Vinson Massif. Our expedition climbed the Vinson Massif on November 19. With this ascent, Canadian Pat Morrow became the second person (after Dick Bass) to reach the highest point of all seven continents. Also reaching the summit were Americans Mike Dunn, Pat Caffrey and I, Canadians Martyn Williams and Roger Mitchell, Englishman Giles Kershaw and Chilean Alejo Contreras. Bill Hackett did carries to High Camp. Since the National Science Foundation does not assist private expeditions, aircraft and fuel are problems. Our Twin Otter ski plane was dry-chartered from Resolute Bay, Canada and flown to Punta Arenas, Chile where we assembled. The Chilean Air Force agreed to sell us fuel at Chilean Marsh Base and British Rothera Base in the Antarctic Peninsula. An airdrop of 36 drums of fuel at Base Camp was also arranged. The fuel worked out to $50 per gallon. Above Base Camp at 7500 feet, we established three camps along the original 1966 American route. The weather was beautiful. We stayed in our tents only one day due to wind. Temperatures ranged from -2° to -34° F. The summit was reached on the tenth day in nine hours from Camp III at 12,000 feet under ideal weather conditions. A party of seven South Koreans under the leadership of Heo Wook, whom Kershaw had flown in from Punta Arenas, followed in our footsteps. Only three of them reached the summit under poor weather conditions.

Stephen Fossett