Houlding and team reach the Spectre

Leo Houlding, Jean Burgun and Mark Sedon have completed the latest stage of their expedition in Antarctica, having now reached the Organ Pipe Peaks – close to their main objective, the Spectre.

The journey so far has been far from easy, with the vagaries of the weather and terrain providing significant challenges.  On the final day of the 300km of pulk hauling to the Spectre, Leo had a disagreement with a crevasse, but emerged unscathed (http://spectreexpedition.com/we-made-it-just).  The team has now set up a first camp and is preparing to cache equipment and food for the journey out, before moving up to set up camp close to the base of the mountain.  From there, the exploration and climbing of the Spectre will begin.

Leo’s reaction on completing the latest phase of the journey: “The Spectre briefly showed us her pretty side, basking in sun, flirting almost – she is a prize beauty so tempting to scale!  Such an immaculate massif, the rock looks outstanding and there are lines everywhere – as good for rock climbing as any granite spires I have seen anywhere.  But then the cloud builds, the wind picks up, one remembers where one is and the thought of being up there, even further away than we are here is too much!  I think we need a day or three to acquaint ourselves with our new surroundings before committing to anything too tall.”

You can read the latest blog posts at http://spectreexpedition.com/updates.

GALLERY