J oin The Mountain Zone as we follow chief guide Wally Berg and the 1998 Alpine Ascents International expedition on an attempt to climb 16,076' Mount Vinson Massif, the highest point on the Antarctic continent. Set amidst this tremendous ice-scape are hundreds of unknown and unexplored mountains. Mount Vinson, which was discovered in 1957, is considered the most inaccessible of the world's big mountains. The Expedition T he Alpine Ascents International Team is scheduled to depart Punta Arenas, Chile, at the southern tip of South America.
All travel plans are contingent on the weather, which can be unpredictable in polar regions.
The following is a tentative schedule. T eam members will travel aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft during the six hour flight from Punta Arenas, which ends on an ice runway at Patriot Hills , Antarctica, approximately 100 miles from Vinson. This camp makes for a magnificent setting, with the summit of Vinson rising dramatically above while the neighboring peaks of Shinn and Gardner add majesty to the mountain's landscape. An emergency food cache is to be left there before the team ascends the 2,300' up the headwall to a col between Vinson and Shinn, where Camp III is established at 12,300'. F rom Camp III, the view includes the incredible Ronne Ice Shelf, Mount Shinn and Mount Vinson.