December 25, 2011
A carry to C1 is a tough present to open. (Photo by Tye Chapman)
Nice rest day at base camp. Plaza Argentina is about 13,600’. The team called in from there on Christmas Eve. Mellow day to rest, sort gear, eat and drink. Burgers were on the menu.   Christmas day will be a big carry to Camp 1, around 16,200’ Heck of a way to spend the holidays. They send Christmas greetings to everyone.
Phil Ershler
Decmeber 25, 2011
The view of Kili after dinner at Karanga Camp. Good climbing weather! (Photo by Adam Angel)
In between handing out presents and making coffee this morning we got a sat phone call from Mike and the team at Karanga Camp. They finished up another rewarding day, had a huge dinner, and are getting ready for one more full night’s sleep before heading up to Barafu High Camp. The weather is still holding well and they expect nice dry weather for summit day. Mike said the team wanted to wish everyone at home a Happy Holiday. I told them that all of us at home following the team wish them the same and that we also wish them success over the next couple of days. There’s a lot of good hard work ahead!
Adam Angel
December 24, 2011
Aconcagua and the Polish Glacier. (Photo by Phil Ershler)
The team all reached Aconcagua base camp, or Plaza Argentina, on the 23rd. A couple of headaches, to be expected, but nothing serious. A quart of water and some extra attention to breathing always helps. Checking in with the Argentina Park officials at base camp, resting, eating and drinking are the order of the day. The team’s in good shape as they’ve now completed their approach. Now, 3 camps need to be established, food and fuel put into place. One step at a time.
Phil Ershler
December 24, 2011
Approaching the southern slopes above Shira Camp. (Photo by Adam Angel)
After the steep climb to Shira Camp, the entire team tackled the long and rewarding day to Baranco Camp at 13,000′. This was the team’s first foray over 14,500′. As the old mantra goes, “climb high, sleep low.” Mike called in on the sat phone this morning to give us an update and everyone is strong and healthy. The weather is good and everything is ticking along like clockwork. Sleep, eat, climb, repeat! They KNOW they’re on Kilimanjaro now after hiking around the famous Lava Tower and getting a close up look at the flanks of the upper mountain. They’ll get a good night’s sleep, before tackling one of the most spectacular days of the climb tomorrow (other than summit day). The Baranco Wall is steep and sporty. Keep up the strong work team!
Adam Angel
December 23, 2011
Hiking through the forest at the beginning of the Machame Route. (Photo by Eric SImonson)
After arriving in Moshi with all their gear (always a good way to start an expedition) the IMG December Kili team has now started up the mountain. Today they traveled by jeeps to the Machame trailhead (about 5900 ft), where they met their Chagga porter crew.
Today the climb is in the forest the entire way. Starting as a wide path down low with huge trees and monkeys, the route soon becomes a trail which climbs steadily, as the trees get smaller. Tonight they are at the Machame Camp (about 9,800 ft) which is at timberline, so hopefully they will catch their first close up views of the mountain..
Eric Simonson
December 22, 2011
Casa de Piedra. (Photo by Phil Ershler)
Quick phone call this afternoon from the team at Casa Piedra, their second camp on the approach to Aconcagua base camp. A bit breezy the last couple of hours into camp but no problem. Everyone’s doing well.
They wanted everyone to know that dinner tonight was a tortellini with their homemade zucchini, onion and meat sauce. Plaza Argentina (base camp tomorrow.
Phil Ershler
December 22, 2011
Left to right: Mike Hamill (4x - 2008-2011), Justin Merle (4x - 2006, 2008-2010), Eric Simonson (1991), Tap Richards (2006), Phil Ershler (2x - 1984 & 2002), Heidi Richards (2006), Jason Edwards (2001), Ang Jangbu (1990), Eben Reckord (2010), George Dunn (1991), Greg Vernovage (2010). (Photo by Tye Chapman)
Last Thursday, in honor of Ang Jangbu being in the USA, we made some calls and invited a few folks over for a slice of pizza and a beer.
The result: a room filled with friends, family, loved ones as well as 11 IMG Guides representing 18 Everest summits. Pretty cool stuff!
Tye Chapman
December 22, 2011
Cerro Aconcagua. (Photo by Phil Ershler)
The first Aconcagua team for the 2011/12 season is on the trail. Guides Eben Reckord, Kelly Ryan and Martin Lucero met in Mendoza on December 17 to make final food purchases and organize gear. The team arrived on the 19th, did gear checks and then secured their permits the morning of the 20th, prior to heading towards the mountain and a place called Penitentes. One night there at the hotel and the approach began the morning of the 21st. They reached Pampas de las Lenas that day and spent their first night on the trail there. So far, so good. A relatively easy day for everyone.
They’re off so stay tuned. We’ll continue dispatches over the holidays as much as we are able.
Phil Ershler
December 21, 2011
25 Great Years...Thank You!
The years come and go so quickly anymore that we rarely get a chance to sit back and reflect on our past. And now, here we are with 25 years of it!
When we look back on the first days of IMG, we’re quick to notice that for the most part the mountains have stayed the same; it’s the business that surrounds them that has changed. A phone call and a handshake used to be the norm, now it’s FedEx, release forms and digital statements. We laugh at, and appreciate, all the envelopes we stuffed & mailed and chuckle at the volume of faxes sent and received from one hotel or another to keep things flowing. And it’s hard not to smile when thinking of the stash of cash we were once forced to travel with to pay our in-country support staff or the occasional bribe to get things done.
Nowadays we have our fancy website, instant emails flying from one country to the next, guides buzzing from one mountain to the other, pdfs, blogs, facebook, credit cards, invoices, sat phones, cell phones, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, not to mention twitter and iphones. But the long and short of it is this: climbing is still climbing and without putting one foot in front of the other there’s no reason to blog, chat, or make calls. Sure the gear has come a long way but in the end it still boils down to doing your physical homework and being mentally prepared for whatever climb you’re up against.
We’ve had the opportunity to get to know a lot of climbers over the years and take pride in all the memories in which we’ve played a part. Be it one of the summits from Mt. Rainier last summer or guiding Dick Bass up one of the Seven Summits – they all play their part in IMG’s growing history.
We’ll promise to keep up with this whole inter web thing but will continue to concentrate on what matters most: safety, summits and fun. The rest tends to take care of itself.
Happy Holidays & here’s to another 25 years!
George, Eric, Phil & Paul
December 20, 2011
Our view at lunch. Not a bad day at the office.
Last Friday we did our best (sorry you couldn’t make it Becky & Clarissa) to close the doors for our annual Christmas Party. This year, instead of the typical egg nog, cookies and white elephant gifts, we opted to head over the Crystal Mountain for a company ski day. Did I mention how much I love my job?
Moving on, we met up at 9:00am and after the obligatory ‘hellos’ and ‘nice to see yous’ we hit the slopes, some of us harder than others. The morning was spent skiing in small groups with our +1’s on a common denominator ski slope (Queens Run), but before long the ‘skiers’ in the group were itching for the steeper slopes and more challenging terrain.
Lunch was spent at the Summit House enjoying a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier.
Saturday was the typical day of soreness for the once a year skiers but the smiles the day before made it all worth it!
A sunny day skiing was a great way to start the Holiday Season!
Tye Chapman
