Aconcagua Cybercasts: February 2013

Hey there, friends, family, and loved ones, this is the Clowns. And the Clowns are down; we’ve made it to Base Camp today.

It was very windy; glad we went yesterday to the summit because today was not an option for summiting, too many big lenticular clouds and high winds. Just coming down the mountain we were thrown around, and a couple of us got knocked down. It was quite an interesting day getting down to Base Camp.

But when we got here we celebrated with hamburgers and Coke, and then had a great dinner, set up our camp. And we’re heading to bed right now with contented bellies, and hopeful of getting out to the highway tomorrow. So stay tuned as the Clowns come all the way down.

Hello there, friends, family, and loved ones, this is the Contented Clowns calling in from High Camp. We made it back down from the summit. If you didn’t follow the earlier cybercasts: We summited today! And everybody’s stoked about that.

We’re now down at High Camp and looking at heading down the mountain tomorrow to Base Camp. So stay tuned for the further adventures of the Contented Clowns.

Hey there friends, family, and loved ones, this is the Happy, Climbing Clowns reporting in from the highest point in South America. Yes! We made it! We’re on top, it’s a beautiful day! Everybody is excited and happy to be here! We can look for millions of miles in all directions. We wish you were here as well, it’s a wonderful place. And we’re so excited.

We made it here, it’s a little bit after 3 in the afternoon; we got a long way to go before we sleep. But we wanted to share this magic moment with you guys. Thank you for all your support and love. We feel it up here on top of South America! Ta ta for now!

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, the Climbing Clowns calling in from High Camp (we’re here at 19,600 feet above sea level). And we’re tucked in bed after a wonderful chicken, rice dinner. We’ve all gone over our bags; we’re pre-packed for tomorrow’s summit attempt at the highest peak in South America.

So if you want to help us out please cross your fingers and send good vibes our way, keep the winds low and the clouds away and we’ll give it our best attempt on this side. Please stay tuned for the future adventures of the Climbing Clowns on Aconcagua. Ta ta for now!

Hey there friends, family, and loved ones, this is your Clowns calling in from Camp 2. It was a big rest day today. We’ve been making red blood cells, relaxing, and eating lots of food, and basically just getting ready for our summit push, which should be happening in the next couple days, as we work up higher.

We’ve got another camp to go up to tomorrow, and then we’re in the “go” mode as soon as the weather cooperates. So please keep your fingers crossed, and help us out.

All the clowns are feeling good. We’ve just made the first clown tent I’ve ever seen before, and how many climbers can you get into one tent. We took a photograph so hopefully we’ll be able to share that with you. So stay tuned for the adventures of the Happy, Climbing Clowns, ta ta for now.

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, this is the Climbing Clowns calling in from way up high. We’re at our second camp on the mountain.

We had a very big day today; high winds, and carried a load despite those winds up to 5,900-almost 6,000 meters, so we are making some progress. We are of course monitoring everybody, and they seem to be doing really well now, so that’s a good thing. We’re looking forward to moving up the mountain soon.

So please stand by for the further adventures of the Climbing Clowns. Ta ta for now!

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, this is the Climbing Clowns calling in from our Camp 2 (at about 18,000 feet or about 5,400 meters above sea level).

Wow, what a day. It was fun to move up; we got some great views, and the wind laid down for the early part of the day. But no sooner had we finished our pizza dinner then it started nuking up to 95 kilometers per hour. However we built some very big stone walls and we’ve anchored the tents securely, so it’s going to be a flappy night but we’re not going to blow anywhere.

Everybody’s now heading for bed and hopefully have sugar plums dancing in their head. So sweet dreams to you and talk to you tomorrow, ciao ciao for now from The Climbing Clowns.

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, this is 13 Clowns calling in from Camp 1.

We had a very uplifting day; I’m meaning we moved a lot of gear uphill. We were able to get food and fuel, and extra equipment up to our Camp 2 (which is at 5,400 meters above sea level). We are feeling altitude as we were making the carry, and everybody’s in great spirits and we’re moving with a certain amount of alacrity.

We did the round trip in about six and a half hours. So I’m very happy the team is moving well and acclimatizing, slow as it may be.

We do have a weather event coming our way and that’s why we’re moving to that particular camp. We’re trying to avoid the winds of 100 kilometers an hour, so hopefully that’ll work out for us. So please cross your fingers and whisper a little prayer.

We’re doing well here and thinking of you. So ciao ciao for now from Camp 1 on Aconcagua.

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, this is Alpine Ascents 13 Happy Clowns, yes indeed.

Today was a day of rest and acclimatization. We dropped down and picked up our supplies at half camp and we’re now in Camp 1, safely ensconced in our sleeping bags and we’re tucking in for the evening.

But man was it a fun day. We had hot lunch that Carol whipped out and everybody enjoyed immensely and then later on she treated us to one of her fabulous burrito dinners; everybody’s digging those. We actually found some clear water, and everybody’s hydrating and building red blood cells.

So please join us tomorrow when we carry a load up and over the cone, hopefully all the way over to Guanacos Camp. So stay tuned, ta ta for now.

Team Tibby Fibby is safe and well in Mendoza. Unfortunately the cybercast from Plaza de Mulas did not go through, but Stuart e-mailed to say the group is back in Mendoza. The team is about to go out for a farewell dinner at a lovely restaurant near the Hyatt called Francescos.

Stuart reports that after spending three nights above 19,500 feet in very cold, windy weather, and with a worsening forecast, Stuart and Eric regretfully decided it was prudent to pull the plug. Stuart plans to check in once more with a final cybercast tomorrow.