All news: 17 January 2011

Call. Short information from Victor Bobok, directly from the summit of Aconcagua. Eight members of the expedition reached the summit: Denis Abuev, Igor Barabeshkin, Alexey Boutin, Alexander Viktorov, Igor Kadochin Pavel Laktyushkin, Boris Pavlov, Igor Cherkashin. As well as our guides: Victor Bobock and Olga Rumyantseva. Plus one local guide, thanks to him ! Weather conditions are very heavy, strong winds, fog and cold. But it was the same all season. The average success rate on Aconcagua at this moment is around 20%. We have - 70% ! We wish to our team a successful descent and waiting forward messages already from lower camps.

Other members of Alexei Vaulin, Nadezhda Goncharuk, Alexander Smirnov and Alexander Savotkina refused to climb for different reasons, but they are okay.

It is the second week of strikes against the rise of gas prices in Punta Arenas and the surrounding areas in southern Chile. All transport routes from the city and in the city are blocked. Barricades. Shops and institutions are closed. Cars and trucks go through the city, continuous signaling, with demonstrators, drumming on pans and basin. Cormorants and penguins huddled on abandoned piers and look with amazement at the crazed city.

 Yesterday, Saturday, 15th of January, we made a second attempt to fly to Antarctica on the Union Glacier. For this purpose it was necessary to walk 25 km through 4 strike cordons. After the passage of the first cordon, our group of 19 people divided into several groups. We were warned that those who will not reach in time - that does not fly. Pensioners went on military equipment (79-year-old former U.S. Senator and former French Prime Minister), the French went by sea. We walked a part of the way between the cordons, then we drove by a passing car, the last segment after the 4 th cordon we went at a luggage truck.

After two hours of waiting in the airport, head of the ALE Company Peter MacDowell announced that a flight is delayed for 3-4 days, due to the breakdown of one of engine. Peter suggested three options: to hang, strangle or shoot himself. Or:

1. Wait for the next departure

2. Move Antarctica for the next season

3. Get their money back.

We chose the first one!

Unfortunately, Michail Karisalov was forced to fly home, ending the expedition, on business reason.