All K2 expedition dispatches

Camp 3 – Summit Rotation

Madison Mountaineering clients and guides move from Camp 2 to Camp 3. Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Hello from Camp 3 on K2! Today the team ascended K2‘s famous Black Pyramid and is settled into their tents for the night, with plans to move up to Camp 4 tomorrow! Our rockstar Sherpa team has been helping in the rope fixing efforts with hopes to fix ropes to the summit tomorrow. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with today’s dispatch for the team in Camp 3:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition. Today is July 25th and our team is up at Camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) on the Abruzzi route of K2. It was a good day climbing from Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) to Camp 3 up the Black Pyramid. Had some cloudy conditions, but a little bit of sunshine later in the day!

The plan for the team tomorrow is to move up to Camp 4 (7681m/25,200ft) and the rope fixing team, which were proud to be apart of, has been fixing lines from 3 to 4 today. So hopefully climbers can move up to 4 and hopefully they will be able to continue fixing, conditions dependent, go on up through the shoulder, the bottleneck, the traverse and to the summit of K2 on the 27th! So the goal is a summit on the 27th if conditions permit and weather of course. The fixing team is working hard up there, breaking trail through deep snow to put in the ropes for everybody.

All is well here on K2! Fingers crossed that conditions are good for them up there. The weather looks good for the next couple of days. Our prayers are with the team and for good conditions on the mountain.

All is well here on K2! 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

Camp 2 – Summit Rotation

Drone photos of Camp 2 on K2’s Abruzzi Ridge, and surrounding mountains. Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The 2023 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team has crawled into their tents at Camp 2, with hopes of continuing on up the mountain tomorrow to Camp 3! The team is doing great so far on their summit rotation. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief update from Pakistan:

Our team is up in camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) now, hoping to reach camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) tomorrow! Fixing team reached camp 3 and fixed some lines to 400m above en route to camp 4 (7681m/25,200ft).

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

Summit Rotation Underway!

Morning light on Camp 1. Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our summit rotation is on and the team has settled into their tents at Camp 1! With good weather tomorrow, the team plans to continue their push up the Abruzzi Ridge. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Pakistan:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition. Today is July 23rd and our team is on the summit rotation and up at Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft) now and planning to move to Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) tomorrow. However, it’s been tough weather recently and the rope fixing team has been delayed in Camp 2 for a couple of days, waiting to move up to Camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) where they would be fixing Camp 4 (7681m/25,200ft) and beyond. So hoping that tomorrow’s a better day and good weather, good route conditions so the fixing team can move up, our team can move up, and all the other climbers on the mountain who are making their summit rotation at this point. So fingers crossed that!

All is well here at K2! We are here hoping for good weather and praying for some great route conditions up there for the team. This is Garrett Madison checking in from Base Camp (4968m/16,300ft) – all is well.

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

Acclimatization Rotation: Complete

Morning light on the summit of K2 from the Madison Mountaineering base camp. Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo: Terray Sylvester)

After five nights spent on K2 during their acclimatization rotation, the team has safely and successfully descended back down to base camp! We had a great rotation up on the mountain, familiarizing ourselves with the route and acclimatizing to the altitude that we’ll experience during the summit rotation. The team plans to spend the next few days resting and preparing to make their summit push! With good weather in the forecast, the team will look to head back up the mountain soon, only this time going for the summit. 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. Today is July 19th and our team is all in base camp (4968m/16,300ft) resting and doing well! Yesterday the team came down from Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft), descending all the way from Camp 2 to Base Camp after concluding a great rotation – five nights of acclimatizing up on the route between Advanced Base Camp (5303m/17,400ft), Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft), and Camp 2.

The weather has been really nice! Sunny skies, it’s warmed up quite a bit, and we are just getting ready to strategize for our final rotation – our summit push, which hopefully will come in a few days time. We’re watching the weather forecast and working with other teams, coming up with a good plan for fixing the final ropes from Camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) to Camp 4 (7681m/25,200ft), and onto the summit!

So everyone is doing well here in K2 Base Camp 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

Acclimatization Rotation – Camp 2

Drone photos of Camp 2 on K2’s Abruzzi Ridge. Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Good news from K2! The Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team’s acclimatization rotation has gone smoothly so far and will come to a conclusion tomorrow with the team descending back to base camp. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Pakistan:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition. Our team is up at Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) currently doing well on their acclimatization trip. (It’s) their first night up at Camp 2 and they reported good conditions climbing up from Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft) today. Our Sherpa team and Pakistani porter team is also up in Camp 2 and they are planning to carry the oxygen and supplies up to Camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) tomorrow.

So the first rotation is going well and it looks like some good weather ahead in the forecast for the next couple of days. So we’re looking forward to more good days climbing on K2!

This is Garrett calling in from base camp (4968m/16,300ft). All is well here on K2! 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

First Rotation Coming Up!

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

The 2023 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team is primed and ready to move up the mountain for their first rotation! They’ve completed technical trainings to sharpen their skills for what they’ll face in the climbing ahead, organized their gear, and all there’s left to do is start the climb. 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 team. Today is July 12th and we had another great day here training in base camp (4968m/16,300ft), reviewing all of the fixed line climbing techniques with the ascender and repelling down. We got organized for our first rotation – the plan is the team will head up to advanced based camp (5303m/17,400ft) tomorrow on the 13th, spend one night, and then head up to Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft) for a couple of nights and up to Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) for a couple of nights. Back down in base camp by the 18th.

So the weather forecast is looking very [garbled] the next few days. Our team is ready to go and gain some altitude on K2, and get some good acclimatization in! So, all is well here in base camp. 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:

/1 Comment/by

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