January 9, 2019
Luke’s team aboard the IL76 and ready to fly (Luke Reilly)
Down on the Ice, one team is heading in and one team is heading out. Austin Shannon’s team will be back home day after tomorrow and Luke Reilly and crew will start working their way up Vinson. Flight was scheduled for today so it’s right on time. That’s no small accomplishment given the narrow flight perimeters with a 1900 mile flight to Antarctica. One adventure ends and another begins.
Phil Ershler
January 9, 2019
Up on Top! (Craig John)
The new year brought in excellent conditions for our programs in North Conway, NH. IMG Senior Guide, Craig John, reports that “the ice is thick and conditions on Mt. Washington have been excellent”. With short approaches and legendary climbs minutes from town, it’s easy to find winter fun with IMG in New Hampshire!
Waterfall ice that is accessible from the roadside offers the perfect training opportunity for beginners, which is exactly what Craig had in mind for Andrea and Elena this past weekend. The two friends flew in from the west coast (California and Washington, respectively) for a taste of New England winter. Their adventures included a summit of Mt. Washington in perfect conditions and a day of roadside waterfall ice climbing. They couldn’t have planned it more perfectly!
If you’re looking for something more committing, a winter traverse of the Presidential Range is one of the most challenging and demanding mountaineering adventures on the east coast, and also one of the most coveted. The traverse begins on Mt. Madison in the north and moves south to Mt. Pierce along the 20+ mile ridgeline that connects the “Presidentials”. We hit the summit of seven peaks along the way. Average nightly temperatures are below 0° Fahrenheit and winds are often 40mph or more. (Today’s Mt. Washington Observatory Summit Forecast calls for temps of 10°F, 78mph winds, and a windchill of -22°F!)
Sunset over the Presidential Range in NH (Heather Garland)
Come on out, the weather is cold and the climbing is spectacular – oh, and those sunsets!
Heather Garland
January 8, 2019
Route Finding on Cayambe
Jay and Romulo just called in from Ecuador. Team’s been at high camp all day, with a hike up to the glacier for a bit of training/review. Weather’s a bit socked in but hoping things settle down this evening so they can take a shot at the summit of Cayambe tomorrow. Everyone’s healthy and all members are up to the challenge. Just need the weather and the mountain to cooperate a bit so the team can make the attempt.
Fingers crossed.
Phil Ershler
January 8, 2019
The Team, loaded and ready to go! (Nickel Wood)
Nickel, Martin and the team shot us a quick text this morning to say they were leaving Mendoza, heading to Penitentes. More packing this afternoon, this time into ‘mule loads’. They’ll spend the night at the ski lodge in Penitentes and then the walking starts tomorrow morning. There’s always a bit of nervous anticipation. You’ve trained, you’ve prepared and now it time to ‘walk the walk’. They’re ready to go.
Phil Ershler
January 8, 2019
IMG Senior Guide Luke Reilly and Team (Luke Reilly)
IMG Senior Guide, Luke Reilly, is in Punta Arenas, Chile with our second Vinson expedition for this season. They’ve been shopping, packing, doing gear checks and getting acquainted. Today’s their briefing with ALE, the flight service. That’s a fun get together, as the team learns more about all the logistics involved with the flight to 80 degrees S. and they get to meet all the other climbers heading to Vinson for the final trip of the season.
Then, it’s up to mother nature to determine when they fly. The plane, the IL76, is already loaded and ready. Maybe the weather’s good tonight, or maybe it’s tomorrow, but everyone’s ready to take advantage of the first opportunity to get down there.
Luke and team will pass Austin and team at the Union Glacier landing site. Luke and crew will be heading to Vinson while Austin and team will be ready to begin the journey home. So far, all is good and all is on schedule.
Phil Ershler
January 7, 2019
Thumbs Up! (Nickel Wood)
Two down and our third Aconcagua expedition is on deck. IMG Guides Nickel Wood, Martin Lucero, and their team are in Mendoza putting final touches on shopping and packing. Everyone arrived without major issues and with all luggage. Nice to have cleared that hurdle. Two nights in Mendoza to wrap preparations and secure the climbing permit and then it’s off to Penitentes, at the foot of Aconcagua. One more night there to prep ‘mules loads’. The group uses mules to get the bulk of the group gear to base camp at Plaza Argentina (approx. 13,600’).
It’s an exciting time. They’ve been doing their homework for months and the excitement is palpable. Enjoy Mendoza, meet your team mates, put final touches on your gear and then it’s game time. Stay tuned. Aconcagua is a big mountain and a serious challenge. 23,000’ is high!
Phil Ershler
January 7, 2019
Monica and Jamie caught the boat on schedule yesterday and headed down Lago Grey to catch their private transportation back to Puerto Natales. You might say they were literally ‘jumping for joy’ that they made the decision to explore Torres del Paine and the trekking available in Patagonia. I think it is safe to say they had an enjoyable trip. That might be a tad of an understatement.
Phil Ershler
January 7, 2019
Team had another great day in Ecuador. Acclimatization is huge at this point of the trip and a hike to the top of Imbabura was just what the doctor ordered. Night was spent at the Hacienda Guachala, near the base of Cayambe. Plan/goal for today is to get up to the hut on Cayambe and sleep at 15K. Keeping with the ‘acclimatization theme’, they’ll use tomorrow for some training/review and get another night at 15K before taking a shot at the top.
All is pretty much as good as it gets in Ecuador.
Phil Ershler
January 6, 2019
Our January 2019 Ecuador expedition is underway which means a bit of sightseeing and a lot of acclimaztization. The group rendezvoused in Quito on Thursday, the 3rd.
Lago Mojanda (Jay Lyon)
IMG Senior Guide, Jay Lyons is joined by our long-time Ecuadorian partner/guide, Romulo Cardenas. They’ve already taken the group to tour Old Town, Quito, crossed the equator, visited the famous market in Otavalo, spent time with Romulo’s old friend, a famed weaver in the town of Peguche and spent a long/fun day hiking outside Otavalo. Here’s their most recent update in Jay’s words:
Phil,
Hiking Fuya Fuya (Jay Lyon)
After an early morning visit to the animal market in Otavalo, we drove to Laguna Mojnada for our first acclimatization hike of Fuya Fuya. We reached the top (14K) and with the weather as good as it gets and energy high, we decided to climb the neighboring summit of Yanaurcu, at just under 14K. A few members enjoyed a swim in the crater lake back at the trailhead. Muy Frio. Before dinner, we visited an old friend of Romulo’s in the town of Peguche and admired his weavings. We saw the results of a lifetime behind a loom. Beautiful.
Team’s fit and healthy and getting on well. We’ll take on Imbabura tomorrow (Sunday). Hoping for the same good weather we had on Fuya Fuya.
–Jay
Nice way to start a trip.
Phil Ershler
January 5, 2019
Fun news this weekend from Patagonia and our custom, private trip to Torres del Paine. Some great photos, too.
Hi IMG,
This is Monica and Jamie with a picture update: high winds forced us to change the schedule for the last two days, but we are still having a blast. Victor has been amazing and came up with wonderful alternatives; we love Nash. We are headed to the Grey Glacier tomorrow, winds allowing.
Maybe they can squeeze in a kayak trip through the icebergs if the winds allow.
Phil Ershler
