How to Choose The Right Vinson Expedition
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It is important to research and choose the right expedition company to support you, help guide you through all logistics, and be there for you on the mountain. You want to do your homework so you feel 100% confident in your choice and can focus on the climb.
We encourage you to look closely at both the big picture and the small details. Consider a company’s priority on safety, the quality and experience of its guides, its reputation, and its level of “care factor.”
Safety & Success
Your safety and success are the top priorities, in that order.
A climbing company should invest heavily and plan extensively for your safety.
Climbing the Seven Summits is committed to providing the highest-quality expeditions on Vinson Massif. You can be assured that it will be both challenging and fun, a true once-in-a-lifetime experience. As always, our professional priorities are safety and success, which we achieve by outfitting our teams with the best logistics and the most capable, qualified, and seasoned guides in the world.
CTSS is pleased to boast a 100% expedition success rate on our Vinson expeditions. Who you choose as the outfitter of your Vinson expedition will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Sound leadership is the difference between a great expedition and a miserable experience.
Leadership
This expedition will be organized by Mike Hamill, Owner of Climbing the Seven Summits. Mike has personally guided nearly 20 Vinson expeditions, 11 Mount Everest expeditions, 24 X 8,000m expeditions, 6 Mount Everest summits, currently holds the record for most non-Sherpa summits of Cho Oyu, and has written the guidebook to “Climbing the Seven Summits,” making him one of the most experienced guides on the mountain. More than 100 summits have been notched on Vinson under Mike’s direct leadership. Climbing the Seven Summits expeditions are meticulously organized with the best logistics.
We feel that our guides are incredibly important to our success. CTSS employs only world-class leaders who are known for their focus on client care and experience.
Vinson is a serious undertaking meant for climbers with prior experience in the cold and some climbing skills. Guides will work with clients throughout the expedition to provide safety, advice, logistics, technical guidance, and information to best ensure the clients’ summit success.
Values & Philosophy
This is sometimes a little harder to identify as it’s more a feeling than a sales pitch, but you should get a feel for a company through their little interactions, their care factor, their attention to detail, their corporate social responsibility, their responses to you.
Mountaineering can be high-risk and stressful, so pick an operator who has strong core values and a team mentality that aligns with yours. When things get challenging, you can rely on open lines of communication, knowing they will do what they can to support you.
It is this team cohesiveness that flows through to each individual climber and helps them stand on top.
