Vinson Summit Day

From High Camp the route climbs a gentle snow slope up into a basin below the summit of Mt Vinson.

Summit of Mt Vinson . High Camp on flat spot on ridge in right of photo (photo by C. Smith)

The climbing was easy snow walking, but extremely cold in places where there was any wind. With temperatures below -20 I had to have full coverage of any exposed skin to prevent frostbite. I found it difficult to keep my face covered without water vapor from my breath seeping up into my goggles and fogging them up.

Cody Smith on his way to the top.  Mt Shinn in the immediate background

The other issue I had was my camera kept freezing up. I put it in an inside pocket to keep it warm. But I could only get of one or two shots each time it took it out before it would freeze again. Replacing the battery with one that I had placed in my glove allowed me to take additional photos. But my fingers became dangerously cold whenever I had to take my gloves off to replace the battery.

Cody and Seth on the summit ridge

From the summit ridge we were rewarded with spectacular views of the entire Ellsworth Range to the south.

Cody and me on the summit of Mt Vinson

View looking south from the summit