2026 Ama Dablam expedition dispatches

Summits on Ama Dablam!

Summit photo atop Ama Dablam!

We are proud to announce that the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team successfully topped out this morning just before 7 a.m. local time, and is back in base camp safe and sound! A starry sky shined through the night as they moved, step by step, up the route on the way to the summit. Upon reaching the top, the team celebrated with hugs and high-fives while taking in excellent views of the surrounding Himalaya. After some summit photos, the team shouldered their packs and started back down the way they came, descending all the way to Base Camp. The celebration didn’t stop there as the team was greeted with a celebratory meal and cake made by our Base Camp staff! Now the team is off to bed for some well-deserved rest. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition. Today is November 11th.

Today, the team summited Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft)! Our climbers stepped onto the summit just before 7 a.m. after a climb from Camp II (5980m/19,619ft) under starry skies. And then the whole team descended all the way back down to Base Camp (4600m/15,100ft).

So we are now all safely off the mountain and celebrating a successful expedition! Tomorrow we plan to take a rest day, finish sorting, and organizing the trash we’ve collected as part of the cleanup component of this expedition. And then day after tomorrow, we plan to begin trekking back to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft).

So all is well here at Ama Dablam, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Celebrating back in base camp!

Celebrating back in base camp!

Celebratory cake made by our wonderful base camp staff.

Celebratory cake made by our wonderful base camp staff.

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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Summit push coming!

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

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team is in position to go for the summit! Nestled into the legendary Camp II atop Ama Dablam’s Southwest Ridge, the team is tucked in for the evening and planning to rest tomorrow before setting off for the summit; surely a big day coming up! All the training and preparation is behind them. Now all there is left to do is go climbing! The team is psyched and ready to go. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp II:

Hello from Camp II ! We woke early this morning in Camp I, and by 11 a.m. we were settling into our tents here at about 6,060m. We’re planning to rest all afternoon and into the evening, and then start for the summit before midnight. 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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Launching the summit push!

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

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team has set off on their summit push! Feeling strong and rested, the team departed from Base Camp this morning under clear, blue skies. Our team moved efficiently up the route and are settled into their tents now, resting up, and getting ready to move higher tomorrow. Stay tuned for more from Ama Dablam! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp I:

Hello from Camp I (5791m/19,000ft)!

We started our summit push today. The team moved well as we climbed here from Base Camp (4600m/15,100ft), and we were settled into our tents by late afternoon. The weather was generally good today. Clear blue skies this morning yielded to convective snow showers by mid-afternoon.

Now, as we settle into our sleeping bags for the night, the clouds have parted and stars are shining over the highest peaks on the planet. Tomorrow we plan to move to Camp II (5980m/19,619ft).

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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Cleanup effort updates from Ama Dablam

Sorting waste in base camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team is in Base Camp after their acclimatization rotation on the  mountain! They took a well-deserved rest day today to recover some more following their time up high. Meanwhile, we finally had a chance to go through the waste collected and removed from the mountain so far! All in all, we’ve removed 103 kilos / 227 pounds of waste left behind by previous expeditions. This effort is running in partnership with the Madison Mountaineering Environmental Foundation, and in support of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee and Sagarmatha Next. Awesome work, team! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checked in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering 2026 Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is November 7th.

Today we’re taking a rest day here in Base Camp (4600m/15,100ft) after having successfully completed our rotation as high as the top of the Yellow Tower. It’s a beautiful day here in Base Camp! So we’re taking the opportunity to sort and tally the waste we’ve collected as part of our cleanup on this program.

This program doesn’t just include an ascent of Ama Dablam. It’s also an environmental restoration climb, run in partnership with the Madison Mountaineering Environmental Foundation. So thanks to our climbers’ presence here on the mountain and the generous support of our donors, we’re able to devote time and effort to cleaning up waste while we’re here at this beautiful mountain!

So far, our cleanup crew has picked up waste above base camp and at the foot of the southwest ridge below Camp II (5980m/19,619ft) where  waste tends to accumulate, as well as along the route up to Camp I (5791m/19,000ft), in Camp I itself, and along the route as high as Camp II. In total, we’ve cleaned up 103 kilos of waste. That includes old mountaineering gear, such as discarded tents and old fixed-lines, as well as plastic bottles, tin cans, discarded clothing, and other general waste like food wrappers, things like that.

So the effort’s going really well so far! We’ll continue picking up trash during our summit push. And then, we will send most of that waste to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, and the old mountaineering gear will be sent to Sagarmatha Next, where it will be used for materials for the resident artists who work with that nonprofit.

So everything’s going really well here in Base Camp! We feel good about the amount of waste we’ve picked up so far and looking forward to doing more. We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Plastic waste cleaned from the mountain (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Plastic waste cleaned from the mountain (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ngima Tashi Sherpa, Uttar Rai and Aang Phurba Sherpa weighing waste in Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ngima Tashi Sherpa, Uttar Rai and Aang Phurba Sherpa weighing waste in Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Old fixed line removed from near Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Old fixed line removed from near Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Cleanup crew member, Uttar Rai, hauling trash down to Ama Dablam Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Cleanup crew member, Uttar Rai, hauling trash down to Ama Dablam Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

103kg of waste collected so far! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

103kg of waste collected so far! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Old prayer flags cleaned from above Ama Dablam Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Old prayer flags cleaned from above Ama Dablam Base Camp (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 from the first rotation!

The team climbing above Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team is back in Base Camp after a successful rotation on the mountain where they climbed to just below Camp II! With excellent weather the entire time, the team moved strongly and swiftly up the mountain, while they gained acclimatization and got some experience on the route. Over the next few days, the team plans to rest, fuel, and get ready for the summit rotation which is expected to begin in just a short time. Our team will keep an eye on the weather and launch out of camp, next time with their sights set on a summit. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is November 6th.

Today we descended from Camp I (5791m/19,000ft) to Base Camp (4600m/15,100ft) after a successful rotation. We spent two nights at Camp I, touched the top of the Yellow Tower, which is just 10 minutes below Camp II (5980m/19,619ft), and then descended back to Base Camp today!

So, we achieved what we wanted to achieve. Now we are planning to rest and keep an eye on the weather forecast and start our summit push within a few days.

The team is doing well. The weather has been great! While we were up higher around the mountain, we had clear blue skies and hardly a breath of wind.

So all is going well here in Nepal and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Alpenglow on Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Alpenglow on Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

A team photo in Camp 1 before hiking back to Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

A team photo in Camp 1 before hiking back to Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Descending back to Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Descending back to Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Rhonda, above Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Rhonda, above Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Calvin, approaching the top of the Yellow Tower (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Calvin, approaching the top of the Yellow Tower (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Naomi, ascending the Yellow Tower (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Naomi, ascending the Yellow Tower (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Snowy conditions on the way to Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Snowy conditions on the way to Camp 1 (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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The famous Yellow Tower

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

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team continued their acclimatization efforts today by following the route up the Yellow Tower towards Camp II before descending back down to sleep in Camp I. After waking up here tomorrow, the plan is to shoulder our packs and descend all the way back to base camp, rest up, recover, and get ready for the summit rotation. It’s been an excellent couple of days on the mountain and the team is looking strong! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch via Garmin InReach from Camp I on Ama Dablam:

Hello from Ama Dablam Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft)! Today we climbed to the top of the famous Yellow Tower, just below Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft), then descended back to Camp 1. The weather was excellent yet again, and the route was in very good condition. Plenty of snow made for solid footing and relatively simple movement on much of the terrain until just below the Yellow Tower. The team is doing well. We plan to descend to Base Camp (4600m/15,100ft) tomorrow for a well-deserved rest before our summit push!

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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Climb to Camp I

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

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team climbed from base camp to Camp I today, marking the start of their first rotation on the mountain. The team is excited to be moving after waiting out the storm that came last week, now finally stepping foot on the mountain and moving closer toward their climbing objective. With more good weather in the forecast, the team plans to move up to Camp II tomorrow, further contributing to their acclimatization and familiarity with the route. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch via Garmin InReach from Camp I on Ama Dablam:

Hello from Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft) on Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft)! Today we started our acclimatization rotation by moving here from base camp (4600m/15,100ft). The weather was perfect and our team moved at a good pace. With 2+ feet of snow on the ground the route was in uncommon condition — often the route from base camp to Camp 1 is virtually snow-free — but with a good trail beaten in, the snow likely made today a bit less challenging than usual, particularly on the final scree field below camp 1, where it filled in gaps between boulders. We’ve eaten dinner and we’re now going to bed. Tomorrow we plan to tag Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft).

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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Digging Out

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives.

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team has been hard at work in base camp. From digging out from all the fresh snow, to continuing their acclimatization efforts, the team has been kept busy and motivated for the climbing to come. In just a short time, the team plans to start their first rotation up the mountain where they’ll be able to familiarize themselves with the route and keep up their acclimatization. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is November 2nd.

Starting the evening of the 28th, we received more than a meter of snow here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft), which was sent our way by Cyclone Arnab down in the Bay of Bengal. The last few days, however, have been clear and sunny! We spent the first two days after the storm digging out here in base camp and waiting for the mountain to settle.

Today we hiked part way up toward Camp I (5791m/19,000ft) to stretch our legs and gain some more acclimatization. And now we are assessing conditions on the mountain above us and preparing for our rotation. It’s possible we’ll start that tomorrow morning by moving up to Camp I, or maybe we’ll wait a bit longer.

The team’s doing well. It’s very beautiful here in base camp right now. Base camp looks very different than it usually does with a lot of fresh snow on the ground.

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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Readying to start the first rotation!

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

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team is eyeing the start of their first rotation. In the last few days, the team hunkered down while the mountain received large amounts of snow. Now it seems that storm has ended and we can start to prepare to for our first rotation once conditions on the mountain settle down. With that, the team is very excited to get the climbing underway! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalaya:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is Halloween.

For the last two days, we’ve been receiving precipitation from Cyclone Arnab, which materialized at the Bay of Bengal, and then swung up to the northwest and sent a lot of moisture into the Himalayas. So, all told, we probably got over a meter of snow here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft). And it now seems like that storm cycle has ended. The stars are out for the first time in 48 hours, and it’s a beautiful, crisp, clear night.

So we’re going to start thinking about heading up the mountain for our first rotation, although we’ll give the mountain some time to settle and become safe. So probably tomorrow will be another day in base camp for us and then perhaps the following day we’ll move to Camp I (5791m/19,000ft). But we’ll see, depends on conditions.

All is well here in base camp. 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:

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Looking Strong

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives.

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team headed out for an acclimatization hike today in the direction of Camp I. Strongly and smoothly up the trail they went before turning back and descending down towards base camp. It was another productive day on the mountain! Everyone is doing great and excited to get the climbing underway. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is October 29th.

Today was partly overcast here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft). So we went for an acclimatization hike up to about 5,000 meters on the trail toward Camp I (5791m/19,000ft). Then we returned to base camp for lunch and we spent the afternoon relaxing.

It started to snow this evening just before dinner. Not much accumulation yet, but more snow is supposed to fall overnight and should get some more centimeters tomorrow. So we’ll play it by ear! Tomorrow might be a rest day before we start our first rotation.

The team’s doing well. Everyone moved really well today and we’re having a good time here at Ama Dablam! 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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