January 19, 2010
IMG Guide Ben Kurdt called in yesterday to report that the team had successfully carried to Camp 1 and set up tents in some nasty weather. Good practice for everybody and everybody did great. Today they were scheduled to carry to Camp 2 also known as Helicopter Camp (17,800ft).
If all goes as planned they’ll move up to C2 tomorrow then relax and enjoy a well deserved rest day on Thursday.
The team is strong and doing well.
Tye Chapman
January 19, 2010
Phil called in late yesterday afternoon to report that the team had a a great training day on the lower slopes of Cotopaxi and even dropped off some things at the hut before heading back to the hacienda.
Summit night is tonight. They’ll head back up to the hut this morning, get situated, grab a bite to eat and try to get some sleep. Sleeping at 16,000ft is never easy but they’ll do their best to get some rest. An early morning start should get them to the summit a little after dawn.
More to come…
Tye Chapman
January 18, 2010
Phil called in from Ecuador over the weekend and reports that the team had a great acclimatization hike of Pasachoa. They left Quito nice and early and swung by “La Maltilde” for a great little breakfast. La Maltilde is owned by some of Phil’s close friends so they open the place up for us and serve a great breakfast. The team gets a chance to try many of the fruits and juices Ecuador has to offer.
After breakfast the team had a great day hiking 13,766ft Pasachoa. They wrapped up the day by staying at a hacienda near the mountain called Tierra del Volcan. Today they’ll head to Cotopaxi for some more acclimatization and a training review session. One more night at Tierra del Volcan and then it’s up to the hut on Cotopaxi for the summit attempt.
All is well in Ecuador!
Tye Chapman
January 18, 2010
IMG Guide Ben Kurdt called in to relay that the team is doing well and enjoyed their acclimatization time at Base Camp, but now it’s time to get to work.
They pulled into Base Camp on the 15th and enjoyed a full rest day on the 16th and planned to carry to Camp 1 yesterday and move to Camp 1 today.
The weather is good and the team sends “hugs and kisses” to everyone back home.
Aconcagua Itinerary (subject to change)
Tye Chapman
January 18,2010
IMG guides Eben Reckord and Ang Jangbu Sherpa arrived in Tanzania over the weekend and were awaiting the Kili Team’s arrival.
The group was scheduled to have a free day yesterday to get organized, visit the Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Project, shake off some jet lag, and get their bearings in Africa. After porter loads were weighed it was back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep to prepare for an early departure this morning to the Machame Gates to start the climb.
Eric Simonson
January 15, 2010
Phil Ershler called in today from Ecuador – one of his favorite trips!
The team all showed up on time and with all of their gear, which is half the battle! Now the adventure can really begin. Today they’ll be doing some urban acclimatization. Quito sits at nearly 10,000ft so going for a walk there is a little different than most cities. Heck the stairs in the hotel can be quite the obstacle the first day!
Tomorrow they plan on checking out the Saturday market in Otavalo. This is one of the best markets in Ecuador. Folks from all over converge on this small town at a crossroads to take care of their everyday business.
They’ll return to Quito tomorrow afternoon for the final preparations. Breakfast on Sunday will be in the countryside at a beautiful and unique restaurant owned by some friends. The team will then do an acclimatization climb of Pasochoa. The night will be spent at a small hacienda called Tiera del Volcan. It’s at about 12,000 ft. making it a great place for the team to continue to acclimatize.
More to come…
Tye Chapman
Operations Manager
January 14, 2010
IMG Guide Ben Kurdt just called in from the trail on Day 2 of the trek to Aconcagua Base Camp… The team just wrapped upa picninc lunch in between Pampa de Lenas and Casa de Piedra. The weather is good and everyone is feeling great. If the clouds stay at bay they’ll get a glimpse of the mountain later today. All is well!
Tye Chapman
Operations Manager
January 14, 2010
Getting all team members to the right city, at the right time and with all their luggage might be the toughest part of an expedition. Our first Aconcagua trip for the season got close. Everyone made it and right on time. We only lost 2 pieces of luggage. Good thing is that lots of stuff is available to buy in Mendoza so it was only a small hurdle. Permits were purchased, gear checks started and a nice first night spent in the city of Mendoza. A big steak dinner with red wine at one of the numerous sidewalk cafes is always a nice way to begin a trip.
A few hours drive the next morning in our private transportation took the crew to the base of the mountain, a place called Penitentes. It’s a ski area during the winter (our summer) season. Packing now consisted of getting everything into ‘mule sized’ loads and ready for the approach hike to begin the following morning. That was yesterday morning. Each of the 3 day approach will be about 10 linear miles. We’ll keep you posted as we get reports in regarding progress. And as we always say, ‘no news is good news’. They’re all off and running.
Phil Ershler
January 11, 2010
As soon as I get one dispatch completed, my partner, George, calls again from the Patriot Hills. Seems as though the meteorologist likes what he’s seeing and the plan now is for the IL 76 to arrive at 80 degrees south at 2:15 am on the morning of the 12th. Sweet!. By the time the crew gets back to South America, to the hotel, showered and cleaned it, it’s going to be too late to fly home on the 12th but that’s not such a bad thing. They’ll be able to relax, enjoy dinner together tomorrow evening and then start the trek home on the 13th.
This brings to conclusion another incredible season on the Ice. 100% on the summit. 16 customers and guides on top! Best of all is that everyone was able to climb safely and hopefully had some fun in the process. so, this wraps up our ‘coverage’ until November 2010.
Phil
January 11, 2010
Just spoke with George down at 80 degrees south. Amazing what you can do with technology these days. Weather is nice at the Patriot Hills. The trick is for the meteorologist working for ALE to ‘predict’ when the weather window looks like it’s going to hold. And, it needs to hold long enough to get people in Punta rounded up and to the airport there. Maybe a couple of hours. Then another 4 for the flight and a couple of hours ‘on deck’ at the Patriot Hills, getting the new crew off loaded and those flying north on board with luggage. Probably as much art as science but ALE does a good job. Short answer is that they’re not quite there yet. And this is a great example of the old adage, “when in doubt, don’tâ€. A great Denali bush pilot named Doug Geeting had that plastered on his Cessna 185. Makes a ton of sense.
So, it’s more card playing and more hot drinks. But that’s easy with already have climbed Vinson Massif. We’ll let you know when it’s wheels up.
Phil
