be the “meat” of the day, roughly 2,000 vertical feet on steep and firm snow slopes, protected by a continuous line of rope, anchored every 200 feet or so.  We spent a good three or four hours on the wall and a few more on the lesser angled glacier above it.  The lead ropes pulled in a little after 8 PM and got busy building camp for those who would follow.  We climbed in fine weather, but things are on the cold side, with our estimates centering on about -30 F.  It was quite challenging to climb safely in such conditions with the odd 3 mph breeze coming through.  The team rocked it.  We ate a long dinner and drank hot beverage after hot beverage to rehydrate and regain energy.  It is 1:30 AM now, the sun is still beaming on the tents and everybody has turned in, excited to be here -close to 12,500 ft- and excited for a rest day on the final day of 2021.

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 - 7:19 pm PT

We seem to be into a stretch of very fine weather.  Today was nothing but sunny, calm and beautiful.  Our first morning on Vinson was pleasant, but quite full with getting everybody up to speed on glacier travel and packing and prepping for moving up.  Even so, we took a midday break for a sit-down hot lunch of vegetable soup.  We got walking at 1:40 PM.  Four rope teams traveling in formation up the Branscomb Glacier.  Recent snows made the footing a little more insecure for the first few hours out of camp, but conditions improved as we got a little higher.  There was less new snow and easier to walk on packed trail by the time we hit the big turn in the glacier below Vinson’s west face.  We came into 9,200 ft “Low Camp” just after seven in the evening.  A fine time to arrive as the sun hits from a great angle and intensity at low camp during the evening hours.  We built tents and moved in to giant walls of snow bricks constructed against big winds by previous inhabitants.  Our evening was windless.  We ate dinner and talked over possibilities for tomorrow.  Perhaps we’ll move higher in the morning, perhaps we’ll spend the day training around low camp.  It all depends on how folks feel in the morning.  It is wonderful to be up in this wild setting, looking straight up at Vinson and at the jagged peaks just to the North. 

Although it is after midnight now, the sun is still strong on the tents, making them almost warm and comfortable.  The sun won’t go behind the mountain until about 3 AM, at which point things will feel a bit colder until it reappears around 10:15 AM. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Tuesday, December 28, 2021 7:47 pm PT

When we met for breakfast at seven this morning, we were optimistic…about COVID test results, about weather in Antarctica and about a thousand moving parts and plans meshing perfectly.  Turns out our optimism was warranted; this was a great day.  We fired up the Gulfstream 7 at 12:30 PM and flew out of Patagonia headed South.  We watched out the windows as sea ice began to appear and then mountains and massive glaciers.  Our pilot slash climber extraordinaire, call sign -Sniggy- landed the plane ever so gently on the ice runway at Union Glacier just after 4 PM.  We got out, marveling at our new world, unloaded our gear and then watched pilots Kurt and Rob lift the G7 off the ice and back into the sky bound for Punta Arenas.

We boarded two ski equipped Twin Otters and took off just after 5 PM for Vinson Base Camp. It was a clear and sunny day, so we could see thousands of the jagged and angular peaks comprising the 200-mile-long Ellsworth Mountains.  We landed uphill at 7000 ft on the Branscomb Glacier a little before 6 PM.  We met Hannah, Scott and Forrest, the excellent ALE guides we’ll be partnering with for this trip.  With Superstars like Conrad Anker and Ed Viesturs on the team, there were plenty of outgoing climbers anxious for handshakes and pictures.  Then it was an easy and pleasant evening of getting settled in camp and sorted for moving up the mountain tomorrow.  We ate a fine dinner in the comfortable basecamp dining tent and attended to chores, some jogged in the snow around the 1/4-mile perimeter of basecamp for a little exercise.  All of us spent a fair bit of time with our mouths hanging open, just staring at gigantic and precipitous Mt. Vinson a few miles East of basecamp.  And then we called it a day.  But a great and memorable day.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team