Getting ready to go up!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team is prepared to start their first rotation on the mountain! While the Sherpa team has been hard at work making carries to prepare the higher camps, our climbers sorted gear and chose their meals, getting mentally prepared for the climbing to come. After a good nights sleep, we’ll be on the move tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 16.

This morning was a nice day here in Manaslu Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft)! We had a little bit of rain in the afternoon, but the morning was partly clear with some nice views up the north face of Manaslu. And we spent the day preparing for our rotation. We’re planning to move up to Camp I (5700m/18,700ft) tomorrow. The team chose their meals for Camp I and got gear sorted out. And our Sherpa team will do another carry this evening up to Camp I, up to Camp II (6400m/21,000ft). So things are looking good for progress above base camp!

Everything’s going well here in Nepal, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Pre-Climb Puja Ceremony

The team after a successful ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team had a busy day in base camp! After a good breakfast, the team jumped into some technical skills review to dial in all of their systems before heading out on the nearby glacier tomorrow. Not long after that, we were met by a Lama from Samagaun who led the team through their Puja Ceremony, which is an important part of our climbs in the Himalaya and Karakoram. The rest of the day included more acclimatizing, nutritious meals, and relaxing following another good day in Nepal! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 15.

Today was a busy day here in Manaslu Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft). After breakfast, we did a technical skills review session, right here in base camp. We just dialed in our technical climbing gear and reviewed ascent and descent techniques. Tomorrow, we’ll do a longer session – probably half a day on the Manaslu Glacier itself.

And then after that technical skills session, we had our pre-climb Puja. A Lama from Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) came up and led that. This Puja was a Tibetan-Buddhist ceremony to ask the mountain for safe passage. It’s always a really nice way to kick off the climbing phase of an expedition and for the whole team to come together: both our climbers and climbing Sherpas, as well as our base camp staff. So that was really nice!

Then we had a good lunch: chicken burgers, salad, fresh fruit, and a few other items. And after lunch, we headed out for a hike to the top of base camp, and then about halfway toward Crampon Point. We turned around around 5,050 meters or so, came back to camp.

We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. And then we’re looking forward to dinner and a movie on our base camp cinema!

So, all is going well here at Manaslu. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Pre-climb puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Pre-climb puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Myles, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Myles, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Woodie, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Woodie, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Manaslu Base Camp!

The whole team in base camp!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has arrived in base camp! With the final member of our team now on-site, it’s time to get to work. After fueling up for the day in Sama Village, we shouldered our packs and hit the trail en route to base camp. The team is settled in there now, and looks forward to the days ahead as they prepare to take to the climbing route and start making their way toward the summit! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 14th, 2026.

This morning, we walked from Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) up to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). We left Sama just before 8 a.m. and arrived in base camp in time for an early lunch. It was a really nice walk! The weather was a little rainy in the morning, but after an hour or so the rain dissipated, and for the rest of the way to base camp we had dry air, and really nice views down into the Nubri Valley far below us.

We’ve been resting this afternoon since arriving in base camp, and we’re looking forward to our Puja tomorrow! In other big news, our express climber, Woodie, arrived in Sama yesterday. He touched down in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) yesterday morning, then went straight to the helipad and flew to Sama. So he joined us for the hike up to base camp today!

We’re looking forward to getting the climbing phase of the expedition underway, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Our climbers Myles and Woodie en route to Manaslu Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Myles and Woodie en route to Manaslu Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Hiking above Sama Village and the terminus of the North Manaslu Glacier (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Hiking above Sama Village and the terminus of the North Manaslu Glacier (photo by Terray Sylvester)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Milarepa Cave

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team kept up the acclimatization work with a hike to a sacred cave nearby their tea house. The team enjoyed views of Manaslu high above them throughout the day. Everyone is doing great so far! It won’t be long before they make the move up to base camp in just a few days time. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 12th.

Today, we woke up to a nice day: partly cloudy, blue sky, some sunshine. So we went for a hike up to the Milarepa Cave, which is a sacred cave between Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) where we’re staying, and Samdo, the next village up the valley toward Larkey Pass (5106m/16,752ft). The cave is really nice, very peaceful, set in the forests at about 4,000 meters. And then after spending some time at the cave, we came back down to our lodge, and we’ve been resting this afternoon.

Today was another good acclimatization day for the team. Yesterday, we climbed to above 4,000 meters in the Pungen Valley, and today we went above 4,000 meters again. That’s about 13,000 feet plus.

So, we’re preparing well for our move to base camp in a couple of days. The team’s doing well and we’re looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Maybe we’ll visit the monastery complex here in Sama, before we potentially move to base camp the next day! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching 4000m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching 4000m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Lush forests in the Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Lush forests in the Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Acclimatizing in the Punggen Valley

Our climber, Myles, with sirdar Aang Phurba Sherpa on the way to Punggen Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team wasted no time this morning getting out to start their acclimatization efforts in preparation for the climb to come. After fueling up with some breakfast, we departed the tea house for a leisurely hike in the Punggen Valley and visit at an ancient monastery that calls the valley home. It was a great day kicking off the acclimatization efforts, with more of the same planned for tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 11th, 2026.

This morning we woke up early and went for an acclimatization hike up into the Punggen Valley, which is a side valley just below Sama village (3530m/11,581ft), where we’re staying until we move up to base camp. We left our lodge at about 7:45, 8 o’clock, and a few hours later, we were up above 4,000 meters in the Punggen Valley, which is a summer pasture, high altitude summer pasture for yaks. There’s also an ancient monastery there, which is really neat to visit. We came back down to Sama for lunch and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

We just wrapped up dinner. It’s beautiful night here: clear skies and mild temperatures. Tomorrow we’re looking forward to another acclimatization hike while we prepare to move up to base camp (4859m/15,944ft)! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Into the Punggen Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Into the Punggen Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Punggen Monastery at 4,100m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Punggen Monastery at 4,100m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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At the foot of Manaslu

Departing from Kathmandu

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team boarded another flight this morning. This time, on a helicopter set to fly to Sama Village! While some clouds hung high overhead, passengers on the heli were able to enjoy excellent views of the valley, full of waterfalls, monasteries, and more. After dropping their bags and spending a little time resting, the team was able to go out for a short hike to stretch their legs and enjoy the fresh mountain air. And tomorrow, we’ll go out again with the goal of continuing the acclimatization process and getting ready to move up to base camp! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 10th.

This morning we woke up early. We left our hotel at about 5:45 AM. And by 8:30, we were in Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) here at the foot of Manaslu at 11,300 feet.

We headed over to the domestic terminal at the Kathmandu Airport (1400m/4,600ft) and caught a helicopter up here to Sama. It was a really nice flight! There was a high overcast, but, you know, below us was clear. So we had really nice views of the Budhi Gandaki River Valley, where there are lots of waterfalls and lush terraces, villages, and monasteries tucked among the cliffs.

We rested most of this afternoon. It was raining lightly, and then in the evening, it cleared up! So, we just went for a nice walk up and down the valley around Sama.

Tomorrow, we are planning our first acclimatization hike out of Sama Village as we prepare to move up to Manaslu Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft) in a few days!

Everything’s going really well here in Nepal. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Nonstop flight to the beautiful Nubri Valley

Nonstop flight to the beautiful Nubri Valley

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Touring Kathmandu

Boudhanath Stupa (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team took to the city streets today for some sightseeing around Kathmandu! We visited both the Boudhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple before going back to the team hotel to make our final preparations for tomorrows move into the mountains. With good weather, we’ll load onto the helicopter and fly into the Mansiri Himal part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering 2026 Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 9th.

Today, we went for a tour in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). We visited two of the cities many UNESCO world heritage sites. We went to Pashupatinath Temple, the most prominent Hindu temple here in the Kathmandu Valley. And then we also visited the Boudhanath Stupa, which is sacred to the region’s Buddhists.

It was a beautiful morning here. We’ve had a little bit of rain each day since we arrived. But this morning was sunny and it was a nice time visiting both of those amazing temples. And then we spent the rest of the afternoon just doing our final packing and preparation for our early heli flights to Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) tomorrow.

We’re just heading to bed now after a nice dinner and looking forward to our helicopter flight into the mountains! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Touring around Kathmandu (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Touring around Kathmandu (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Myles, visiting Pahupatinath Temple with local tour guide, Rita (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Myles, visiting Pahupatinath Temple with local tour guide, Rita (photo by Terray Sylvester)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Manaslu team touches down in Kathmandu!

The team enjoying an evening in Kathmandu.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition kicking off from Kathmandu! The first member of our team arrived today. After settling in, we gathered together to conduct a gear check and orientation, before heading out in the city streets for a nice welcome dinner. The journey continues tomorrow with a tour of Kathmandu’s most sacred sites. Then, we’ll get ready to fly into the mountains and move one step closer to the climb ahead on the world’s eighth highest peak. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hi! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Mount Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 8th.

Today we had our orientation and gear check, and then went out for a welcome dinner with the first member of our team who’s arrived. The weather in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) is very pleasant today; warm and sunny in the morning, and then a little bit of rain in the afternoon. And then really pleasant temperatures this evening.

Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to our city tour, to two of Kathmandu Valley’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. And then our final night in Kathmandu before we fly to the mountains.

So it’s exciting to have this year’s Manaslu expedition underway, and I’m looking forward to the days to come! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Peak Lenin expedition coming to a close

The team on the summit of Peak Lenin (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team is back in base camp after their successful summit rotation! After dropping their packs, the team was able to reintroduce themselves to some of the comforts offered in camp with showers, rest, and a warm, nutritious meal. The team will get a good nights rest tonight, before packing up and leaving Peak Lenin with fond memories of a great expedition behind them. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hi! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft) expedition. Today is July 20.

This morning, we woke up in Camp 1, Advanced Base Camp (4400m/14,435ft) at 4,400 meters. We had a good breakfast. We gave our duffel bags to the riders who manage the pack horses here, and then we descended back down to Base Camp. Atchiktosh Base Camp (3600m/11,800ft) at the foot of Peak Lenin is about 3,600 meters, so just under 12,000 feet. And after a couple of weeks up high, at high, extremely high altitude, it felt really good to descend back onto the lush step of the Alay Valley.

It was a really nice hike! We passed wildflowers and waterfalls, big, healthy marmots. It was another beautiful day here in the Pamir with blue skies and balmy temperatures. We arrived back in base camp in time for lunch. Then we spent the afternoon organizing our gear for our departure, taking showers, resting. We just wrapped up dinner, and we’re about to head to bed.

Tomorrow, the plan is to drive to Osh (963m/3,159ft). We’ll spend one night there, and then catch a flight to Bishkek (800m/2,600ft).

So unfortunately, this expedition is coming to a close. It’s been a real pleasure to spend so much time on these big, beautiful mountains in central Asia. Everything’s going really well here, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

First light on Lenin’s summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

First light on Lenin’s summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Fatima and Chris approaching 7,000 meters with the peaks of Tajikistan in the distance (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Fatima and Chris approaching 7,000 meters with the peaks of Tajikistan in the distance (photo by Terray Sylvester)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Back in Advanced Base Camp

Safely back to Camp 1! The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team dropped down to Advanced Base Camp today following their successful ascent on the day prior. With lots of hard work behind them, the team is excited for some well-earned rest. Surely, it’ll be a good nights sleep to power them forward for the descent back to base camp tomorrow. Great work, team! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hello from Camp 1 / Advance Base Camp (4400m/14,435ft)! We descended here from Camp 4 (6400m/21,000ft) today. The team did a great job on the way here. We’re looking forward to a well-earned rest at lower altitude tonight, and our return to base camp (3600m/11,800ft) tomorrow. We’ll be in touch then!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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