June 1, 2010
Mark Allen called in this morning to report that they were stalled at High Camp overnight, but will give it one more go today keeping in mind they need to be back at BC tomorrow for their rendezvous and flight out.
More to come…
Tye Chapman
May 31, 2010
Mark Allen called in this afternoon to report that the team has enjoyed their rest day after getting shutdown on their first summit attempt over the weekend. After dinner this evening they plan to leave High Camp (~9pm) with hopes of reaching the summit in the early morning (~6am). If all goes as planned they’ll get all the way back down to Base Camp tomorrow night (June 1) with their first available pick-up in the morning of June 2.
Don’t forget these guys are working with almost 24 hours of daylight.
More to come…
Tye Chapman
May31, 2010
Mark Allen called in late yesterday afternoon to report that the team gave the summit a go but were shut down 400ft shy of the summit.
They left camp at 2am in map and compass visibility but after an hour they got above the marine layer of clouds to find some great views. From there they switched from snowshoes to crampons and continued on until team member Larry took a 20ft crevasse fall. After just a few minutes in the “blue room” the team executed a perfect extraction. With nobody hurt and the weather still on their side they continued up to the shoulder of the summit ridge where they encountered 30-40mph winds and sub-zero temps which turned them just 400ft shy of the summit. The team returned to high camp and will take a rest day today. Weather permitting the team will give it another go early tomorrow morning.
The team is still in excellent spirits and is looking forward to round 2 here soon.
Tye Chapman
May 28, 2010
Just off the phone with Mark Allen and the Bona Team. They’ve made their push to High Camp and are “diggin in like ticks” even though the weather continues to be borderline perfect!
They’ll take another full rest day tomorrow before their summit attempt. And should weather come in on the team they’re prepared to hang at High Camp for a few days and wait it out.
More to come…
Tye
May 28, 2010
IMG Guide Mark Allen called in last night from C1 (12,080ft) on Mt. Bona. All is well.The team is enjoying some superb weather under some solid high pressure. The plan is to do a single carry to C2 (14,200ft) today and as Mark put it “dig in like ticks” which means digging some tent platforms and building some bomber tent walls so they’re all set for a few days at High Camp.
Everybody is in great spirits after a solid rest day and some cheesy quesadillas!
More to come…
Tye Chapman
May 25, 2010
Mark Allen called in from Camp 1 at 12,080 feet at 12:15pm Alaska time
The group made a carry of supplies up to Camp 1 today from Base Camp at the landing site. They have had a couple of minor precipitation storms since arriving, but in general the weather has been good.
Today’s carry was not without adventure, as both of the guides (at different times) dropped into crevasses on the way up. The good practice that the team put in on crevasse rescue the day before paid off. Mark says they have the route well marked now and it will be easier from now on.
The group has awesome views of the surrounding mountains from their vantage point at their new camp.
They’ll head back down to base camp shortly; the current plan is to move up to Camp 1 tomorrow if all are feeling well and conditions are good.
George Dunn
May 24, 2010
IMG Guide Mark Allen called in from Bona base camp.
The group was flown in yesterday without event, and are now spending a day or two acclimatizing and establishing a good, well protected base camp. Mark says they have switched to a nocturnal schedule and will go to bed at noon today and get up again after an 8 hour rest. It is just too warm currently on the lower glacier to work in full sun.
The group will build good walls around camp in anticipation of future bad weather, do some group training and then hope to do a first carry tomorrow or the next day as they are able. All are in good spirits and feeling healthy.
They’ll check back in after their first carry.
George Dunn
May 23, 2010
The Mt. Bona Expedition group met as a team for the first time on Saturday May 22 in Anchorage. They did a final gear check, went over group supplies and had a team meeting. They finished with a final dinner in downtown Anchorage, then called it an early night.
The plan is to depart Anchorage at 6am, do the 4 ½ hour drive to Chitina, and meet the bush pilot at the Chitina airstrip for the flight in to Mt. Bona on the 23rd. If weather prevents this, the alternate plan is to overnight at the airstrip in tents, or fly in to the bush pilot’s lodge, a 45 minute flight up the Chitina River.
George Dunn
Also:
Summit Season On Everest!
June 9, 2009
Below is a recap of the trip:
The group arrived at Camp 1 on schedule and spent a good night there on June 3.
On June 4 the guides scouted the route up to Camp 2 at 14,000 feet while the team took a well deserved rest day.
On June 5 the team moved up to 14,000 feet in deteriorating weather but established a very secure camp with an exposed serac wall (a vertical chunk of ice) providing good wind protection.
The weather turned out to be good on June 6 so four of the team members elected to go for the summit with the two guides Mark Allen and Eric Stevenson. The four team members and two guides made the summit, 16,400 feet, and returned to high camp tired but happy.
On June 7 guide Mark Allen summited for a second time with the two remaining team members. They made it back down to high camp safely.
The rest of the team had considered climbing nearby Mt. Churchill on June 7 since they had the extra day, but after the Bona climb they decided that one summit was good enough and instead took the day off.
Mark Allen called in this morning at 8:30 a.m. today, June 8, and says the entire team will descend this morning all the way back to the landing site. They will be down at Base Camp by 4:00 pm and hopeful of a pickup by the bush pilot at his earliest convenience. Optimal would be June 9 in the morning, but it will be conditions and weather dependent.
JUNE 9 UPDATE: I received a call from the team at Mt. Bona Base Camp at 6:30 a.m. Alaska time. The winds are calm with unlimited visibility. The group all arrived safely last night.
I contacted the bush pilot and he is in the air.
This was a remarkable ascent of Mt. Bona, I have rarely seen a smoother climb!
That’s all for now, my congratulations to the team!
George Dunn
IMG Guide Mark Allen called in late last night. The group met and organized on Saturday in Anchorage, then breezed through the 4-5 hour drive to Chitina on Sunday. Rather than spend the night at the bush pilot’s lodge on the Chitina River, bush pilot Paul Claus was able to fly the group directly on to the Klutlan Glacier at 10,500 feet at the base of Mt. Bona in his turbo Otter.This is a broad, gentle landing area on the Klutlan Glacier and the normal site for base camp.
Mark reported perfect weather, no wind and a very happy group at camp last evening. They will rest, acclimatize and do some low exertion training today. Mark will consider making a group carry to the next camp at 12,000 feet tomorrow. The group will spend at least a second night at base camp before moving up to occupy the 12,000 foot camp.
We’ll pass on more details as they comes in…
Tye Chapman
Operations Manager