Warm meals in the dining tent, fueling us for the climb!

It’s with great excitement that we share the first of our Ojos del Salado expeditions this season has come to a close with a successful ascent of the world’s highest volcano! The team reached the summit on December 18 after several acclimatization hikes and climbs around the Atacama Desert. The team experienced great weather throughout the expedition and topped out on Ojos del Salado under beautiful, clear-blue skies on their summit day. It was the perfect way to end the expedition before returning back to civilization.

Going to the Atacama Desert is like traveling to another planet. It’s one of the driest places on Earth, and is world-renowned for some of the best star-gazing on the planet.

Coming up this February, 2024 we’ll head back to Chile for another expedition on Ojos del Salado. The dates are set for February 8 – 19, 2024 – come join us for an unforgettable expedition and see what the hype is all about!

Summit photo!

Summit photo!

Relaxing on the summit of Ojos del Salado under blue skies!

Relaxing on the summit of Ojos del Salado under blue skies!

On the shores of Laguna Verde.

On the shores of Laguna Verde.

Climber, Chuck Clement nearing Ojos del Salado.

Climber, Chuck Clement nearing Ojos del Salado.

The team nearing the summit!

The team nearing the summit!

Basking in the sunshine after a successful climb!

Basking in the sunshine after a successful climb!


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:

The 2023 Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua expedition team loading up to leave Mendoza to begin their climb!

The 2023 / 2024 Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) season is off in Argentina! We are thrilled to be back in the Andes and on the trail with our eyes set on the highest peak in all of the Americas, Aconcagua. After a long day of traveling, our climbers touched down in Mendoza (746m/2,449ft) and were picked up by private transportation and dropped off at the team hotel. After some rest, the team came together for the first time completing a gear check and orientation, before heading out for dinner and later going to bed with departure for the trailhead scheduled for the following day.

The team awoke to blue skies and pleasant temperatures as they loaded the truck and hit the road towards Los Horcones, the gateway to Aconcagua. We’ve arrived in Plaza de Mulas (4367m/14,327ft) which will serve as our base camp on Aconcagua, and are getting ready to continue on up the mountain to Camp Canada (5060m/16,600ft).

The team is doing well and are in good spirits! We hope for good weather in the coming days as we continue to ascend the highest peak outside of Asia.

Stay tuned for more!

Madison Mountaineering private transportation loaded up and ready to go!

Madison Mountaineering private transportation loaded up and ready to go!

Dawning packs and hitting the trail en route to Aconcagua!

Dawning packs and hitting the trail en route to Aconcagua!


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:

Climbing Illiniza Norte with Illiniza Sur seen behind (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

The Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition team has completed their acclimatization hikes and are primed and ready for their upcoming attempts on Cayambe and Chimborazo! Weather and climbing conditions have been outstanding so far, and will hopefully continue for the climbs ahead. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition.

Today, we summit the Illiniza Norte which is 16,800 feet with the summit. We finished our acclimatization process! The group is feeling pretty strong and motivated. We had a great day on the mountain and some really nice views of the other peaks around! Now everybody is resting at the lodge.

Tomorrow we are going to move to Cayambe volcano which is our first big mountain on this expedition. Stay tuned… Bye!

Summit photo on Illiniza Norte! (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Summit photo on Illiniza Norte! (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Ascending the ridge which leads the way towards the summit of Illiniza Norte with Cotopaxi behind (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Ascending the ridge which leads the way towards the summit of Illiniza Norte with Cotopaxi behind (Photo by Estalin Suárez)


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:

Nelly Attar (left) and Aang Phurba Sherpa cleaning up trash above Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Fall, 2023 Madison Mountaineering Himalayan season has been all time! Clear skies, perfect climbing conditions, and strong teams throughout have made for an unforgettable season… And it’s not over yet! Our teams have been climbing throughout the Khumbu region, trekking amongst giants up to Everest Base Camp, climbing on 6000m / 20,000ft peaks like Lobuche and Island Peak, and one of the crown jewels of the Himalaya, Ama Dablam.

Perfect weather, climbing conditions, and summits are part of the equation for a successful expedition – this season has been full of that with 100% summit success on Ama Dablam under weather that climbers dream of. On three separate teams, our climbers topped out on the peak of Ama Dablam, taking in the views, hugs and celebrating after achieving the goal that we’ve worked so hard for.

Our teams have descended safely out of the mountains and and returned to their homes. We are so grateful to get to share this time with friends new and old in a truly special place!

Congratulations to our climbers for a wonderful expedition! Special thanks to our rockstar Sherpa and base camp staff teams for their support – these efforts would not be possible without you!

Still to come: We have a special expedition underway in the Himalaya where the team has successfully climbed Lobuche East and Ama Dablam, with Mera Peak still to come. In addition to these efforts, the team is also cleaning up and removing much of the trash and debris that has accumulated on and around the mountains over the years. This week, the team removed 350 kilograms of waste from Lobuche peak and are continuing these efforts on and around Ama Dablam. Great work team!

The Fall 2023 season has been one for the books! We’re so proud of all of our teams and are psyched for the many years of climbing to come in the Himalaya. Looking to climb in one of the world’s great ranges? Reach out to our office to set up your next mountain adventure!

Nelly Attar picking up trash above Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Nelly Attar picking up trash above Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Cleaning up trash above Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Cleaning up trash above Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our team carrying trash out of Lobuche East High Camp to be repurposed or disposed of out of the Khumbu Valley (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our team carrying trash out of Lobuche East High Camp to be repurposed or disposed of out of the Khumbu Valley (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our team Our working near Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our team Our working near Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Loads of trash in Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Loads of trash in Lobuche East High Camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Aang Phurba Sherpa cleaning old fixed line from the climbing route on Lobuche East (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Aang Phurba Sherpa cleaning old fixed line from the climbing route on Lobuche East (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:

Summit photo on El Corazón (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Two acclimatization hikes done and only one more to go before the Madison Mountaineering team positions themselves for summit attempts on Cayambe and Chimborazo! The team is feeling strong and becoming well acclimatized to the elevation of the Ecuadorian Andes. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Today we had another great hiking day in the Ecuadorian Andes! We summit our second peak here, El Corazón (4790m/15,720ft) which is 15,700 feet of height. This is part of our acclimatization process. The group is feeling pretty good and getting used to the altitude!

So, now we are at the lodge just resting and getting ready for our next step. Okay, so stay in tune… Bye!

Climbing among the clouds on El Corazón (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Climbing among the clouds on El Corazón (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Approaching towards El Corazón (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Approaching towards El Corazón (Photo by Estalin Suárez)


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:

Our team on the approach to Pasochoa volcano (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

We are thrilled to be back in the Ecuadorian Andes! Our team arrived in Quito, and with a good nights sleep after a long day of travel, our team has headed for the mountains and begun their climbs on the Ecuador Volcanoes. The team completed their first acclimatization hike, and with a few more days of acclimatization ahead, look forward to climbing some of Ecuador’s highest peaks, Cayambe and Chimborazo! Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition – today is November 19.

We just did our first acclimatization hike, it was the Pasochoa volcano (4200m/13,800ft). We got the summit, had some really nice views of all the volcanoes surrounding, and had a really great day! We got 13,700 feet and now we are in a really nice lodge resting and getting ready for tomorrow.

Our next hike is going to be the Corazón volcano (4790m/15,720ft). Stay tuned! Bye.

The team on the summit of Pasochoa Volcano! (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

The team on the summit of Pasochoa Volcano! (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

At the trailhead (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

At the trailhead (Photo by Estalin Suárez)


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:

The team topping out on Kala Patthar with excellent views of Mount Everest (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The sun is setting on another fantastic expedition in the Himalaya! Our climbers have arrived back in Lukla, and will fly back to Kathmandu after one last nights sleep in the mountains before boarding their flights to go home. We’re thankful for time well spent in the mountains with friends, new and old. We cherish these moments and look forward to many more in the future! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this ‘farewell’ dispatch from Lukla:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) trek, and Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) climbs. Today our team arrived back in Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) after a very pleasant hike down the Khumbu Valley! Tomorrow morning they will fly by helicopter directly back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) to catch their flights home.

So all in all, we had a successful expedition with a great trek to base camp, a successful climb of Lobuche East, and a great climb on Island Peak! We just had fantastic weather throughout.

So, that concludes this expedition! We’ll be in touch with the next one.


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:

Team meal at our lodge in Pangboche

With the climbing behind them, the Madison Mountaineering Everest Base Camp, Lobuche East and Island Peak team is relishing in their trek back down the valley with cold and clear skies overhead! The team treated themselves with hot showers and a warm meal before crawling into bed this evening – just what you want after a long day on the trail! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalaya:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) trek, and Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) climbs – today is November 6th.

Today we trekked down from Chukhung (4730m/15,520ft) to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft). It was another beautiful day in the Khumbu Valley! It feels like fall – the creeks are starting to freeze and there’s a little tang of winter in the air! We moved into our lodge here in Pangboche, and enjoyed some hot showers, and we’re getting ready to have dinner.

Tomorrow we will continue descending down to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft)! All is well here in Nepal and we will 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:

Kristen, Sange and Terray near the top of Island Peak (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

It’s with great excitement that we get to share that the Madison Mountaineering Everest Base Camp, Lobuche, and Island Peak team have safely returned following their final climb on Island Peak and are off the mountain. Everyone is doing great, and looking forward to enjoying their final few days in the Himalaya as they descend down the beautiful Khumbu Valley that has been home the last few weeks. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from the Himalaya:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest Base Camp trek, (5364m/17,598ft) plus Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) climbs – today is November 5th.

Today we had an excellent climb on Island Peak! We left base camp at about midnight and enjoyed a fantastic sunrise just as we were coming up onto the summit ice fields on Island Peak. We had excellent views of Makalu (8463m/27766ft) in the distance, Baruntse (7162m/23,497ft) across the valley, plus the upper ridge line of Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) and the south face of Lhotse, and the rarely seen northern aspects of Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) which are very spectacular.

After the climb we descended down to base camp and walked down to Chukhung (4730m/15,520ft). We just wrapped up dinner here and are looking forward to a good night of sleep. Tomorrow we will descend to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft), with a stop at the bakery in Dingboche (4410m/14,470ft). So, we’ll be in touch tomorrow! All is going well here in Nepal.

Climbers on the summit of Island Peak (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbers on the summit of Island Peak (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Descending toward base camp with Ama Dablam and other peaks in the distance (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Descending toward base camp with Ama Dablam and other peaks in the distance (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

On the summit icefields of Island Peak / Imja Tse (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

On the summit icefields of Island Peak / Imja Tse (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:

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team has settled into their base camp and is primed and ready to make their summit push on Island Peak! The team continues to have excellent weather, with hopes of more perfect weather and climbing conditions on their final objective tomorrow. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Island Peak Base Camp:

Hello from Island Peak Base Camp! This morning we trekked here from Chukhung (4730m/15,520ft) with dramatic views of the south face of Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), the northerly aspects of Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) and, beside our base camp, the beautiful Imja Lake (5004m/16,417ft) with icebergs floating in it. The team is doing well. We’ve packed our kit for the climb and now we’re resting in preparation for an early start. We’ll be in touch tomorrow evening!


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: