The first CTSS Vinson team of the season have all arrived in Punta Arenas and are getting ready to head down to Antarctica! With members coming from all over the world often the hardest part of any expedition is simply getting everyone, and all their bags, to the jumping off point. For this team travels were relatively smooth and all baggage arrived without any delays. That’s a great way to start their adventure!
The town of Punta Arenas, Chile is the logistics hub for all activities running through Union Glacier Base in Antarctica, including all Vinson climbs. Located on the Strait of Magellan in the Tierra Del Fuego area the city’s southern location and well developed airport serves Antarctic expeditions of many types.
Our Vinson team has spent the last 3 days recovering from jet lag, packing, and meeting with the flight teams for a detailed orientation on all the details it takes to travel responsibly in Antarctica. By now their bags are all packed and ready to go, last minute preparations completed and the excitement is starting to build.
The latest update from Union Glacier and the flight team has a storm moving through the Antarctic area, so the flight team has elected to postpone for 24 hours until conditions improve. This type of short delay is very common with such remote locations, and our itinerary has several contingency days built into it for just that reason. The team is spending today relaxing around town and enjoying the Austral summer, this evening they’ll receive an update about conditions and adjust accordingly.
While CTSS has excellent communication with their guides via several redundant satellite options, normal communication for team members to and from Antarctica is hit and miss. For those following along with friends and loved ones you can expect regular updates via this blog, but if you send them a message directly and don’t hear back – don’t worry! As always, no news is good news. We’ll have frequent updates from our guides and will pass them along here as the team flies to Union Glacier, then on to Vinson Basecamp, and moves up the mountain over the next few weeks.
Stay tuned!
Cheers,
CTSS Team
