The big adventure started on May 6, 2007....
May 6, 2007:
Axel Naglich and teammates Peter Ressmann and Jon Johnston are currently in Girdwood, grappling with how to pack roughly 10,000 pounds of supplies into a single pickup truck. Tomorrow they drive six hours to Chitina, where they will fly the final 100 miles (160 kilometers) into remote Ultima Thule Lodge to wait for a weather window before making the final flight into base camp, at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) on Mount St. Elias.May 11, 2007:
The crew flew into base camp midday during a short weather window. Thousands of pounds of gear and 12 team members are now stationed at 4,700 feet (1,460 meters) on Mount St. Elias, significantly below the 10,000-foot (3,000-meter) elevation originally planned for base camp on the Haydon Shoulder, which adds 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) of climbing to an already extremely challenging expedition.
May 12, 2007:
If the athletes were ready for it, current favorable weather conditions would be perfect to begin their climb and ultimately bag the descent, but having arrived yesterday, the sunny skies are good only for setting up camp and beginning to scout their route. Instead, the team will begin scouting the route down to Icy Bay and up to Haydon Shoulder.May 13, 2007:
The team is trapped on the Tyndall Glacier until Paul Claus can return and shuttle them higher in his two-seater Super Cub. Yesterday’s sunny skies allowed the group to scout a route to Haydon Shoulder, which proved to be impossible on foot.May 15, 2007:
Yesterday brought with it wet snow, soaking crew and equipment as they hunkered down at base camp and today Elias is shrouded in cloud, preventing the skiers from exploring the mountain or scouting their route to the summit. The key to success on this expedition will be patience.
May 17, 2007:
Two days ago, the clouds lifted on Elias and the climbers were making plans to move up to 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). Yesterday brought with it drenching rain and high winds. Today dawned overcast and the mountain is completely socked in. Plans to fly the team up to Haydon Shoulder aren’t looking promising.May 18, 2007:
Eight team members, including the skiers, guides, cameramen and their gear, were flown from the Tyndall Glacier up to the Haydon Shouder at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in eight loads this morning.May 19, 2007:
Temperatures at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) were about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) today and, after climbing 1,000 feet (300 meters), the skiers were turned back by unstable slopes above the traverse to Haydon Col.
May 20, 2007:
Axel Naglich, Peter Ressmann and Jon Johnston, started the descent from 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) on the Haydon Shoulder this morning about 9 a.m. and reached the Gulf of Alaska by mid-afternoon, only to be flown back to base camp. They still haven’t given up on Mount St. Elias’ upper slopes.May 22, 2007:
At midday, the team was seen climbing the most technical part of Elias’ southwest ridge route — a headwall of blue ice reaching slopes of 65 degrees — not far below advanced camp at 14,000 feet (4,300 meters). All day, strong winds have been blowing clouds inland and the forecast shows a front moving at 20 knots toward the coast, directly aimed at Elias. The recent trend coincides with marine forecasts indicating an end to this spectacular weather window tomorrow.May 23, 2007:
American skier Jon Johnston, one-third of the three-part Elias ski team, has quit the expedition. A downturn in the weather yesterday is sure to try the patience and motivation of the most hardened adventurer. Winds reaching 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour on the mountain kept most of the team pinned down yesterday and nighttime temperatures dipped as low as -10 to -25 degree Celsius (14 to -13 degrees Fahrenheit.May 24, 2007:
Despite cloud cover on the coast, fair weather is holding on the mountain. Paul Claus took the Super Cub to Haydon Shoulder yesterday to retrieve cameraman Rob Frost, but skier Jon Johnston stayed on the mountain.May 25, 2007:
Apparently exhausted from climbing and altitude, the group decided not to begin the ascent due to wind today, despite mostly clear skies. Jon Johnston, who recently bowed out of the summit ski descent, will continue climbing with the group at least to high camp.
May 27, 2007:
The seven-member team started climbing this morning at 3 a.m., enduring cold, damp conditions in the clouds lower on the climb as they began their early ascent. But by evening, they were enjoying the views and Alaska’s late-day sunshine from high camp at 14,000 feet (4,300 meters).
May 28, 2007:
The climbers made their way to almost 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) today before visibility was reduced to almost nothing and the team was forced into a disappointing retreat just 1,000 feet (300 meters) below the summit. They plan to move back down to Haydon Shoulder before the bad weather predicted for the next few days moves in. Early this morning, there was high wind and the temperature at 12,000 feet (3,600 meters) was 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius) and at the summit it was closer to -10 Fahrenheit (-23 Celsius).May 29, 2007:
The climbers are safe but stuck at their relatively high and somewhat exposed base camp at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in a thundering snow storm. After battling winds exceeding 50 miles (80 kilometers) an hour in little-to-no visibility, the climbers arrived back at Haydon Shoulder at 11:30 last night. They will have to wait for a weather window before either making a second attempt or flying out.June 1, 2007:
Following their descent to base camp at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) late Monday night, the team spent the following three days digging for their lives, eventually finding refuge in a snow cave while their tents became completely buried under mounds of blowing snow. They were flown back to the lodge Thursday morning and, as Jon Johnston returns home, the remaining team members will wait to see what the weather does.June 5, 2007:
It’s been four days since they were flown off the mountain and the team is about ready to head back. Axel Naglich said today that he and Peter Ressmann, along with guide Volker Holzner and cameraman Günther Göberl, hope to fly back to Haydon Shoulder on Friday if a predicted weather window materializes. A little thinner, a little frostbitten and significantly pared down from its original size, the crew is not yet beaten.June 8, 2007:
Hope turned to disappointment today when a predicted weather window closed to as little as 18 or 20 hours — certainly not enough time to fly into Haydon Shoulder at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), climb to 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) and then ski back down. Instead, the team will begin the journey home. Despite the setback, Naglich said he’s optimistic for a successful expedition later in the summer.
Aug. 9, 2007:
After two months in Austria, the team is back on Mount St. Elias and preparing for another summit attempt. Early this morning, Axel Naglich, Peter Ressmann, cameraman Günther Göberl and mountain guide Volker Holzner left Haydon Shoulder and began their final climb toward the summit, leaving base camp at midnight and ascending through a loose rock face in the dark to avoid rock fall. They are now camped at 14,000 feet (4,300 meters) and are preparing to climb to high camp at 15,500 feet (4,700 meters).
