Mount Vinson Massif Expedition -- January 1997
Hear the calls from Antarctica

Update #3 by Satellite-Phone Mount Vinson
Climbers Return from Summit and Wait for Plane in Building Storm
Thursday, January 9, 1997 -- 10:38 am PST

HEAR the call from Todd Burleson in Antarctica!

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Todd Burleson reported by satellite telephone Thursday morning, 11 am PST, that the Alpine Ascents International expedition to the Vinson Massif was successful. All team members reached the summit of 16,076-foot Mount Vinson on the evening of January 6-7 and have now returned to the Patriot Hills permanent camp approximately 120 km from the mountain.

Burleson reports that all team members are in good shape as they await the arrival of the C-130 Hercules that will fly the expedition from Patriot Hills to Punta Arenas, Chile, a six-hour flight. Approaching bad weather has added an element of urgency: according to Burleson, if the Hercules does not arrive within the next few hours, a forecast storm could pin down the expedition at Patriot Hills for as long as a week.

Stay tuned to The Mountain Zone for more information on the Mount Vinson expedition.


Archived Updates
Review past updates from the Mount Vinson Expedition by clicking on the links below.

Latest Update
Fri, 1/10/97, 8pm PST

Expedition team is back in South America; guide Todd Burleson talks about the fast ascent and extreme cold.

Update #3
Thurs, 1/9/97, 11am PST

After returning from the summit, the team waits to see if their plane can get to them through the building storm.

Update #2
Mon, 1/6/97, 3pm PST

All climbers are at Camp III and are poised for a summit bid on Tuesday.

Update #1
Mon, 1/6/97, 8am PST

The team has a hair-raising but safe arrival at Patriot Hills.


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