The Mountain Madness expedition to Mount Vinson Mt Everest summiter Chris Boskoff" Vinson Base camp

Happy New Years everyone! This is Christine Boskoff and the Mountain Madness Vinson Expedition reporting from Vinson Base Camp. We had a great New Years Eve celebration last night. It was a lot of fun. Now we are waiting for our plane to take us back to Patriot Hills. More from Punta Arenas later…

December 29, 2004. Mt. Vinson Base Camp.

This is Christine Boskoff calling from Mt. Vinson Base Camp, here at 7000 feet. Yesterday on the 29th the team descended from the High Camp. It was marginal conditions here. Visibility was poor and we had very windy conditions, so we are all glad we summitted when we did. We are happy to be back down at Base Camp. The whole group is safe and in good spirits. Today we are having a rest day. More tomorrow…

Previous update

This is Christine Boskoff calling from the summit of Mt. Vinson. It is 10 o’clock at night and the sun is high in the sky and we just summitted. We are proud to say that all nine people in our expedition team made it. We are on our way down now and will call in later.

Previous Update

Tuesday, December 22nd at 12:20 a.m.

Hi this is Christine Boskoff calling from Mt. Vinson Base Camp. We got the green light in Punta Arenas on the 20th at 8:30 p.m. that we were going to fly to Patriot Hills. We had 15 minutes to get ready before our bus picked us up for the airport. We departed Punta Arenas at 10:40 p.m. and arrived at Patriot Hills at 3:10 in the morning.

We departed Punta Arenas at 10:40 a.m. We landed in marginal weather with light snow. Due to bad weather we stayed at Patriot Hills for the night. We woke to cloudy skies we so waited until 5 p.m. to fly.

We established our camp and then we had a great Mexican dinner and drinks. Joe and Will helped with melting snow. Everyone is in great sprits and is eager to move to Camp 1 later on today. We will call again this evening. Over and out!

Sunday, December 26 at 8:04 p.m.

Hi everyone. This Christine Boskoff calling from Camp 3 of Mt. Vinson.

Just reporting in to let you know that yesterday on the 25th the group we took a rest day. A well deserved rest day might I add. We just got to relax and enjoy the Antarctica.

Today we woke up as soon as the sun hit the tent which was around 11:30. We packed our stuff and headed up towards Camp 3. We climbed a 40 to 45 degree headwall with magnificent views; we could see all the way to the Rohn Ice Shelf. We got here around 8 or 8:30 today. We established camp and had a great dinner and now we are all very sleepy. It is quite cold here at Camp 3 tonight. The sun has gone behind the mountain, so we are in the shade.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to the summit. We are hoping it will warm up and we will have a nice day. The Russians came down yesterday and said that they had a beautiful nice, warm day and we are hoping for the same for tomorrow.

We will report again tomorrow.

Christine Boskoff Mountain Madness, Inc.

The Mountain Madness expedition to Mount Vinson: Located at a latitude of 78 degrees 35 minutes south and 85 degrees 25 minutes west longitude, Vinson is found in the Ellsworth Mountains. The 16,077 foot summit is the highest point on the continent of Antarctica. For most that have the unique opportunity to join an expedition like this, their definition of wilderness will be redefined. Isolated and starkly beautiful, the icy continent of Antarctica is beyond description and offers an adventure of a lifetime for team members.

Last steps to summit photo by: Mark Gunlogson

They leave Punta Arenas in Chile for the six-hour flight to Patriot Hills. Then the flight takes them over Tierra del Fuego, past the Antarctic Circle and on to Patriot Hills. From there they make a one-hour flight to basecamp. With sleds loaded they move up the mountain, establishing two or three camps before the summit attempt. From high camp the final climb consists of moderate snow and ice climbing.

	In technical terms the climb is considered moderate, but cold temperatures (minus 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon) and strong winds often increase the challenge. However, during the austral summer there is usually less than 18 inches of snow and 24 hours of daylight contributes to our success on the climb.
	Picture: moving to high camp by: Mark Gunlogson

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

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