Happy New Year from Vinson Base Camp

Happy 2026! We woke up to strong winds at Union Glacier today. The wind made things feel much colder that they have been so far, but we stayed warm inside the dining hall and had a huge breakfast.

We finally got the “all clear” to fly into Vinson Base camp after lunch. We flew in using a rarely used technique called the Shake and Bake. This involves leaving Union Glacier in a Basler airplane from the 1940s. These planes are the largest in the fleet and can move big groups more quickly. The Basler lands on a col approximately 2 miles from Vinson base camp and we switch planes to a Twin Otter, a smaller, lighter plane that can land safely on the small runway at Vinson Base Camp. So after what was the 7th or 8th flight for our team members this week, we finally arrived at Vinson Base Camp!

The weather here is great! We spent a few hours setting up our tents on the glacier and getting settled in, then had a wonderful cheeseburger dinner made by super chef/guide Geoff Lodge. Today was a big day, with lots of work, but the team did an outstanding job. We are all very excited to finally be here and be in position to start our climb!

Cheers,

Don and the team