Vinson Team is holding tight

January 15, 2022

Looking down to low camp from high camp (Photo: Pat McCrann)

IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock sent a message this afternoon to let us know the team is doing great and our camp has been fortified to handle any of the wind that might come through tonight.Â The word from High Camp was “strong winds and no movement today.”Â Our Team at Low Camp experienced light winds but did see lenticulars forming around the summit of Vinson.Â Low Camp is a great place to hold tight and be patient for this very reason.Â No need to head uphill, build camp and suffer in the wind when we can hang tight down low, acclimatize and prepare for the move.

The team is in great spirits and we will look forward to hearing an update tomorrow and the plan for the coming days.

All is well on Vinson!

Cotopaxi Summits!

January 15, 2022

January Ecuador Team on the summit of Cotopaxi (Kim Sieradzki)

Fresh snow on the route of Cotopaxi (Kim Sieradzki)

IMG Guide Kim Sieradzki checked in to let us know the weather was amazing and the team had a great climb of Cotopaxi this morning.Â With a light blanket of fresh snow on the route, worked their way up the mountain with next to no wind and beautiful skies.

Last break before the summit on Cotopaxi at sunrise (Kim Sieradzki)

Right on schedule, the sun started coming up at the last rest break before the summit.Â With the sun coming up and perfect weather, the team gathered together and celebrated their success while enjoying the views and the crater of Cotopaxi (19,347″).

Cotopaxi Summit looking into the crater (Kim Sieradzki)

Congratulations to the team on their summit of Cotopaxi!

Aconcagua Team reaches Plaza De Mulas

January 15, 2022

Sunset at Camp Confluencia (Nickel Wood)

Plaza de Mulas (Jonathan Farnsworth)

IMG Senior Guide Nickel Wood checked in this afternoon to let us know the team did great today and are now settling into Base Camp at Plaza De Mulas (13,976).Â Nickel said the team made great time and pulled into Base Camp from Concluencia in 8 hours and had nice weather for the trek.Â Taking that additional day to acclimatize at Confluencia certainly payed off for the team.Â Everyone is in great spirits and Nickel mentioned this team is really getting along well.

The team will get a good night sleep and evaluate the team and route conditions in the morning.Â Getting to Base Camp is a big step and we can now look more closely at how the team will approach carries and moving up the mountain.

All is well on Aconcagua!

One more day at Camp Confluencia

January 14, 2022

: Trekking to Camp Confluencia with Aconcagua in the distance (Nickel Wood)

: Navigating terrain on Aconcagua (Nickel Wood)

: Acclimatization Trek towards Plaza Francia (Nickel Wood)

IMG Senior Guide Nickel Wood along with our first class guide team of Tincho and Leo checked in last night and again this afternoon to let us know the team is doing great.Â They decided to take an additional day of acclimatization at Camp Confluencia.Â This is a great decision!Â Yesterday afternoon, they had a heavy rainstorm and more was predicted for today.Â The heavy rain will create less than ideal conditions for trekking to Plaza De Mulas.Â That combined with having other teams on the route helped make the decision.Â Right now, our team is one of very few at Camp Confluencia and are enjoying some home cooking from Leo and Tincho.

The team will move uphill in the morning and we will look forward to hearing from them once they arrive to Plaza De Mulas!

: Martin “Tincho” Lucero working the grill (Nickel Wood)

: IMG Guide, Martin Tincho Lucero (Nickel Wood)

: IMG Guide Leo Villegas cooking up some vegetables (Nickel Wood)

Vinson Team Resting and Holding Tight

January 14, 2022

Low Camp on Vinson

Jonathan Schrock checked in this morning to let us know the team is doing well and going to take a much deserved rest day at Low Camp.Â The team did great climbing to Low Camp yesterday and after setting up and digging in camp, they decided to pump the breaks and take some rest.Â The weather forecast has some wind up high for the next few days, so they will continue to monitor and be ready to make a move when the mountain allows.Â Low Camp is great for training, hiking and acclimatizing, so plenty to do while the upper mountain calms down.

All is well on Vinson!

Vinson Team moving up to Low Camp!

January 13, 2022

: An IMG Team Pulling into Low Camp on Vinson (Luke Reilly)

: On the way to Vinson Low Camp (Emily Johnston)

After a nice trek to Low Camp yesterday, IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock reported the the Team is up and ready to move into Low Camp today.Â The climb to Low Camp on Vinson is just fantastic.Â Doing the physical preparation before the trip is important.Â If you have done your homework the day on the trail is as enjoyable as any day in the mountains.Â The scenery never gets old and the route to Low Camp is over mellow terrain.Â Half way point is notably called “Half Camp.”Â Climbers rarely if ever use Half camp these days but is it a great landmark and after climbing a short incline, the team slowly rolls over the hills into Low Camp.Â On Vinson, we always say; “once you see Low Camp, don’t stare at it too long, it could move further away!”Â In short, you can see camp for a long time before arriving.

The team will get settled in tonight and take a rest day tomorrow before making plans for the next section of the climb.

All is well on Vinson!

Acclimatizing on Aconcagua

January 13, 2022

Aconcagua Team at Horcones Valley Park Entrance (Nickel Wood)

The Aconcagua Team spent the day trekking towards Plaza Francia today.Â This hike is great for acclimatization getting the team close to 13,200 feet.Â Nickel checked in to let us know the team did very well today and were escorted back to camp with a little precipitation, not a bad thing down low on the mountain to keep things cool and also to knock the dust down on the trail!

: Entering Aconcagua National Park (Nickel Wood)

: Trekkking to Confluencia Camp on Aconcagua (Nickel Wood)

The team is now back at Confluencia Camp, resting before dinner and preparing for a longer day on the trail tomorrow.Â The team will get an earlier start and head to Plaza De Mulas (13,976′).Â This will be a nice trek that should take between 6-8 hours.Â There is no rush and as we say, the beginning of the climb is very important to maintain strength and prepare for higher elevations.

All is well on Aconcagua!

Cayambe Summits!

January 12, 2022

: Ecuador Team on Cayambe (Fabian Chuto)

: More summits of Cayambe (Fabian Chuto)

The January Ecuador Team reached the summit of Cayambe (18,990′) just after sunrise this morning.Â A beautiful night for climbing and the reward of a magnificent sunrise from the summit of Cayambe!Â The team has now descended from Cayambe, packed up and are heading for a little town called Papallacta.Â Why are they moving so fast you ask?Â Great question!Â Papallacta is a little secret of ours that we like to visit between Caymabe and Cotopaxi because they have natural hot springs.Â What better way to enjoy our successes than to soak in the hot springs and plan for the climb of Cotopaxi!

: Climbers descending Cayambe (Romulo Cardenas)

: Sunrise on Cayambe (Romulo Cardenas)

: Stepping off the summit of Cayambe (Romulo Cardenas)

All is well in Ecuador and congratulations to our team!

Aconcagua Team is hitting the trail

January 12, 2022

Aconcagua Team prepped and ready to head for the trail (Nickel Wood)

Duffel Shuffle at Uspallata (Nickel Wood)

The Aconcagua Team is hitting the trail today!Â That was the message we received earlier today from Nickel Wood.Â The team arrived to Uspallata and were welcomed with a downpour of rain.Â This was a welcome storm as it has been a bit hot in Mendoza and the rain cooled things off a bit.Â Uspallata is a nice hotel just down the road from Penitentes and has great accommodations.Â After a great team dinner, the team headed to bed and prepared for a big day of repacking and weighing loads for the mules.

This morning the team got up early and headed for Penitentes.Â Gear sorted and packed, it did not take long to head for the trailhead.Â They are currently trekking to Confluencia Camp where they will spend a couple days hiking and acclimatizing for the push into Plaza de Mulas Base Camp.

All is well on Aconcagua!

January Vinson Team arrives to Base Camp

January 11, 2022

: IMG 2021 Vinson 757 on the ice at Union Glacier (Justin Merle)

: Twin Otter at Union Glacier (Greg Vernovage)

: Union Glacier (Photo by Greg Vernovage)

: Twin Otter at Vinson base camp

Vinson Base Camp

IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock checked in last night and again just now.Â The team arrived to Union Glacier with no issues and was informed that Vinson Base Camp was in a cloud and the team would be spending the night at Union Glacier.Â Early this morning Jonathan checked in to let us know the team was packing up and getting ready for flights and would be flying soon.Â The team is now at Vinson Base Camp and it is a great feeling!Â A ton of hard work has been put in already and having the team at Vinson Base Camp is great news!

They will set up camp and put together a plan to carry food and gear to Camp 1 in the morning.Â This is a great way to stretch the legs after all the flights and do a shake down of our climbing equipment.Â We are psyched to hear the team is on the mountain!