January 10, 2022

The Boeing 757 that ALE has charted to fly Teams to Antarctica (Jonathan Schrock)

January Vinson Team boarding the flight to Union Glacier (Jonathan Schrock)

IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock checked in this morning to let us know that everything is moving along and the team is now boarding the flight to Antarctica.  The flight will take approximately 4 hours to get down to Union Glacier and the Blue Ice runway.  Our flight coordinator, ALE has chartered a Boeing 757 to fly passengers to Union Glacier this year.  This is a bit more comfort than the IL-76 was and still a magnificent flight!  ALE is still using the IL-76 to transport cargo to the ice and you can see the wing of the Ilyushin in the background of the photo.

Once the team lands at Union Glacier, they will drive a short distance to camp, where they will collect their luggage and find out if the weather is good for flying to Vinson Base Camp.  It can be a long day of flying but the time seems to go by quickly and the scenery just continues to hold your attention.

Antarctica is a magical destination and we are excited to get the team on the move to Vinson!

January 9, 2022

IMG Vinson Team checking in for the flight to Union Glacier (Jonathan Schrock)

IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock had us on the edge of our seats yesterday after letting us know that the flight service had collected all of the gear and handed out boarding passes.  When this happens, you get really excited!  At that time, you get back to your hotel room, look at the remainder of the gear you are planning on changing into and start texting and calling loved ones to let them know “it might be happening.”  Unfortunately, the weather has the final say on when the flight leaves Punta Arenas for Union Glacier and yesterday, the weather shut the door on teams looking to fly onto the ice.  The team is doing well and will continue to hang and wait, after all, a little waiting will just make already tremendous views of a place that Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock says is “as far away as the moon.”

All is well and we have our fingers crossed that the team will fly soon and get the final climb of Vinson for the season underway.

January 7, 2022

We have received word overnight from IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock that the Vinson Team has arrived to Punta Arenas.  I think Jonathan said it best in his email to us:

“The Vinson V5 team has all arrived in Punta Arenas and is making their last preparations for departure to Antarctica. A few additional “hoops” to jump through have kept us on our toes this year, but that’s par for the course for any international travel in this day and age. Each team member has a few more details to take care of over the next 24-48 hours – but as it stands now, we’re ready to get this show on the road.

Over the next 24 to 48 hours Porter and I will be finalizing the team’s food purchases in Punta Arenas, packing the final team gear, and briefing the team on how to prepare and what to expect when we first touch down on the ice. Packing, unpacking, repacking and unpacking … and repacking is now how each climber will spend their next day … until their kit is trimmed down and finalized for the expedition.  By the time the weekend rolls around we’ll be ready and waiting for the final “launch” call from our partners at ALE.

In the meantime, a little relaxation over an excellent steak and wine dinner looking out over the harbor in Punta Arenas was in order. Back to work tomorrow! Salud from Patagonia!”