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Keeping You In "The Loop!"
Updates and Upcoming Trips
May 2011
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| Greetings!
We hope this finds you well and enjoying the spring that has, thus far, eluded us in SW Colorado. We had three inches of snow on the ground yesterday and it's clouding up as I type. I know spring will come, and it's nice to have it to look forward to!
Speaking of looking forward to things, we thought we'd let you know about some upcoming climbs, and some incentives we have for anyone considering an attempt of Vinson this winter. We are also happy to announce that our 2011 Everest Team had a great summit day on May 20th, and 100% success on the mountain. They worked very hard and we're proud of all of them. This year, the Alaska season has been a rough one, with low snow up high and sad news occurring on the upper mountain for the past couple of weeks. The mountains are a source of energy and life to many of us, but this year in Alaska has been a reminder of how thin the line we walk up high can truly be. We have updates from all of our expeditions on our Dispatch Blog.
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Limited Opportunity For Vinson Climbers!
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 2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of Scott and Amundsen's "Race to the Pole." The centennial is proving to be a huge draw for Polar explorers, and the result is that we have much more limited access to seats on the planes to and from Antarctica than we have ever experienced.
We are limited to offering only one departure for Mount Vinson, and
also have a few opportunities for climbers wishing to "Ski The Last Degree." If you are considering climbing Vinson this winter, we have four seats open and are offering a $500 discount for anyone who signs up SOON! Our ability to hold seats on the flight is very limited, due to the increased demand for Antarctic journeys this year.
Our Vinson teams last season were the talk of the glacier, as they enjoyed great food and rather deluxe accommodations including the only huge dome tent at Base Camp. We cut no corners in helping provide you with the best possible experience and it shows. Contact us soon if you are at all interested!
Mount Vinson dates:
December 13-30, 2011
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Aconcagua Expeditions
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 Aconcagua is one of our favorite mountains to guide and our new program of building in full porter support for our climbers makes it even more so. Over the years, we saw so many climbers arrive at Base Camp and take advantage of the numerous porter options available to them that we decided to make our climbers' lives simpler by just planning this into our expeditions. This enables our teams to more fully focus on their acclimatization and to enjoy the area a bit more.
We have an early season trip on our schedule this year, at the request of our senior Aconcagua guide, Jacob Schmitz. He swears that his favorite time to climb is over Thanksgiving, and with 30+ Aconcagua expeditions under his boots, we trust his experience.
Aconcagua dates:
November 20 - December 11, 2011
November 28 - December 18, 2011
December 19 - January 8, 2012
January 23 - February 8, 2012
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Carstensz Pyramid
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 We have a sort of love/hate relationship with Carstensz Pyramid. We love the climbing, the area and the majority of the people, but it is an extremely challenging trip for us to offer. There are so many layers of red-tape to negotiate and so many things that can go wrong, that we occasionally ask ourselves if we want to keep offering trips to this most elusive of the Seven Summits.
We have led 10 expeditions up the mountain, more than any other Western guide service, and we feel we have a really good grasp of how to successfully run this trip. Our connections in Papua and in other parts of Indonesia are quite good and we feel confident that we will have reliable helicopter access for the month of October. We are confident enough to go ahead with plans for a mid-October trip. Exact dates are not quite available, but keep an eye on our online schedule for the latest news.
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Mount Logan 2012?
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 We have had some interest in a Logan expedition in the past and we are seriously considering an attempt next spring. Mount Logan is the second highest peak in North America, and has routes for every caliber of climber, from the mellow ski tour up the King Trench to the challenging alpine climbing of the East Ridge. We're actually thinking of trying both routes, so if this is of interest to you, please let us know! |
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Meet Dave!
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 We are happy to introduce Dave Gruss, our newest helper in our Colorado office. Dave is a veteran Denali and Aconcagua guide, with five ascents of each peak. He has been our neighbor in Ophir for many years and we're excited to have his knowledge and experience to add to our office staff. He joins Lisa Rutledge and Laura Duncan to round out our Colorado team. Call and say "Hi!"
His biggest project this summer might be teaching Todd how to fly fish, something he avidly pursues when not in the big, cold mountains. |
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Mount Rainier Spots Available
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 We have a couple of spots open on our Mount Rainier climb this July. We are offering a five day ascent of the classic Emmons Glacier route.
The Emmons offers much more of a wilderness feel than the more heavily traveled Disappointment Cleaver and arguably has less objective hazards. It is a true glacier route, with Alaskan-style features that we really enjoy and a nice approach through Pacific northwest greenery.
Our veteran guide Chris Kerrick will lead the trip which is scheduled to meet in Seatac, WA on July 16th. We are limited to only four climbers and two guides on this trip, so if you are interested, please let us know.
Dates:
July 16- 21 |
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Enjoy Your Summer!
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All the best,
Todd, Bill and the Gang at Mountain Trip
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