ON THE ICE!!!

Well, the seemingly interminable wait is over! The team flew to Patriot Hills last night at about 7:30. The arrived at midnight, as the winds began to pick up. The weather closed in and they were unable to continue on to Vinson Base Camp, but at least they are on the Ice.

The flight is a memorable one, as all the climbers were seated in jump seats along the walls of the IL-76 Russian cargo jet. Huge piles of gear filled the middle of the aircraft, all held in place by cargo nest. As they neared the Antarctic Peninsula, the blue sea gave way to massive sheets of ice. The white landscape began to be punctuated by the peaks of the Peninsula as they continued down toward Patriot Hills.

Patriot Hills is an impressive operation located along one of two areas of blue ice on the continent suitable for landing heavy aircraft. The runway, while not quite as smooth as an ice skating rink, is very slick and climbers eager to rush off to the side to snatch that perfect photo often find themselves flat on their backs.

ALE, the logistics providers for this expedition, maintain a number of Weatherport tents and a good deal of heavy machinery needed to keep the runway open when strong winds off the Antarctic Plateau cover it in snow. Our climbers have such a tent to cook, dine and generally hang out in, which provides for a relative amount of comfort in a most uncomfortable place.

The next step in their journey will involve flying 1.5 hours to Vinson Base Camp in ski-equipped Twin otter aircrafts. They hope to see the winds die off over the next few hours, but due to the
regulations governing when pilots can and cannot fly, it is not too likely that they will make it to Vinson Base today.

Everyone is thrilled to be on the Ice and spirits are high. They are doing their best to temper their eagreness to get climbing with a healthy dose of respect for the fact that safety is always #1, especially in such a remote and inhospitable environment.