IMG Vinson Team Waiting on Weather in Antarctica

January 2, 2017

Just off the sat phone with Greg Vernovage from C1 on Vinson Massif.Â They snuck in a carry yesterday, just the fixed ropes and cached just short of high camp.Â Forecast was calling for higher winds yesterday and today that donâ€™t seem to be developing.Â Greg and crew are taking a day off today at C1 and will be ready to move to high camp tomorrow, winds permitting.Â Theyâ€™re feeling quite strong and ready to push to the summit as soon as â€˜signs say yesâ€™.

Antarctic scenery near C1 (photo: Phil Ershler)

Indication is for milder temps (by Antarctica standards) for the next couple of days, so weâ€™re crossing fingers.Â Bottom line: allâ€™s good with the crew and they now just need two reasonable weather days to take a shot at the summit.Â Canâ€™t ask for a lot more than that.

Phil Ershler

Another IMG Team Summits Aconcagua

January 1, 2017

Always happy to report on a summit but even happier to report that a team has returned to high camp and made their safe descent down to base camp the following day.

Some of our summit crew

Thatâ€™s exactly where Jonathan, Martin and team are after their successful climb.Â And they are VERY happy to be off that upper mountain.Â Cold and nasty at high camp while everything is better at Plaza Mulas.Â We traverse the mountain, returning to Plaza Mulas, as it gives us an easier/quicker descent from high camp, and it also cuts off one day of the walk out.Â Plus, itâ€™s just kind of cool to do a traverse.Â Jonathanâ€™s team will be eating steak in Mendoza by late Monday evening.

Cold climbing on summit day

Josh McDowell also checked in.Â Team made a carry today to C1 and anticipate moving up to that camp in the morning.Â Itâ€™s one step at a time for those guys.Â Donâ€™t rush but just keep plugging away.

Phil Ershler

Patagonia Trekkers Move To Los Cuernos

January 1, 2017

Los Cuernos Panorama. (Photo by Tye Chapman)

Chris Meder checked in from Refugio Los Cuernos this evening after a nice leisurely trek from Refugio Chileno. They took their time stopping at all the viewpoints – just enjoying where they were in the world. Chris said they rang in the new year in style last night. “The folks in the kitchen grilled up some meat & even put out a chocolate fountain for dessert. I can safely say nobody was expecting that.Â In the end, it was a great celebration full of people from a lot of different backgrounds which made for a good time. We counted down from 10 in Spanish and rang in the new year with all of our new friends. Perfect ”

Tomorrow is an out and back day for the team, no huge rush. They’ll head up into the Bader Valley, another special permit valley where they’ll have the trail all to themselves. A couple might opt to stay along the lake for the day, while others might cut the day a little short, perfectly reasonable decisions if you ask me!

Tye Chapman

Patagonia Trekkers Enjoy Some Silence

December 31, 2016

A panorama of the Silence Valley with La Fortaleza and El Escudo in the in the middle (L to R). (Tye Chapman)

A panorama of the Silence Valley featuring La Fortaleza and El Escudo. (L to R). (Tye Chapman)

Our Patagonia trekkers enjoyed a great day up in the Silence Valley. Where the trail ends, our team kept going. The trail quickly turns from a wide trail full of trekkers into a ‘choose your own adventure’ through a boulder field, followed by a narrow foot path that meanders next to a swift stream. After a quick break they turned it uphill through a dry creek bed to the treeline. Once they caught their breath they pushed above the treeline and traversed onto the lateral moraine of the Silence Glacier. From there they enjoyed views of the massive granite peaks La Fortaleza (fortress) and El Escudo (shield). After lunch they made their way back down to Refugio Chileno where they will ring in the new year. According to Chris, the cooks were grilling up something special tonight!

Tomorrow is a relatively low key day (nice timing after NYE!).Â Their one and only goal is to make their way to Refugio Los Cuernos, a manageable goal even with a hangover.

Let the countdown begin!

Tye Chapman

IMG Team Summits Aconcagua

Summit cross atop Aconcagua

December 31, 2016

Pleased to announce that Jonathan, Martin and their crew summited Aconcagua today.Â Winds werenâ€™t perfect but things were good enough.Â Everyoneâ€™s back at high camp and tucked in for the night.

Winds should continue to increase for the next few days so the team will try to get out of high camp early and make their descent to Plaza Mulas.Â This is great news.Â We proud of them all and happy for their success.

Great way to end 2016.

Phil Ershler

Updates From The Southern Hemisphere

December 30, 2016

One of many postcard moments in Torres del Paine National Park. (Photo by Tye Chapman)

It was a busy day for IMG Teams in the Southern Hemisphere…

In Chilean Patagonia, IMG Senior Guide Chris Meder reports that all is well on day 1 of their trek in Torres del Paine National Park. “The highlight of the day was when the clouds broke just as we pulled into the towers. It was perfect!” Tomorrow they’ll head up into the Silence Valley where, due to a special permit we’re able to obtain, where they will likely be the only trekkers on the trail.

3000km north of our Patagonia team we have our Aconcagua teams who also reported in this afternoon.Â Up at high camp is Jonathan Schrock’s team who is in position to take a shot at the summit in the morning. Back down at Base Camp is Josh McDowell’s team who pulled into Plaza Argentina in good form earlier today. They’ll likely take a rest day tomorrow.

And roughly (and i mean roughly) 8000km south of our Aconcagua teams is our Vinson Team. These guys flew from Punta Arenas, Chile to Union Glacier, Antarctica and then from UG to Vinson Base Camp yesterday. Today they made to move to Camp 1. That’s covering some ground!

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve…these teams will ring in the new year in style!

Tye Chapman

Progress, Climbs on Aconcagua and Vinson Move Forward

December 29, 2016

: Great view of Aconcagua from Casa Piedra

: Lunch service aboard the IL76

: Up high on Aconcagua

Letâ€™s do a few updates on team progress in Argentina and Antarctica.

Josh McDowell and team have a reasonably straightforward day with the second day of their approach to Base Camp on Aconcagua.Â Casa Piedra is where theyâ€™re headed for the night.Â Mules are still carrying the group gear which means light packs for the team.Â No steep sections today, just a gradual elevation gain to camp.Â They cross the Vacas River early in the morning via a nice bridge and then follow the right side of the river right to camp.Â Couldnâ€™t get lost if you tried.

Higher up, Jonathan Schrock and crew have worked out the plan for their summit attempt.Â Theyâ€™re going to employ a couple of porters and move into high camp tomorrow.Â Forecasts show winds increasing a good bit on Sunday so the team wants to get into position to take a shot at the top on Saturday.Â The crewâ€™s doing well and the additional porter assistance will make the move day much more reasonable.Â Letâ€™s see how it goes.

Lastly, I think Greg Vernovage and his Vinson team were able to fly onto the Ice this morning.Â No news from Greg means heâ€™s likely sitting on the IL 76 and headed south.Â Always nice when we can fly in exactly on schedule, if that is indeed the case.

Bottom line, both Aconcagua teams and our Vinson are doing well and making progress.

Phil Ershler

All Work And No Play…

December 29, 2016

Chris Meder checked in today from southern Chile:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! (Photo by Chris Meder)

“We stretched our legs a little bit today to get ready to launch on our trek tomorrow. We rented some bikes and toured Puerto Natales. We rode out along the water for some photo ops of local wildlife a distant view of Torres del Paine Massif. After our ride we stopped at The Indigo for lunch, a nice little spot.Â This town has a ton of good, rustic, cozy spots, I love it. Right now the team is out picking up some souvenirs, showering up for dinner and finishing up packing for the start of the trek.”

They’ll be picked up in the morning and will be walking by noon. They’ll head straight for what I call postcard moment number 1: The Towers a.k.a. Los Torres del Paine!

Tye Chapman

Holiday Kili Team Heading for Home

December 29, 2016

Kili Team at the Safari Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater

We are wrapping it up here at the NgorongoroÂ Crater after one great trip.
Yesterday we had a spectacular safari drive to (and into) the Crater, as
well as visiting the Olduvai gorge and the Maasai village.Â Today we will be
heading back to Arusha where we have planned time for shopping at the Arusha
Cultural Center, then lunch and our final goodbyes before the long flight
home. Happy New Year from Tanzania!

Max Bunce

Touch The Toe

December 28, 2016

The team in Punta Arenas.

IMG Senior Guide Chris Meder checked in from Puerto Natales, Chile this afternoon. He reports that all trekkers arrived with all their bags yesterday afternoon, always a great way to start a trip. After quick introductions they made their way to La Luna for a nice dinner, then capped the night at the Sky Bar with beers overlooking the Straights of Magellan. Not a bad way to start off a trip!

This morning they took short a walking tour of Punta Arenas to touch the toe of the local Magellan Memorial (for good luck), exchange a little money and grab a few snacks for the road trip to Puerto Natales.Â After the drive, they knocked out gear checks. Now they’re at dinner now at La Guanaca, a nice little artisan pizzaria.

Tomorrow is both a contingency day for lost luggage (not an issue with this crew) and a free day to explore town a bit.Â Puerto Natales is a very friendly little walkable town with great shops & scenery. My bet is that some of them rent bikes tomorrow and cover a little ground to take in the sights. More on tomorrow, tomorrow.

All is well in Chilean Patagonia!

Tye Chapman

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