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a Schoening and Evans on top of Vinson (Dec 18, 1966) 1966 AAME team

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a Vinson Massif Summit Register, Nicholas B. Clinch Collection, 2005.071.001, American Alpine Club Library

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a Vinson Massif Summit Register, Nicholas B. Clinch Collection, 2005.071.001, American Alpine Club Library

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a Near midnight aerial view of Vinson Massif from northwest; Vinson in center with Sam’s Col directly in front and Shinn off to its left with the sunlit snowfield leading to its summit 1966 AAME team

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a Vinson summit, Dec 18, 1966, with Mt. Tyree in the distance. ("We placed the flags of all the signatory nations of the Antarctic Treaty, plus that of Nat Geo, our main sponsor.") 1966 AAME team

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Vinson Massif

On December 9, the team had set-up Camp I at around 11,000 feet. From there Silverstein, Wahlstrom and Fukushima went looking for (and found) a site for Camp II. Soon after the trio returned from their reconnaissance mission, a three-day storm blew through and destroyed Vinson Base, completely flattening some tents and scattering gear and food everywhere.

On December 17, after the storm had passed, Pete Schoening, John Evans, Barry Corbet, and Bill Long climbed past Camp II and set up Camp III at 14,800 feet, while Fukushima, Hollister, and Marts moved to Camp I.

On December 18, the advanced party summited Vinson. Within three days the rest of the team also reached the summit of the highest mountain in Antarctica.

According to Fukushima, the team’s success so early in the expedition left them considering the next step: “I think we were relieved that we 'bagged' the high point so early in the expedition and immediately got to thinking about what to do next and how.”