Weather: it is cloudy in all 8 quadrants of the sky (which is how they rate the cloud in PH), -10 degrees, wind is 20 knots (approx. 40 km/hr), gusting to 25 knots (50 km/hr).
We are awaiting the 2:30 pm call.
There was a briefing called today by ALES . A team member of the Jagged Globe group fell into a crevasse yesterday at the headwall. There was gusting wind and a snowstorm as they were on their way down from high camp. The climber was successfully rescued and the group was holed up in a snow pit they dug with a tent fly sheet held over. They spent Saturday & Sunday waiting for support from the base camp. Two guides and two Swedish climbers ascended to camp 1 but were unable to meet the group on the headwall due to the high winds. They were able to meet them later on Sunday. Now the whole group is at camp 1, safe and sound. The word is some of them have frostbite, but otherwise well. They are still waiting for the weather to clear to come off the mountain. Currently, apparently, there is a ´spitkicking´ contest going on. It is -40 and spit freezes from leaving your mouth to meeting your foot – hence the term spítkicking…..
There are still many climbers as well at Mt. Vinson base camp but the weather is too challenging to get the Twin Otter in to get them back to PH.
Meanwhile here in PA we have been kicked out of another hotel… and have moved yet again. It’s now been three days of waiting and on call to fly. All of us are dealing with things in different ways but still very much holding it together.
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