CLIMB THE VINSON MASSIF WITH IMG
This is the trip of a lifetime! At 16,050 ft, The Vinson Massif is the highest peak on the Antarctic continent and one of the most unique of the Seven Summits. International Mountain Guides has been conducting expeditions on Vinson since 1988, making us one of the few guide services with such extensive Antarctic experience. We take great pride in having never missed a summit of Vinson in over 30 years.
We offer a stand-alone expedition which allows your group and guide to stay together for the entire trip. Mount Vinson requires a solid mountaineering background and a true spirit of adventure. While not technically difficult, the extremes of this environment require team members to have reasonable crampon, rope travel and ice axe experience. Prior time spent in cold weather camping and carrying loads is also required.
Antarctica is an amazing place. It's as close as you will ever get to another planet without leaving this one. We hope you will seriously consider joining us on a trip to the Ice.
The Climb
The team will meet up in Punta Arenas, Chile where the trip begins. From here, we fly in a chartered jet to Union Glacier camp at 80 degrees south latitude. We then fly with expert pilots in a ski-equipped twin-engine Otter to Vinson Base Camp at 79 degrees south latitude, approximately 660 miles from the South Pole. Two camps will be established above base camp by making a carry to the new camp prior to moving higher. The climbing will consist of extensive cramponing on moderate slopes and one steeper, fixed line section, like the Denali headwall. Temperatures can drop to minus 40°. You can think of Vinson as a short Denali climb.
The Guides
The IMG guides are chosen for their experience, and they are often the same guides leading our Himalayan, South American, Alaskan, and Rainier programs. Joining these guides on your Vinson expedition will allow you to continue a relationship that you have built with them on other programs, or to start building a rapport with guides prior to a Himalayan climb, or one of our many other expeditions.