2023 K2 expedition dispatches

Puja Ceremony in K2 Base Camp

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

Good news from K2 base camp! The team was able to hold their Puja Ceremony today under beautiful, clear-blue skies where they ask the mountain for safe passage for all of those climbing to it’s upper reaches. Shortly after, the team did some ice climbing in the neighboring Godwin-Austen Glacier. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch as the team prepares for their first rotation in the coming days:

We had our puja in base camp (4968m/16,300ft) today, it was sunny and warm for the ceremony. Then we did some training after lunch on the ice. The weather is improving!

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

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

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

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

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

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive. (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:

/0 Comments/by

Waiting for a weather window

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

Despite some snow and wind in base camp, the team is making the most of their time with indoor trainings, eating nutritious meals to stay strong and healthy, and enjoying movies at the end of their days. With good weather ahead, the team will hold a Puja Ceremony and look to start their first acclimatization rotation soon. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition team. Today is July 8th and we just finished up another good day here in K2 base camp (4968m/16,300ft). The team’s doing great, but it’s been snowing a lot and very windy here in base camp. So, we have just been laying low, doing some indoor training and enjoying some warm meals and afternoon-evening movies. So we’re waiting for some good weather.

Tomorrow we are planning to do a Puja here in base camp and hopefully in a few days time we’ll get some nice weather to head up on the route. But, all is good here at the moment! Fingers crossed for good weather ahead.

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:

/0 Comments/by

Update from K2 Base Camp!

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

The 2023 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team is doing great in K2 base camp! Preparations have begun for their inaugural acclimatization rotation, with organizing gear and technical skills review in the surrounding areas. With good weather in the forecast, the team will set off in a few days time higher up the mountain to familiarize themselves with the route and acclimate to the altitude they’ll experience while climbing K2. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition team. Today’s July 6th and we had a great day in base camp (4968m/16,300ft)! We have been resting here for a few days since arriving on July 3rd. It’s been snowy, foggy weather, a little windy up high. So, we are just resting in base camp, organizing our gear and doing a little training. (We’re) getting ready for our first rotation in a few days time once the weather improves!

We’re doing great here! Unfortunately the Starlink is not working. Apparently [garbled] disabled their service to Pakistan recently. So we have no internet access at the moment, just our satellite phones and Garmin inReach for text messaging. The cell tower recently installed 2 years ago in Concordia (4570m/14,993ft) is not functioning, so we’re not able to use that for data off of our smartphones. So, just satellite phones here at the moment – a bit of a digital detox! (It’s) good for some of us to step away from the connectivity we’re used to on a regular basis. But we’re enjoying each others company, having some good meals here and staying healthy. We’re having fun!

So, all is well here in K2 base camp. We’re about to start a film and will be off to bed after that!

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:

/0 Comments/by

K2 Base Camp

The view of K2 from base camp. (Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive)

After days of travel and spending the last week trekking towards K2 base camp, the team has finally arrived and looks forward to a few days of rest ahead! While the views trekking through the Karakoram are spectacular in every direction one looks, the team is excited to be settled into camp and for the climbing to come. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this update from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition. Today is July 3rd and we have reached K2 base camp (4968m/16,300ft)!

[Garbled] Concordia (4570m/14,993ft) had an amazing view of K2, Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft). (We) arrived in base camp this afternoon, had lunch and just putting the finishing touches on our base camp here in the next couple of days. (We’re) looking forward to settling in and taking a couple of rest days! Everyone’s doing great 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:

/0 Comments/by

Off-roading to Askole!

Crossing a creek swollen with snowmelt en route to Askole. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The drive towards the trailhead which leads teams towards K2 base camp is only the start of the adventure! Our team has arrived in Askole where they’ll begin their trek tomorrow. But not after an exciting drive with multiple stream crossings, unloading from their Jeeps on one bank only to load back up on the other side. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch after another adventurous day in Pakistan:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition.

Today we drove from Skardu (2220m/7283ft) to Askole (3040m/9,974ft). It was an adventurous and fun Jeep ride, had a couple of stream crossings where we had to get out and walk around, and let our drivers make it through to the other side before we got back in. (We) got to Askole here in the afternoon, had lunch, and have just been enjoying the camp, organizing equipment. We just finished our dinner, everyone’s doing well! We’re excited to start trekking tomorrow. It’s about a 20 kilometer day trekking to Johla Camp (3151m/10,338ft).

(We’re) excited to finally be underway here on the expedition and looking forward to the days ahead!

Luggage before being loaded on the Jeeps en route to Askole.

Luggage before being loaded on the Jeeps en route to Askole.

The team before departing from Skardu!

The team before departing from Skardu!

Along the Braldu River on the way to Askole! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Along the Braldu River on the way to Askole! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Siddhi, Garrett and Ryan posing for a portrait en route to Askole. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Siddhi, Garrett and Ryan posing for a portrait en route to Askole. (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:

/0 Comments/by

K2 Expedition Underway!

The Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team after arriving in Skardu!

The 2023 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition is underway in Pakistan! Over the course of the last few days, our climbers, guides and Sherpa team arrived in Islamabad and are eager to keep the expedition moving. After a short stay at the team hotel and celebrating one climbers birthday, the team once again packed their bags and boarded another plane en route to Skardu. Tomorrow, the team will enjoy a rest day and do some sight seeing before continuing their expedition the following day to the trailhead where they’ll embark on this incredible journey towards K2. Expedition guide, Terray Sylvester checks in with todays dispatch from Pakistan:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2023 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition – today is June 25th.

Over the last couple of days, our team arrived in Islamabad, and this morning we flew from Islamabad to Skardu (2220m/7283ft) up in Gilgit-Baltistan in the Karakoram mountains. It was a beautiful morning for the flight! We had great views of Nanga Parbat (8126m/26,660ft), and then off of the left side of the plane as we approached Skardu, excellent views of K2 (8611m/28,251ft), the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft) and other peaks in that zone.

We touched down, and then headed to our hotel, and spent the evening organizing and relaxing at the hotel. It’s pretty hot here, but we had a beautiful evening – beautiful sunset out over the Skardu valley – and then we enjoyed a nice dinner here at our hotel!

Tomorrow, we’ll take a rest day here in Skardu and then the next day we plan to drive to our trailhead at Askole (3040m/9,974ft) up in the mountains. So everything is going really well here in Pakistan and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

The team preparing to board our flight from Islamabad to Skardu. Photo: Terray Sylvester

The team preparing to board our flight from Islamabad to Skardu. Photo: Terray Sylvester

The Madison Mountaineering K2 sherpa team, with two of our Pakistani staff. Photo: Terray Sylvester

The Madison Mountaineering K2 sherpa team, with two of our Pakistani staff. Photo: Terray Sylvester

A birthday celebration this evening for our climber, Yuri!

A birthday celebration this evening for our climber, Yuri!

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:

/1 Comment/by