All Makalu expedition dispatches

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We made it to Everest Base Camp!

Hello, from Everest Base Camp! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams have arrived in Everest Base Camp! It’s here that our trekkers will begin their descent back down the Khumbu Valley, while our climbers fix their sights on 8,000-meter summits high above them. After settling into our temporary homes, some of the team climbed up Kala Patthar – a trekkers peak that sits above Everest Base Camp that offers excellent views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and more. It’s good to be here and we’re excited for the journey ahead! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Everest Base Camp:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering team.

We arrived in Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) today! Another glorious day here in the Khumbu Valley – no clouds, blue skies, magnificent views of all the peaks. Some of our team hiked up Kala Patthar (5644m/18,519ft) and had extraordinary views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), and up at Everest Base Camp. The rest of us are, we’re all moved into base camp today, getting comfortable, settling into our home here for the next five – six weeks. (We’re) looking forward to a nice rest day tomorrow!

All is well here at Everest Base Camp. We’ll check in soon!

Some of our team atop Kala Patthar!

Some of our team atop Kala Patthar!

Looking up at Pumori

Looking up at Pumori

Some of our team posing in front of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse!

Some of our team posing in front of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse!

Crystal-clear views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Everest Base Camp.

Crystal-clear views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Everest 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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Acclimatizing amongst the clouds

The team at about 5,000m on Nangkartshang above Pheriche Village today (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams had a great day building their acclimatization above the village of Pheriche! After a good nights rest after the trek from Deboche to Pheriche, the team fueled up with a good breakfast and took to the trail that climbs high above the villages below. Climbing through some clouds, we ascended higher and higher up Nangkartshang Peak (5083m/16,676ft) with views of Ama Dablam and other surrounding Himalayan giants. After coming together again at the high point for the day, we took in the views, hydrated, snacked, and enjoyed each others company before descending back down to the tea house below. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Pheriche:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) team.

Today’s April 19 and we hiked up from the village of Pheriche (4371m/14,340ft) on Nangkartshang Peak (5083m/16,676ft) today. We had a gear acclimatization hike and got up to about 16,700 feet or so. Everyone did awesome and we had some nice views up there! We’re back down at the lodge here in Pheriche ready for dinner.

So, wonderful day and we’re going to head up to Lobuche village (4940m/16,210ft) tomorrow.

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

Guide Cacho Beiza with his wife, Andrea Berlanga, and excellent views of Ama Dablam (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Guide Cacho Beiza with his wife, Andrea Berlanga, and excellent views of Ama Dablam (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Garrett Madison with climbers Mike and Caroline in front of Thamserku peak (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Garrett Madison with climbers, Mike and Caroline in front of Thamserku peak (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Guide, Conan Bliss with climber, Aga (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Guide, Conan Bliss with climber, Aga (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 on the move!

The team departing Namche Bazaar after receiving a blessing from our friends at the Panorama Lodge.

The Madison Mountaineering expedition teams took to the trail again today under blue skies, saying ‘see you later’ to Namche Bazaar after a pleasant stay in the busy mountain village. Todays trek offered spectacular mountain views of Ama Dablam, Mount Everest, and more before we made a short stop at the Tengboche Monastery and neighboring bakery. After filling their bellies with pastries, treats, coffee, and tea, we made our final descent down to our next stop at the beautiful, Rivendell Lodge. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison check in with this dispatch from Deboche:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft)-Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) climbing teams, Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) team, and the Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) trekking team – today is April 17!

Today we left Namche (3440m/11,290ft) and trekked up to the Tengboche Monastery (3867m/12,687ft) and then down to the rhododendron forest and the town of Deboche (3820m/12,532ft), here in the Rivendell Lodge. We had a great day! It was a beautiful morning, lots of mountain  views. We stopped into the Tengboche Monastery and got to witness the afternoon prayer which is really special, and then had some apple pie and coffee, and then came down to our lodge here for a nice, restful evening and a great dinner!

Very special morning leaving Namche! We were blessed by our family friends at the Panorama Lodge, Mingma and his mother, Lhakpa Doma. Very wonderful ceremony and looking forward to heading up the Khumbu further tomorrow!

All is well and we’ll check in soon!

Lunch in Phungithanka!

Lunch in Phungithanka!

Visiting Tengboche Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting Tengboche Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our trekker, Jeff, sending positive vibes into the ether at Tengboche Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our trekker, Jeff, sending positive vibes into the ether at Tengboche Monastery (photo by Terray

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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Made it to Namche Bazaar!

Climbers, Blake and Aga, crossing the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge below Namche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Today, the Madison Mountaineering spring expedition teams trekked along the Dudh Koshi River, across the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge, and up to Namche Bazaar where they’ll spend two nights acclimatizing before continuing their journey. Namche is the main hub in the Khumbu Region, offering those passing through many cafe’s to visit, shops to check out, art galleries, and more! The team is in high spirits and happy to be making their way further up the Khumbu Valley. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Namche Bazaar:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Mount Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Makalu (8463m/27,766ft), and base camp trekking (5364m/17,598ft) teams.

Today is April 15th and we trekked up to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft). Everyone’s doing great! We had a nice, cool day, some good views of the mountains. We got into Namche around mid-day, relaxed, went down into town, visited some of the shops in Namche, and had a great dinner with our friends at the Panorama Lodge! We’re looking forward to a good nights rest.

Tomorrow, we’re planning to hike up to the Everest View! Hopefully, get a nice view of Mount Everest if it’s clear. So, all good here in the Khumbu! We’re happy to be here. Check in soon!

Guides, Conan and Garrett, with Everest Base Camp trekker, Amy and Base Camp Manager Bhola on the way to Namche Bazaar (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Guides, Conan and Garrett with Everest Base Camp trekker, Amy and Base Camp Manager, Bhola on the way to Namche Bazaar (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Spring colors in the Khumbu (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Spring colors in the Khumbu (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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2025 Makalu expedition is here!

All of the spring Nepal climbing and trekking teams at the Pasang Lhamu Gate in Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Madison Mountaineering is excited for this highly anticipated expedition – Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak! Over the course of the last few days, our team gathered in Kathmandu before boarding their next flight. This time, they were flying into the mountains to begin the expedition! Our Makalu climbers will trek alongside our Everest and Lhotse climbers to Everest Base Camp, before flying over to Makalu where they’ll begin their climb. It’s been a great start to the expedition so far, spirits are high, and we’re excited to continue higher into the alpine! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Phakding:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition this spring – today is April 14.

Yesterday, all of the team came together in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). We had a nice welcome dinner and then headed to bed early. We woke up this morning for our heli flight up to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). The weather was great for the flight! It was a little hazy in Kathmandu in the days leading up to our arrival, but then some rain started which cleared out the sky. So, we had a spectacular flight into Lukla, had a nice breakfast there, and then walked to Phakding (2610m/8,562ft). We’re getting settled into our rooms now, looking forward to a nice meal, and looking forward to our move to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) tomorrow!

Our plan is to acclimatize here in the Khumbu Valley all the way up to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft), and then we’ll fly over to Makalu Base Camp to begin our ascent of the fifth-highest mountain. We’ll be in touch!

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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Makalu: dangerous conditions end expedition

Makalu

We have just returned to base camp after pushing as high as possible on Makalu.

Above our Camp 2 at 22,500′ we found deep snow left by the recent storm that caused the avalanches and fatalities on nearby peaks in the Annapurna region. We felt it unreasonable to press on in such difficult / dangerous conditions, so have called off our climb. Currently we are packing up our base camp and preparing to head out in a few days.

We have had a great time attempting the world’s 5th highest mountain, and have made some great friends along the way.

Thanks for following!

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Makalu Summit Push!

Here we go! The summit push is on! We spoke with Garrett a little while ago from Makalu base camp. According the tracking map, the team has just left base camp and is heading up to Camp 1 (6150m / 20,177ft.). Weather and conditions pending, the rough target for summit day is currently October 24th. Follow along with the team by visiting this dispatch page and monitor the real-time RainOn tracking.

More details as we get them.

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Waiting on the Weather

Greetings from Makalu base camp!

The forecasted storm came and deposited about 30 centimeters of new snow in our base camp.

Currently the winds are still very high, we hope they will drop in a few days. We are waiting patiently here in base camp, enjoying the clear blue sky and sunshine during the day, and if the weather cooperates soon we will make our summit push.

Everything is good here, as we have plenty of nice food, books, movies and some very friendly Slovenian climbers to share the time with.

We will check in again soon,
Garrett Madison

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Makalu 2nd Rotation

Makalu

After a few nights up high on Makalu at elevations of approximately 21,000′ we are now back in base camp relaxing and enjoying the comforts of our camp. We accomplished our goal of stocking camps with gear and food, as well as acclimatizing to the higher altitudes.

We experienced perfect weather thus far, but we hear from our forecasting service that the weather is about to change. Apparently a storm is brewing in the bay of Bengal, and is moving north towards us, reaching our area on October 14th. We could have up to 12 inches of snow per day during this time. We are crossing our fingers and hoping a strong wind will appear and blow this low pressure system off track before it reaches us. The benefit of this storm is that it may push the jet stream (high winds), currently over the summit preventing a summit bid, north away from the mountain so that we have calm conditions for an extended period.

Our plan will be to rest a few days in base camp and see what happens…

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Makalu ABC, Camp 1, Camp 2…

Makalu Camp 2

After moving base camp 5.5 miles and 3,100 vertical feet up the Barun glacier and then climbing up to Camp 1 at 20,100 ft. on the Makalu standard North West route, today the team established Camp 2 at 21,210 ft. Garrett called in the following dispatch via satellite phone.

Transcript:
Hi, this is Garrett Madison calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition. Today is Tuesday October 7th. It’s 6:30pm and we are tucked in up at our Camp 2 on Makalu. Beautiful day climbing up from Camp 1 to Camp 2! We had clear skies. We could see for miles and miles in every direction and we are the only ones up here right now. Here’s a few down at Camp 1. But great to be up here on the mountain having a fantastic time. We are going to climb up towards Camp 3 tomorrow, probably come back down to this camp and then head down the following day. Everything’s going great and we’ll check in soon.

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