All Cho Oyu expedition dispatches

First rotation done on Cho Oyu

Looking up towards the summit from Camp 1 on Cho Oyu

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team is back in their base camp after a successful rotation up the mountain to Camp 1 and beyond. Climbing to nearly 22,000 feet, the team had excellent weather, great views, and good times on the world’s sixth-highest peak! The team is in good health and high spirits, glad to be back at base camp enjoying some well-earned rest before the next phase of the expedition. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison check in with this dispatch from Cho Oyu:

Hello, this is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team.

Today is September 30th, and we’ve just come back down to base camp from our first rotation up in Camp 1 (6,400m/21,000 ft) for a couple of nights. We climbed up a little bit higher on the route to about 21,700 feet, had some good weather up there, some nice views, and now we’re back down in base camp.

We’re going to rest and get ready for the summit push here. It looks like there might be a big storm coming in on October 4th and 5th, so we might have to delay until after that big precipitation event, so we’ll keep watching the weather.

Meanwhile, everyone’s doing good. We’re happy to be back down in base camp and looking forward to some good rest here.

All is well on Cho Oyu! We’ll check in soon.

Looking out the tent door in Camp 1

Looking out the tent door in Camp 1

Alpenglow on Cho Oyu as seen from base camp

Alpenglow on Cho Oyu as seen from base camp

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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Enjoying life at over 18,000 feet

The team together after our Puja ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team has been enjoying themselves in advanced base camp! It’s been a busy few days as we prepare to move up the mountain on our first rotation. With the Puja ceremony and some technical skills training behind us, we’ll soon be shouldering our packs and stepping onto the route up to Camp 1! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from advanced base camp on Cho Oyu:

Hello, this is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team!

We have been enjoying a few great days in advanced base camp here at 18,700 feet, about 5,700 meters. Did our Puja ceremony yesterday, been doing more training and review practice here in camp with our technical equipment, and our plan is to move up tomorrow to Camp 1 (6,400m/21,000 ft) for a couple of nights for our first rotation to acclimatize and get a feel for the route. Our Sherpa team will be up there with us. Hopefully the good weather will continue, and we can enjoy some nice views up there and build some more acclimatization, and then we’ll be back in a few days time!

All’s well here on Cho Oyu in Tibet.

Scene from the Puja Ceremony.

Scene from the Puja Ceremony.

Our dining tent in advanced base camp.

Our dining tent in advanced base camp.

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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Up close views of Cho Oyu!

First up close view of Cho Oyu!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team moved on up to their advanced basecamp today under beautiful, blue skies and with excellent views of Cho Oyu along the way! Now moved into their tents, the team has a few more orders of business to take care of before starting their first rotation up the mountain. That said, the team is feeling excited and ready to get the climbing underway! We’re full of gratitude to be in this magnificent place with a wonderful team. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Cho Oyu:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team. Today is Thursday, September 25th and we have arrived at our advanced basecamp at about 18,600 feet on Cho Oyu!

It was a beautiful day hiking up from basecamp to advanced basecamp, or “ABC.” We’re looking forward to settling in and acclimatizing, continuing our training, doing our Puja ceremony before moving up on our first rotation to gain some acclimatization and elevation higher up on the mountain.

All is well here. The trip’s going wonderful, right on time, and we’re really happy to be here! All is well here on Cho Oyu in Tibet.

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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Chinese Basecamp

During todays acclimatization hike!

Thin air and excellent views in and above Chinese Basecamp! The Madison Mountaineering team got all settled in yesterday and are wasting no time as they continue their acclimatization efforts and get ready to move higher. The team plans to move up to Advanced Basecamp in the next few days, situated at the foot of the mountain where we’ll be in position to begin making rotations on the route before looking ahead to a summit push! The team is in high spirits and doing great. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Tibet:

Hello! It’s Tuesday, September 23rd. This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition.

We are in Chinese Basecamp! We arrived yesterday, settled into our basecamp here at about 15,400 feet, and today we did an acclimatization hike up to over 18,000 feet. It felt great and had nice views all around! The team is feeling strong and doing well! We’re really excited to be here – great weather…

We’ll be sending some loads up on yaks to basecamp tomorrow. Probably the following day, our team will head up there and settle into our advanced basecamp (5,650m/18,530 ft) for the season – a little bit higher at the base of the mountain.

All is well here in Tibet on Cho Oyu and we’ll check in soon!

The Madison Mountaineering climbing and Sherpa team in Chinese Basecamp.

The Madison Mountaineering climbing and Sherpa team in Chinese Basecamp.

Mountain Hardwear Trango Tents.

Mountain Hardwear Trango Tents.

Our Mountain Hardwear basecamp dining tent.

Our Mountain Hardwear basecamp dining tent.

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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Hello, from Tibet!

The view after crossing the border into Tibet! (Photo by Chris Thompson)

We’re excited to share that the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu team is in Tibet! The team received their visas last week after a wonderful few days of trekking in the Langtang region. That said, they were all psyched and ready for the next part of the journey into Tibet, and onwards to Cho Oyu. After an adventurous border crossing by road, the team settled in for their first nights stay in Tingri. Here, they’ll take a rest day and get prepared for the move into their base camp! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this exciting dispatch from Tibet:

Greetings! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team.

We are in Tingri (4348m/14,268ft)! We crossed the boarder from Nepal into Tibet today. It was a very exciting crossing by road with lots of landslides we had to walk around on the way, but we made it in!

We’re very happy to be up on the Tibetan Plateau here in Tibet, China and moved into our hotel here in Tingri. We had a nice dinner and are going to take a rest day tomorrow, do some hiking as we get prepared to move up to base camp (4,800m/15,750ft) here in a few days time.

Everyone’s doing well and we’re really excited to be here and have the expedition underway! We’ll check in soon.

Here we go! Across the Nepal - Tibet border (Photo by Chris Thompson)

Here we go! Across the Nepal – Tibet border (Photo by Chris Thompson)

The team waiting at the border crossing (photo by Chris Thompson)

The team waiting at the border crossing (photo by Chris Thompson)

The team fueling up with Tibetan cuisine! (Photo by Chris Thompson)

The team fueling up with Tibetan cuisine! (Photo by Chris Thompson)

Navigating a landslide on the way to Tingri (photo by Chris Thompson)

Navigating a landslide on the way to Tingri (photo by Chris Thompson)

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 to Kathmandu tomorrow!

After a week of trekking in the Langtang Valley, the team is excited to head back to Kathmandu!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team has finished their time trekking and is headed back to Kathmandu shortly to receive their Chinese visas! With those in hand, we’ll officially be off and on our way to Cho Oyu, the worlds sixth-highest peak. It’s been time well spent in this beautiful region of Nepal acclimatizing, taking in fresh air and mountain views, and getting to know the team! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team.

Today is Tuesday, September 16th and we just finished our Langtang trek! We spent a week up in the Langtang Valley trekking up around the Langtang village (3430m/11,253ft) and some of the higher peaks. Beautiful trek up there, very lush, green, very wet – the monsoon is still lingering at this time of the year.

We just returned down. We’re going to drive back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) tomorrow and hopefully our Chinese visas will be issued the following day, and we can drive into Tibet!

So, everyone’s doing well. We had a very fun time up there trekking, good exercise, good acclimatization, some good views, and just a nice all around experience. So, all is well here in the Langtang Valley of Nepal and we’ll check in soon!

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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Another beautiful day of trekking!

The team together atop Tserko Ri!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team ascended off of the valley floor and up one of the many peaks in the area, climbing to above 5,000-meters! The team’s made great progress so far on acclimatizing to thinner air up high, and is excited to get to the mountain soon where the real climbing begins. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! Today is Saturday, September 13th and the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team is trekking in the Langtang Valley.

Today, we climbed one of the smaller peaks here, about 5,000-meters or 16,000 feet. Beautiful day out! Everything is good here, very lush, green scenery. There’s not many other trekkers or climbers around, so we’ve got it all to ourselves!

The team’s doing well and we look forward to hearing some news tomorrow on our Chinese visas to enter Tibet!

All is well here. We’ll check in soon!

High above the valley floor.

High above the valley floor.

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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Trekking in the Langtang Valley!

The team together in the Langtang Valley!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team is staying busy while we await our Tibet visas! In the beautiful Langtang Valley, the team is taking advantage of higher elevations and the processing time needed at the Chinese Embassy to build some acclimatization, camaraderie amongst the team, and take in the views! Our thoughts are with those impacted by the civil unrest in Nepal this week. We look forward to the time when we will head back to Kathmandu, collect our Tibet visas, and start the journey to Cho Oyu! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Langtang village:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) team.

Tonight, we are in the Langtang Valley staying in Langtang village (3430m/11,253ft). We got out of Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) a couple of days ago during the civil unrest and drove up here to be in the mountains, to trek and gain some acclimatization, get some good mountain views and fresh air! It’s been great being up here, not many trekkers, beautiful scenery, very lush, green. We’re hoping to spend a few days more up here trekking higher, hopefully getting some great views and acclimatization, all building for our Cho Oyu program.

We’re going to head back to Kathmandu when things calm down, hopefully obtain our Tibet visas, and be able to head into China in maybe a weeks time!

So, all is well here. Everyone’s doing very well. We’re just fortunate that all of our team, our Nepali friends, our colleagues, everyone’s doing okay and got through the difficult time earlier this week with the protests and riots.

So, everyone’s doing okay here in Nepal. We’ll check in soon!

Crossing a suspension bridge during the trek!

Crossing a suspension bridge during the trek!

Denisa and Aang Phurba Sherpa!

Denisa and Aang Phurba Sherpa!

Clouds filling the valley during todays trek

Clouds filling the valley during todays trek

The valley is green and lush, with a constant roar of the rushing river.

The valley is green and lush, with a constant roar of the rushing river.

On the trail!

On the trail!

The team together outside one of the guesthouses that fill the valley.

The team together outside one of the guesthouses that fill the 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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Cho Oyu expedition is underway!

Cho Oyu

Here we go! The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team has gathered together in Kathmandu. While we wait for our visas, the team is headed out of the big city and into the Langtang Valley for some trekking and acclimatization. Energy is high amongst the team and we’re psyched to get the expedition underway! In just a few days time we’ll be on the road to Cho Oyu. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from the Langtang Valley:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition, 2025.

We have all arrived in Nepal. Today, we drove out of the city of Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) to the Langtang Valley! We’re going to spend about a week trekking in the Langtang Valley up to some higher peaks, acclimatizing, getting some exercise, and hopefully enjoying some fresh mountain air, and nice views.

Everyone’s doing well here. It’s been a great start to the trip, although we’re very sorry for the protests in Kathmandu which turned violent yesterday and thinking of the people who lost their lives.

But, happy to be here in Nepal and on our way to Langtang. After which, hopefully we’ll have our Chinese visas and we can drive into Tibet to start the Cho Oyu expedition!

All is well here and we’ll check in soon.

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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Cho Oyu Summit Success!

Summit photo on the top of Cho Oyu!

After several years off the mountain, it comes with great pleasure to share that 100% of our 2024 Cho Oyu expedition team has successfully reached the summit of the world’s sixth-highest peak! We are so proud of the team for their hard work and determination after a challenging season weather-wise. A HUGE shoutout and thank you goes out to our Sherpa team – these feats would not be possible without you. We’ve returned safely to base camp and will begin our departure home soon! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Cho Oyu base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft) expedition team!

We are back down in base camp today and yesterday, October 7th, we summited Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world. All team members made it – 100% success! (I) couldn’t be more proud of our team. Everyone did awesome! We were so lucky with the weather. We had a beautiful, bluebird day, views in all directions (with) great views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), Makalu (8485m/27,838ft), Shishapangma (8027m/26,335ft). Just so happy that this climb worked out! It was a little tenuous there last week with the big storm, all the snow, and the season being delayed about a week here in Tibet. But, all is well!

We’re packing up base camp today. We’re going to start trekking out tomorrow, Jeeps down to Tingri (4348m/14,268ft), and onwards to Lhasa (3,656m/11,995ft). There’s no land border crossings back into Nepal open at this point after the massive flooding, they’re all washed out. So, we are going to be flying back from Lhasa! So, very excited about that.

It’s a beautiful day here in base camp! We’re doing well, and happy, and looking forward to getting home soon.

High Camp with otherworldly views of the surrounding Himalayas!

High Camp with otherworldly views of the surrounding Himalayas!

Views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from high on the mountain!

Views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from high on the mountain!

Evening light high in the alpine.

Morning light high in the alpine.

The team on our summit rotation under blue skies!

The team on our summit rotation under blue skies!

Climbing up on the summit rotation!

Climbing up on the summit rotation!

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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