Punta Arenas, Chile

I arrived in Punta Arenas Chile last week. The trip down was mostly uneventful minus the emergency landing in Guayaquil, Ecuador. An older woman who appreantly needed emidiate medical attention caused quite a stir on the airplane mid flight. Despite all the fuss she turned out alright, but it delayed out landing in Santiago by a few hours. Upon arrival in Punta the staff begun training. New protocals, new regulations, and refreshers on things from on mountain comms, weather forcasting, and rescue procedures. I have also been charged with the tasks of rebuilding toilets, preparing tents, and organizing mountain equipment for the mountain. Needless to say it has been very busy. Traditionally two Twin Otter fixed wing aircraft would have already been sent to Patriot Hills to comlete opening task such as clearing the blue ice runway for the Ilyushin 76 Russian jet to land. However this year on their flight from Canada to Chile an engine was compromised resulting in an engine failure. A new engine had to be ordered and installed this week, so progress onto the ice has been slowed. Today the Twin Otters were cleared to fly and the first crew out onto the ice are away. The Russian Ilyushin 76 arrives in Punta Arenas tomorrow and we will begin loading and preparing it for its departure to the ice sometime in the up coming week. The Ilyushin typically comes with a returning staff of pilots, this year however the pilots are new to Antarctic flying, so their maiden landing could be interesting. As for the rest of the week we are going to continue preparing in hopes of leaving on Tuesday, but weather will always have the final say.

A massive storm beginning to envelope Vinson's summit. By the end of this day we would see winds well over 100mph above camp 2.
Mount Shinn the third highest peak in Antarctica. Climbed far less than Vinson. It's summit it much more challenging and holds more objective danger.
Summit of Mount Shinn.
Summit of Vinson Massif.
On the slopes of Mount Shinn looking back toward Camp 2 and Vinson summit.

Preparing for Antarctica

Antarctica time!!! Well is about that time of year again. In just a few weeks I will be, once again, heading south, way south. The month of October has been dedicated to planning and training for the ice. I will be leaving for South America the end of October. I should be arriving in Patriot Hills and then on to Vinson base camp by early November. Weather permitting I should arrive back in the U.S. by mid/late December. This year is incredibly exciting. Between guiding new routes, establishing new and more technical lines, and the opportunity to ski all over the Ellsworth Mountains, this season in Antarctica is looking promising. I have set up this Blog in order to make following this trip easier for those interested. With a little luck I will be able to send out photos and dispatches via satellite phone to this website, giving up to date info on the next few months on the ice. Unfortunately I will not be posting every week, hell, after all I am there to climb, but i will do my best. Please tune in and post comments or questions as much as you like and I will do my best to respond. Thank you for checking it out!! See you in a few months.