Entries from Vinson Massif
November 27, 2017
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'
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No flying today, as it turned out. Clouds and snow prevailed. But as far as storms go, this one hasn’t been particularly unpleasant. The wind didn’t blow hard enough to rattle our tents overnight and with all of the cloud cover, temperatures were moderate and reasonable -probably somewhere in the teens. After breakfast, we got out our harnesses and carabiners and reviewed a few basics before roping up and marching through camp a few times. In the afternoon we set out on a mission to walk a 10 kilometer groomed circuit out in mid-Glacier. Just a day or two before we got in, this circuit hosted 50+ runners competing in the Antarctic Marathon. Inspired by these athletes, my team went the extra mile today, or perhaps four, as their guide struggled to stay on course. Conditions deteriorated with snow falling steadily and for several hours we trudged on without benefit of horizon or contrast. All allowed that it was good to be out and to be stretching legs. We were back just before dinner and felt just a bit more entitled to extra helpings and deluxe desserts than we might have without the suffering and privations of the brutal 10K track. After dinner, the briefings went as expected... conditions still did not allow for flights to Vinson... bad weather may continue for several days. Visual Flight Rules prevail in these parts... smart people don’t mix twin otters, mountains and murk if they can avoid it. But as it turns out, there is more training for us to do at Union Glacier in relative comfort and safety.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Greetings from Antarctica. Sure enough, we got the call during breakfast to be ready for flying. It wasn’t a “hurry up and wait” morning though, more a “slow down and wait” type of deal. We got picked up from the hotel before 9 AM but it wasn’t until about 11:35 AM that we lifted off from Punta Arenas. The weather picture was fairly complicated today and it took some strategic thinking to figure just when it was appropriate to commit to a flight. Four and a half hours in the cargo bay of a four-engine Russian jet was made endurable by comfy airline seats and “Pretty Woman” playing on the big screen -with subtitles- (the IL76 is a noisy ride). The captain brought us through somewhat murky conditions to a perfect landing on the blue ice runway of Union Glacier. It was cold, windy, cloudy and a little raw with blowing snow. A perfect Antarctic day, actually, but we didn’t spend much time taking pictures down at the runway. A souped-up van with big tires took us on an ice road over to Union Glacier Camp where we were warmly welcomed and given a briefing and tour. After a great bowl of soup and an excellent dinner, we ventured out to build our tents. No flights to Vinson tonight, due to the sloppy weather. Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant evening of chatting with other climbers and adventurers from a dozen different countries and of catching up with acquaintances from mountains far and wide.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Just after breakfast we hauled our duffel bags down to the hotel lobby. ALE -our logistics company- weighed each bag and carted them away for packing on the Ilyushin 76 aircraft. Thus freed from the temptation to fiddle with our gear, the team went for a walk along the shore. We visited a few old square rigged ships beached and broken along the shore and looked for whales and/or dolphins out in the wind blown waves.
In the evening, we attended ALE’s briefing/cocktail party to meet the other folks on our flight. There are people going to see the Emperor Penguins at the edge of the continent, some who are bound for the South Pole, in the middle of everything, and a handful of teams joining us on Vinson. Olivia, our contact at ALE, let us know that there was a chance we’d fly out just a few hours following the meeting, so we headed to dinner and crossed our fingers. Things didn’t come together for a fight this evening though, so we relaxed and lingered over our dinner table, telling mountain stories.
We’re optimistic that the morning will be a different story and that we’ll soon be flying south.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
As expected, today was an easy day of mountain climbing. We met in the hotel dining room for our introductory strategy session... outlining what steps need to be taken in preparing to fly four and a half hours in a Russian jet and to disembark and go climbing in the remote interior of a frozen continent. Next up were equipment checks to be sure each climber had the necessary gear for the journey. The afternoon was then spent either walking the windy sidewalks tracking down odds and ends in the shops of Punta Arenas, or in simply resting and recuperating from the long flights and time changes we endured. Patagonian weather is living up to its crazy reputation as we had a typical spring mix of rain showers, brilliant sunshine and then ferocious gusts of wind all in any given ten minute period. We braved the elements, going for an early (7PM) dinner in another fine and friendly downtown restaurant and came out to twilight and blissfully reduced winds at 9PM.
Tomorrow we’ll submit our gear for packing on the plane and we’ll enjoy what should be our last day in South America before Vinson.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
We kicked off our Antarctic mountaineering expedition with a walk around the windy streets of Punta Arenas in the far South of Chile. Most of the gang came in on the afternoon flights from Santiago, so stretching legs was crucial following all those uncomfortable hours in the air, the airports and the airliners. We had a nice dinner at La Luna, one of the friendly restaurants just a few blocks from our hotel on the shore of Magellan’s Strait. Turkey wasn’t on the menu, nor was there any cranberry or gravy... and it was five unrelated strangers sitting down to get to know one another. So not your typical Thanksgiving feast, but for that, it was quite nice. It was still plenty light out at 8:30 pm when we walked from the restaurant, a pleasant reminder that we’d switched hemispheres and seasons. Tomorrow we’ll get down to the business of packing and preparing to climb Vinson. Tonight was just for relaxing with new climbing partners.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Sue: wishing you and the team the best of a excellent weather to conquer Vinson Massif, a prayer for you and please be safe, We still have many more hikes to do together around the world.
Enjoy the beauty of Antarctica y keep warm, proud to be your friend and can’t wait to hear from you and your amazing, priceless adventure
Take Care!!!
Posted by: Sandra E on 11/26/2017 at 5:25 pm
Thanks for sharing pictures Dave! Those of us left behind are excited each time we see one on the blog. Wishing you all good health and good weather for a safe flight to Antarctica, soon.
Go Team Vinson! From the Butterfield Bunch
Posted by: Vickie Butterfield on 11/25/2017 at 9:10 pm
None of us minded getting up early today at Union Glacier. We packed our bags and knocked down our tents one more time. Then we drank a bunch of coffee and waited for the big plane to come in. We had a ringside seat for the 11 AM landing out at the Ice runway. It didn't take long for the ground crews to get it unloaded and to get us on board. We were off deck by noon and had a smooth and easy 4.5 hour ride back to Punta Arenas. Then it was time for showers and a fine dinner out with friends. We celebrated a truly enjoyable climb in an extraordinary environment. Tomorrow we'll fly some more and we'll eventually go in different directions. But we won't soon forget what we accomplished together.
Thanks for following.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Mr.Hahn,
Its been 20 years since my first season of 6 as a member of the twin otter crews. Fond memories of working with you and glad to see you’re still up to it.
Miss my days down there and hope to come back some day.
Dave
Posted by: Dave Bosma on 12/31/2016 at 4:39 pm
Dave,
Thank you for safely guiding Keith and the rest of the team for this experience. Also thank you for posting the daily blog so that I could know where the team was and to let my mother-in-law and others informed of the progress.
I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Yuki Loritz
Posted by: Yukiko Loritz on 12/12/2016 at 11:36 am
December 9, 2016
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'
There was optimistic talk yesterday evening of a flight to South America today. The weather didn't cooperate, but we certainly didn't mind another day in the heart of Antarctica. We ate well, we rested, we rode fat tire bikes on a 10k groomed trail, we watched clouds come and go, and we mingled with other "tourists" and staff of ALE (our logistical company). Everybody wanted to know about our big storm and just how hard the wind really blew.
Union Glacier camp feels like a major city compared to our small camps on Vinson. Ski planes come and go at all hours, snow cats and snowmobiles roam about, folks come and go from skiing and climbing, from excursions to the coast and the pole. It is a bustling crossroads in the middle of a beautiful nowhere. It is hard to interact with so many well-traveled people without hatching plans for the future. Our immediate future involves northward travel and word has it that the IL76 will be in tomorrow morning. We could be in South America tomorrow evening. One day at a time though.
Best Regards,
Dave Hahn
Still praying for good weather for everyone. Safe travels.
Yuki Loritz
Posted by: Yukiko Loritz on 12/9/2016 at 10:40 pm
December 8, 2016
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'
We started the day -as usual- in a cold cloud at high camp. We are finishing it in bright sunshine and relative warmth at Union Glacier. It was a hard day of down climbing with heavy packs, but by late afternoon we were in Vinson Base where a plane was waiting just for us. Our tents are up in a flat place tonight and the team is happily chatting with explorers, adventurers, scientists, guides, pilots and hard workers from around the world -all mixed in the comfortable ALE dining tent.
Chances are good that we'll fly to Punta Arenas tomorrow.
More as time allows.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Congratulations to Dave and the team! I loved following your expedition. The dispatches were so nicely written! Again Dave: WRITE A BOOK :-). Happy Holidays
Posted by: Wolf Riehle on 12/8/2016 at 8:32 pm
December 7, 2016
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Elevation: 16,067'
Not much wind at high camp this morning, but a heck of a lot of cloud when we checked it at 7 AM. Seemed like this was to be our opportunity though. We breakfasted in fog and light snow and got ready to climb. Nothing had changed by the time we got roped up at 9:45. We set off into the murk. Not a great day for pictures... but walking in a whiteout means there are few distractions. We took a quick rest break every hour or so and went steadily higher and colder. Light winds came up with face freezing potential as we neared the top, but almost miraculously, we lost all wind and even got a touch of sun as we went out the summit ridge. We hit the tippy top at 5:30 and liked it so much we spent 30 minutes up there. It took us three hours and ten minutes, mostly in cloud, to get back to high camp. Thankfully, there we got some late night sunshine to enjoy dinner by. The team is tired, but as you can imagine, we're also pretty happy right now as we drift off to bed.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
[Transcription of audio call from the summit]
Hey, this is the RMI 2016 Mt. Vinson Climb, We are on the summit of Mount Vinson, all of us! 100%, a team of 5 right up here on top! We climb through clouds all day, but here on the top we are looking up looking up at blue sky. It is calm on top. This team is done a great job. We'll let you know we get back to high Camp and everything is good, and that's what we expect because everybody is climbing strong.
That's all for now, high from the top of Antarctica.
Dave Hahn Calling from the Summit of Mount Vinson.
On The Map
Congratulations to Mt. Vinson Team!!
Charlotte
Posted by: Charlotte Williams on 12/8/2016 at 1:16 pm
Bravo!!! Well done!!! Safe journeys home!!!
Posted by: JP on 12/8/2016 at 3:18 am
December 6, 2016
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Elevation: 12,300'
Finally in position. We moved up to Vinson high camp today (12,300 ft). It was calm at Low Camp this morning when we climbed out of our tents, but it really didn't look that great up high -from our vantage point. There were still big wind sculpted clouds attached to the high summits. Our radio conversations with friends at high camp told a different story... they said it was calm and warm at high camp and folks were headed for the top. We geared up... dragging our feet just a bit in case the weather turned obviously bad. But it didn't. We left our longtime home at low camp (9,200 ft) at 1:40 and cruised up in about six hours. Fog overtook the team about half way up the ropes though, and stuck with us to high camp, so we didn't have any views. We reached camp about when the summit teams were getting back. They'd been above the clouds on the top. With all of our team feeling good and strong, it didn't take much time to build our camp, eat dinner and get to bed. We 've got a big day coming up tomorrow. Perhaps we'll get some views along the way.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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Hi Dave!
Of course I wish I was there with you guys. Have a safe, spectacular climb.
-Larry
Posted by: Larry Seaton on 11/26/2017 at 8:13 am
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