Dispatches (original) (raw)

It comes with great pleasure to share that all members of the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team reached the roof of Antarctica today! Under blue skies and with excellent views of the surrounding Antarctic expanse, our team walked together up the final ridge on their way towards the top. Coming together on the summit, all nine climbers embraced with hugs, high-fives, and a birthday celebration for one of our team members, Alina! Now safely back in high camp, the team will get some rest before packing up and heading back down to base camp tomorrow. Awesome work, team! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson high camp:

Hello! This is Garrett and Benny calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) team.

We are back in high camp (3536m/11,600ft) after a successful summit today on January 8th, 100 % success! Everyone in our team of seven climbers, two guides made the summit. It was awesome! We had great weather, epic views, and a big celebration on the top. One of our members, Alina had a birthday today, so we sang her a happy birthday on the summit! We took lots of photos and videos and got back down here in high camp.

Winds are picking up, it’s storming a little bit. It’s supposed to storm more tomorrow, so we are going to pack up and head down first thing tomorrow and get down to base camp (2140m/7,020ft). So everyone is doing well and we will check in soon!

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# Name Country
1 Garrett Madison United States
2 Benjamin “Benny” Lieber United States
3 Matthew Newton Australia
4 Alina Pekova Russia
5 Asad Memon Pakistan
6 Justin Barron United States
7 Putri Handayani Indonesia
8 Bart Heijermans Netherlands
9 Famke Heijermans Netherlands

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

January 9, 2025//

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PHOTO-2024-01-12-11-47-23-3.jpg 771 1024 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2025-01-09 02:38:352025-01-09 03:51:12100% Summit Success on Vinson!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has reached their high camp and is in position to go for the summit! With good weather tomorrow, the team will exit their tents with boots on and packs shouldered and begin moving up the route, step by step across the Vinson Massif on their way to the highest point in Antarctica! The team is well fueled, excited, and ready to go! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! This is Garrett and Benny at the high camp (3536m/11,600ft) of Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft). We are in position with our team for a summit push tomorrow!

We had a great day coming up from low camp (2774m/9,100ft) to high camp on the fixed ropes. Beautiful day, great views, warm temps, not much wind. We got up to high camp, dug out our gear, set up our camp kitchen. We had a good dinner, macaroni and cheese, some quesadillas, burgers, and strawberries for dessert and some french fries! Now we’re just making hot water for everybody so they can have hot water bottles in their sleeping bags – so deluxe up here!

We are going to wake up tomorrow and go for the summit! So fingers crossed the weather holds and we have good weather and route conditions tomorrow on our summit push on Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.

All is well here in high camp! We’ll check in soon.

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In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

January 8, 2025//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PHOTO-2023-12-27-16-11-47-3.jpg 768 1024 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2025-01-08 03:29:302025-01-08 14:50:08Ready to go for the summit!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team is on their way to high camp! Once settled in here, they’ll be in position to make their summit push. The team is in good spirits and enjoying their time in one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch from low camp:

We had a good day in low camp (2774m/9,100ft) yesterday resting & training, heading to high camp (3536m/11,600ft) today!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

January 7, 2025//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PHOTO-2024-12-16-13-40-03.jpg 1536 2048 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2025-01-07 14:26:362025-01-07 16:08:12To High Camp!

The Madison Mountaineering team is back at it again on the highest peak in Antarctica, Mount Vinson! After some delays due to weather, the team boarded their flight en route to their base camp which presented otherworldly views of the frozen continent. Now ready to begin their climb, the team is psyched and ready to go! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hello! It’s Saturday, January 4th, 2025. Happy New Year, everyone! This is Garrett Madison calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition team.

We have arrived in Mount Vinson base camp (2140m/7,020ft)! After a delay due to some foggy weather, the twin otter took us from Union Glacier Camp (700m/2,297ft) today over to Mount Vinson base camp. It was a beautiful, scenic flight. We saw many beautiful mountains along the way, many unclimbed peaks, and vast expanses of Antarctic ice.

Upon arriving in base camp, we unloaded the twin otter, set up our camp, moved into our tents, cooked a fun dinner with pepperoni pizza, empanadas, green beans and french fries! We’re just having some hot drinks now before heading to bed.

Tomorrow, our plan is to pack up and move up to low camp (2774m/9,100ft)! It looks like some good weather in the forecast, so we’re excited to get the climb underway. All is well here at Mount Vinson!

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Settled into Base Camp!

Settled into Base Camp!

On the flight from Union Glacier Camp to Vinson Base Camp!

On the flight from Union Glacier Camp to Vinson Base Camp!

Blue skies and all smiles for the team in Antarctica!

Blue skies and all smiles for the team in Antarctica!

Biking around Union Glacier Camp a few days back.

Biking around Union Glacier Camp a few days back.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

January 5, 2025//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PHOTO-2025-01-04-16-35-08.jpg 1200 1600 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2025-01-05 00:36:492025-01-05 23:45:40Another Vinson climb is underway!

We are excited to share that the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition has safely and successfully reached the summit of Antarctica’s highest peak! All boots landed on the summit over the weekend under clear skies and with much excitement, embraced with hugs and high-fives at the roof of one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet. Now back in Union Glacier Camp after a swift descent and scenic plane flight, the team will enjoy a few last days on the ice before boarding the plane back to Punta Arenas, Chile and then on to their home countries. Nice work, everyone! What a great way to start the season in Antarctica. Expedition leader, Benny Lieber checks in with this dispatch from Union Glacier Camp:

We made it to the summit of Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) on December 14. The highest peak sticking up amongst the most frozen landscape on Planet Earth at 16,050ft. And positioned at 78°S in Antarctica.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and as we climbed up the last few hours we covered our faces and hands to stay warm in an Antarctic wind. On the top the wind faded to nearly nothing. We smiled and hugged and looked out at the endless ice in every direction. A surreal view unlike any other in the world.

I’m so proud of our team for their hard work and commitment to standing on the top together- which is a memory that will stay with us all forever.

Clear Antarctic skies!

Clear Antarctic skies!

Descending down the mountain with Mount Shinn behind.

Descending down the mountain with Mount Shinn behind.

Mount Vinson's summit ridge.

Mount Vinson’s summit ridge.

The team on their way up with the expansive Antarctic landscape stretching as far as the eye can see!

The team on their way up with the expansive Antarctic landscape stretching as far as the eye can see!

Ascending fixed lines on the way up the mountain!

Ascending fixed lines on the way up the mountain!

Ascending fixed lines toward high camp!

Ascending fixed lines toward high camp!

Dinner time!

Dinner time!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

December 16, 2024//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PHOTO-2024-12-16-13-39-50.jpg 1536 2048 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2024-12-16 21:47:532024-12-16 22:11:40All boots on the summit!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team has settled into their high camp and is in position to make their summit push! The team enjoyed sunny skies as they climbed fixed lines up steep slopes on their way into camp. Now cozied up into their sleeping bags with full bellies after a nice dinner, the team is motivated and ready to make their push for the summit! With good weather and mountain conditions ahead, we’ll again emerge from our tents, only this time on our way to the top of the highest point in Antarctica! Expedition leader, Benny Lieber checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson:

Hey! This is Benny here, Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition. We are at high camp – 12,400 feet. We climbed up from low camp today, steep slopes with fixed ropes and the team did great! Everyone’s well, snuggling into their sleeping bags after a nice, hot dinner. The weather is great, the winds have cleared out, skies are clear also and we’re looking forward to climbing the mountain! Thanks.

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In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

December 14, 2024//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PHOTO-2024-01-22-08-20-03-3.jpg 768 1024 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2024-12-14 02:49:292024-12-14 18:45:40In position to go for the summit!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team is in low camp with plans to continue up the mountain soon! We hunkered down for a few days to stay out of some high winds, but the weather has improved. The forecast for the next few days is looking good, the team is feeling strong, excited, and motivated to continue on up! Expedition leader, Benny Lieber checks in with this update from Mount Vinson:

Hey! This is Benny from the Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) expedition, we’re here at low camp (2774m/9,100ft) – about 9,000 or so feet, maybe a little higher.

The team’s all doing great! We had a big dinner just now. Last night we had a huge wind storm, so today we were enjoying some calmer weather. Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to moving up to the high camp (3536m/11,600ft)! The forecast is looking great and everyone’s feeling strong. In a few days time, we’re going to try for the summit!

We hope our families are doing well and we’ll check in again in a day or two. Thanks! Bye.

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024.12.12-23-18_Mount-Vinson.mp3

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

December 12, 2024//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PHOTO-2023-12-27-16-11-47-1.jpg 768 1024 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2024-12-12 23🔞352024-12-13 15:48:30Update from Low Camp

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team is packed and ready to go! In just a short time, they’ll be boarding another plane. This time en route to Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica! So much time, preparation, and training has gone into getting here and the team is psyched to finally be flying onto the ice with an epic expedition ahead of them. This marks the start of our 2024 / 2025 Antarctic season! Stay tuned for more from the team as they travel to the edge of the Earth to climb Antarctica’s highest peak and one of the famed ‘seven summits!’ Expedition leader, Benny Lieber checks in with this brief dispatch from Punta Arenas, Chile:

The team is all packed and ready to fly onto the frozen continent to climb to the roof of Antarctica: Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft).

For the last few days we have been getting organized and enjoying the sights & sounds of Punta Arenas, Chile (34m/112ft). The bustling city is full of life and beautiful architecture and a stark contrast from the vast icy landscape of Antarctica.

Exploring Punta Arenas before we take off for the frozen continent!

Exploring Punta Arenas before we take off for the frozen continent!

The team enjoying sunny Punta Arenas, Chile!

The team enjoying sunny Punta Arenas, Chile!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

December 6, 2024//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PHOTO-2024-12-04-18-12-12.jpg 1536 2048 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2024-12-06 22:08:132024-12-09 18:31:58Ready to fly!

We are thrilled to have been back on Carstensz Pyramid after a five-year hiatus due to the mountains closure! The Madison Mountaineering Carstensz Pyramid expedition team successfully reached the summit on October 27th at 9:00 AM local time with all members reaching the top. It was the perfect way to return to the mountain and we look forward to coming back again this February! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Carstensz Pyramid (4884m/16,024ft) expedition team. We are back in Timika on the island of Papua, Western Papua New Guinea after a great Carstensz Pyramid expedition! Our team flew up from Timika to the Yellow Valley base camp on Carstensz Pyramid October 26th. The weather was good, so the next day we departed base camp around 3:00 AM and climbed up to the summit reaching the top around 8:30 – 9:00 AM. Beautiful day, we spent some time up there celebrating, taking a few photos, and congratulating one of our climbers who finished the last of his 7 summits, and then descended back down to base camp.

The following day it rained and there were no helicopter flights, so we waited until the 29th. It was a beautiful day and we were able to helicopter back down to Timika and we’re looking forward to catching our flights back to Bali later today and relaxing a few days in Bali before heading on home.

It was a wonderful expedition, 100% success! Madison Mountaineering is happy to be back on Carstensz Pyramid after a five-year hiatus during the mountains closure. We look forward to returning again with some of our climbers in February!

Signing off for Carstensz Pyramid.

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The team on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

The team on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

Expedition leader, Garrett and climber, Laura during the climb.

Expedition leader, Garrett and climber, Laura during the climb.

Descending back down the mountain.

Descending back down the mountain.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

November 9, 2024//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PHOTO-2024-10-28-03-57-47.jpg 1302 1600 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2024-11-09 09:34:362024-11-09 09:34:36Good to be back on Carstensz Pyramid!

Safely back in base camp, the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team spent the day re-introducing themselves to the luxuries of life off of the mountain! After a great day successfully reaching the summit on the day prior, the team relaxed, celebrated, and began getting prepared to make their way back down the valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Ama Dablam base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the autumn 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is November 8th. Today, we had a rest day here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft) after our successful summit push. Yesterday, we topped out on Ama Dablam at about 7:30 AM in the morning, and then we descended all the way back down to base camp and had a nice dinner here and got a good nights sleep.

So, we spent today taking showers and getting packed and prepared for our trek back down the valley to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). Our plan is to leave for Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) tomorrow morning and then finish off the trek the following day.

All in all, we had a fantastic summit push! Two days ago, or three days ago on November 5th, we moved up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). The following day, we moved to Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft), rested most of the day, and then that evening at about 11:00 PM we started our summit climb and topped out at about 7:30 AM in the morning! The climbing conditions were perfect – zero wind and perfectly clear skies, which meant we had great views of the peaks around us and before the sun came up, excellent views of a brilliant, starry sky over the Himalayas!

So, all is well here in base camp and we’ll be in touch from Namche Bazaar tomorrow!

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Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

– Instagram:

November 8, 2024//by Garrett

https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PHOTO-2024-11-08-23-09-16.jpg 1200 1600 Garrett https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpg Garrett2024-11-08 17:23:412024-11-09 04:16:01Check in from the Ama Dablam team!