Mount Vinson Massif Expedition — January 1998
 Meet the Team
Meet the climbers as they wait out the winds in Punta Arenas for the flight to Antarctica  Click to hear the call
Monday, January 5, 1998 — 8 am PST Calling over satellite telephone, Monday morning, 8am PST, guide Wally Berg reports the Alpine Ascents International team is in its 26th hour of standby. High winds in Antarctica continue to prevent their departure although the cloud ceiling has lifted. They are receiving hourly updates from the staff meteorologist at Patriot Hills who is monitoring the wind patterns. Among this year's team members are three of Wally's old climbing buddies, nicknamed "the goon squad of seven summits aspirance." Brock Hanna, a carpenter, has climbed with Wally on Everest, Elbrus, and Kilimanjaro. He got married just two weeks ago. John Svenson is a semi-retired Denali guide and artist and Brent Bishop, an Everest and Lhotse summitter, owns Barrel Mountaineering in Bozeman. The remaining three climbers have varying levels of experience. Stuart Peeke is returning to mountaineering after a long hiatus, having climbed Denali in '78. Romolo Codesca, who, along with his brothers owns a family textile business in Milan, is an avid climber in the Alps. And the youngest member, at 26, is Mike McCabe, a high tech "geek" business developer who grew up climbing in Colorado and who has chosen Vinson for his first big quest outside the US. It's a windy afternoon in Punta, but it's quite beautiful, standing at the edge of the world peering across at the wind swept continent of Antarctica. — Wally Berg, Alpine Ascents Guide
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