Mount Vinson Itinerary
16,067FT / 4,897M | AntarcticaMount Vinson Day to Day Itinerary
This itinerary does not include transit dates. Climbers may choose to arrive a day early for ease of travel, lost luggage, or flight delay.
Expeditions in Antarctica vary greatly! The itinerary below reflects our standard Vinson climb, but exact timelines and trip length often change. Please be prepared for delays and avoid making plans for at least one week after your scheduled return.
Day 1 – Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile
Arrive in Punta Arenas for the team meeting followed by a welcome dinner in the evening. Overnight in Punta Arenas.
Day 2-3 – Expedition briefing and Gear Check
Spend days 2 and 3 in Punta Arenas making final gear preparations, weighing in, and standing by for favorable weather ahead of the flight to Antarctica. Overnight in Punta Arenas.
Day 4 – Flight to Antarctica
Weather permitting, take the approximately 4.5-hour flight across the Drake Passage to the blue-ice runway at Union Glacier Camp, our staging point on the Antarctic continent. If conditions allow, we may continue directly to Vinson Base Camp.
Day 5 – Flight to Vinson Base Camp
Weather permitting, board a Twin Otter ski-equipped aircraft for the flight from Union Glacier to Vinson Base Camp, located at 7,000 ft. (2,133 m) on the lower Branscomb Glacier beneath the Ellsworth Mountains.
Day 6 – Acclimatization at Base Camp
Acclimatize at Base Camp while reviewing glacier travel, expedition camping, knots, anchors, rigging, and crevasse rescue. Organize and divide gear between backpacks and sleds in preparation for moving higher on the mountain.
Day 7 – Move to Low Camp (9,000 ft.)
Ascend the gently rising Branscomb Glacier to Low Camp.
- Altitudes: Base Camp: 7,000 ft. | Low Camp: 9,000 ft.
- Elevation Gain: 2,000 ft.
- Distance: 5.5 miles
- Climbing Time: 4–6 hours
Day 8 – Acclimatization at Low Camp
Spend the day acclimatizing with a short excursion to the base of the fixed lines to review fixed line ascending.
Day 9 – Move to High Camp (12,400 ft.)
Climb to the base of a large headwall before ascending fixed ropes on snow slopes up to 45 degrees. At the top of the fixed lines, we enter a glacial basin between Mount Vinson and Mount Shinn, where High Camp is established.
- Altitudes: Low Camp: 9,000 ft. | High Camp: 12,400 ft.
- Elevation Gain: 3,400 ft.
- Distance: 4.0 miles
- Climbing Time: 6–10 hours
Day 10 – Acclimatization at High Camp
Rest and acclimatize at High Camp in preparation for the summit attempt.
Day 11 – Summit Attempt
Begin with an alpine start across the broad Vinson summit valley before climbing a steeper snow and ice section to the spectacular summit ridge. From the summit, enjoy sweeping views of Mounts Gardner, Tyree, Epperly, and Shinn across the Antarctic ice sheet before descending back to High Camp.
- Altitudes: High Camp: 12,400 ft. | Vinson Summit: 16,050 ft.
- Elevation Gain: 3,650 ft.
- Distance: 9.0 miles
- Hiking Time: 9–12 hours
Day 12 – Descend to Base Camp
Descend from High Camp via the fixed ropes and continue down the Branscomb Glacier to Base Camp, typically completed in a single day.
- Altitudes: High Camp: 12,400 ft. | Base Camp: 7,000 ft.
- Elevation Loss: 5,400 ft.
- Distance: 9.5 miles
- Hiking Time: 6–8 hours
Days 13–15 – Weather and Flight Contingency Days
Extra days reserved for weather delays throughout the expedition. When conditions permit, fly from Vinson Base Camp to Union Glacier and onward to Punta Arenas.
Day 16 – Depart Punta Arenas
Depart Punta Arenas, Chile, for your journey home.
Like with all of my AAI trips, the guides demonstrated a deep passion for teaching and making sure that all climbers know how to climb safely and effectively. They are always eager to help, answer questions, and hold group members accountable to demonstrating the requisite skills.
Punta Arenas
Often considered one of the most interesting cities in Patagonia, Punta Arenas is a historic fishing port set along the Strait of Magellan. Handsome turn-of-the-century architecture reflects the city’s prosperous wool-trading past, with grand mansions surrounding Plaza Muñoz Gamero and throughout the city center.
As one of the southernmost cities in the world, Punta Arenas has long served as a gateway for exploration of the far south. Today, its port welcomes travelers bound for Patagonia and Antarctica, giving the city a distinctive mix of Chilean culture and expedition history. On a clear day, views stretch across the strait toward Tierra del Fuego.
Punta Arenas is also known for fine dining and exquisite Chilean wines. Time permitting, we’ll explore some of the city’s sites like Museo Regional de Magallanes, the original Punta Arenas mansion, and may visit a nearby rookery to see a colony of Magellanic penguins.
Flying to Antarctica
The flight from Punta Arenas to Union Glacier takes approximately 4.5 hours, depending on winds. We’ll first fly over Tierra del Fuego—the southernmost point of South America—and the notoriously stormy Drake Passage before crossing the Antarctic Convergence at approximately 60° south. This area of ocean is rich in plankton that form the bottom of the food chain for Antarctica’s rich bird and wildlife colonies.
At 66 degrees latitude, we’ll cross the Antarctic Circle. Along this circle the sun never sets at the austral summer solstice and never rises at the austral winter solstice. Continuing south, we’ll fly over vast ice shelves and enormous tabular icebergs—some the size of small countries—before the Antarctic continent comes into view.
Eventually, the spectacular Ellsworth Mountains, the highest range in Antarctica, rise from the ice. After crossing the range, our runway appears below: a stretch of blue ice at 3,300 ft. kept largely free of snow by powerful katabatic winds sweeping down from the mountains.
Union Glacier Camp
This one-of-a-kind camp is 1,800 miles from the nearest city and provides a surprisingly comfortable welcome to the frozen landscape. Union Glacier serves as a hub for expeditions throughout Antarctica, with groups from around the world sharing the camp and its facilities.
The heated and insulated dining hall is the heart of camp, where we’ll eat all meals and have space to relax, read a book, or swap stories with other explorers. Camp also has proper bathroom facilities, showers, Wi-Fi, a small library, and a medical facility.
Depending on weather and flight schedules, we may only stop briefly at Union Glacier en route to Vinson Base Camp. If we need to spend additional time here due to weather delays, we’ll sleep in tents and may have opportunities to explore the surrounding area.
Vinson Base Camp
Located at 7,000 ft. on the lower Branscomb Glacier, Vinson Base Camp is a traditional expedition camp. Climbers sleep in North Face VE 25 tents, either solo or paired with a teammate, depending on preference. We also establish a large dome tent that serves as our communal space for meals, relaxing, and spending time together as a team.
Facilities here are considerably more primitive than at Union Glacier, though the recent addition of Starlink does keep us feeling surprisingly connected. And with 24 hours of daylight during the Antarctic summer, it never truly gets dark here— be sure to bring a sleeping mask!
Base Camp is relatively sheltered from the wind, so conditions tend to be mild by Antarctic standards. Temperatures can change dramatically, however, when the sun passes behind Vinson and camp falls into the mountain’s shadow.
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