Acclimatizing in the Punggen Valley

Our climber, Myles, with sirdar Aang Phurba Sherpa on the way to Punggen Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team wasted no time this morning getting out to start their acclimatization efforts in preparation for the climb to come. After fueling up with some breakfast, we departed the tea house for a leisurely hike in the Punggen Valley and visit at an ancient monastery that calls the valley home. It was a great day kicking off the acclimatization efforts, with more of the same planned for tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 11th, 2026.

This morning we woke up early and went for an acclimatization hike up into the Punggen Valley, which is a side valley just below Sama village (3530m/11,581ft), where we’re staying until we move up to base camp. We left our lodge at about 7:45, 8 o’clock, and a few hours later, we were up above 4,000 meters in the Punggen Valley, which is a summer pasture, high altitude summer pasture for yaks. There’s also an ancient monastery there, which is really neat to visit. We came back down to Sama for lunch and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

We just wrapped up dinner. It’s beautiful night here: clear skies and mild temperatures. Tomorrow we’re looking forward to another acclimatization hike while we prepare to move up to base camp (4859m/15,944ft)! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Into the Punggen Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Into the Punggen Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Punggen Monastery at 4,100m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Punggen Monastery at 4,100m (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:

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At the foot of Manaslu

Departing from Kathmandu

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team boarded another flight this morning. This time, on a helicopter set to fly to Sama Village! While some clouds hung high overhead, passengers on the heli were able to enjoy excellent views of the valley, full of waterfalls, monasteries, and more. After dropping their bags and spending a little time resting, the team was able to go out for a short hike to stretch their legs and enjoy the fresh mountain air. And tomorrow, we’ll go out again with the goal of continuing the acclimatization process and getting ready to move up to base camp! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 10th.

This morning we woke up early. We left our hotel at about 5:45 AM. And by 8:30, we were in Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) here at the foot of Manaslu at 11,300 feet.

We headed over to the domestic terminal at the Kathmandu Airport (1400m/4,600ft) and caught a helicopter up here to Sama. It was a really nice flight! There was a high overcast, but, you know, below us was clear. So we had really nice views of the Budhi Gandaki River Valley, where there are lots of waterfalls and lush terraces, villages, and monasteries tucked among the cliffs.

We rested most of this afternoon. It was raining lightly, and then in the evening, it cleared up! So, we just went for a nice walk up and down the valley around Sama.

Tomorrow, we are planning our first acclimatization hike out of Sama Village as we prepare to move up to Manaslu Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft) in a few days!

Everything’s going really well here in Nepal. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Nonstop flight to the beautiful Nubri Valley

Nonstop flight to the beautiful Nubri 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.“

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Touring Kathmandu

Boudhanath Stupa (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team took to the city streets today for some sightseeing around Kathmandu! We visited both the Boudhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple before going back to the team hotel to make our final preparations for tomorrows move into the mountains. With good weather, we’ll load onto the helicopter and fly into the Mansiri Himal part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering 2026 Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 9th.

Today, we went for a tour in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). We visited two of the cities many UNESCO world heritage sites. We went to Pashupatinath Temple, the most prominent Hindu temple here in the Kathmandu Valley. And then we also visited the Boudhanath Stupa, which is sacred to the region’s Buddhists.

It was a beautiful morning here. We’ve had a little bit of rain each day since we arrived. But this morning was sunny and it was a nice time visiting both of those amazing temples. And then we spent the rest of the afternoon just doing our final packing and preparation for our early heli flights to Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) tomorrow.

We’re just heading to bed now after a nice dinner and looking forward to our helicopter flight into the mountains! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Touring around Kathmandu (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Touring around Kathmandu (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Myles, visiting Pahupatinath Temple with local tour guide, Rita (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Myles, visiting Pahupatinath Temple with local tour guide, Rita (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.“

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Manaslu team touches down in Kathmandu!

The team enjoying an evening in Kathmandu.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition kicking off from Kathmandu! The first member of our team arrived today. After settling in, we gathered together to conduct a gear check and orientation, before heading out in the city streets for a nice welcome dinner. The journey continues tomorrow with a tour of Kathmandu’s most sacred sites. Then, we’ll get ready to fly into the mountains and move one step closer to the climb ahead on the world’s eighth highest peak. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hi! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Mount Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 8th.

Today we had our orientation and gear check, and then went out for a welcome dinner with the first member of our team who’s arrived. The weather in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) is very pleasant today; warm and sunny in the morning, and then a little bit of rain in the afternoon. And then really pleasant temperatures this evening.

Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to our city tour, to two of Kathmandu Valley’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. And then our final night in Kathmandu before we fly to the mountains.

So it’s exciting to have this year’s Manaslu expedition underway, and I’m looking forward to the days to come! 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.“

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Peak Lenin expedition coming to a close

The team on the summit of Peak Lenin (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team is back in base camp after their successful summit rotation! After dropping their packs, the team was able to reintroduce themselves to some of the comforts offered in camp with showers, rest, and a warm, nutritious meal. The team will get a good nights rest tonight, before packing up and leaving Peak Lenin with fond memories of a great expedition behind them. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hi! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft) expedition. Today is July 20.

This morning, we woke up in Camp 1, Advanced Base Camp (4400m/14,435ft) at 4,400 meters. We had a good breakfast. We gave our duffel bags to the riders who manage the pack horses here, and then we descended back down to Base Camp. Atchiktosh Base Camp (3600m/11,800ft) at the foot of Peak Lenin is about 3,600 meters, so just under 12,000 feet. And after a couple of weeks up high, at high, extremely high altitude, it felt really good to descend back onto the lush step of the Alay Valley.

It was a really nice hike! We passed wildflowers and waterfalls, big, healthy marmots. It was another beautiful day here in the Pamir with blue skies and balmy temperatures. We arrived back in base camp in time for lunch. Then we spent the afternoon organizing our gear for our departure, taking showers, resting. We just wrapped up dinner, and we’re about to head to bed.

Tomorrow, the plan is to drive to Osh (963m/3,159ft). We’ll spend one night there, and then catch a flight to Bishkek (800m/2,600ft).

So unfortunately, this expedition is coming to a close. It’s been a real pleasure to spend so much time on these big, beautiful mountains in central Asia. Everything’s going really well here, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

First light on Lenin’s summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

First light on Lenin’s summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Fatima and Chris approaching 7,000 meters with the peaks of Tajikistan in the distance (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Fatima and Chris approaching 7,000 meters with the peaks of Tajikistan in the distance (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.“

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Back in Advanced Base Camp

Safely back to Camp 1! The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team dropped down to Advanced Base Camp today following their successful ascent on the day prior. With lots of hard work behind them, the team is excited for some well-earned rest. Surely, it’ll be a good nights sleep to power them forward for the descent back to base camp tomorrow. Great work, team! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hello from Camp 1 / Advance Base Camp (4400m/14,435ft)! We descended here from Camp 4 (6400m/21,000ft) today. The team did a great job on the way here. We’re looking forward to a well-earned rest at lower altitude tonight, and our return to base camp (3600m/11,800ft) tomorrow. 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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Peak Lenin Summits!

With much excitement, we are happy to share that the Madison Mountaineering expedition team successfully summited Peak Lenin on July 18 around 1:00 p.m. local time! The excellent weather and climbing conditions continued throughout the day from the moment they left their tents to the summit, and back down to Camp 4. The team called it a day there with plans to descend further down the mountain on July 19. A huge congratulations to the team for this amazing accomplishment! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Success on Peak Lenin!

This morning our team started climbing from Camp 4 (6,400m / 21,000′) in two waves: the first at 3:15 a.m., the second three hours later. Both teams arrived on the summit of Peak Lenin (7,134m / 23,405′) at about 1 p.m. We had a great climb. The stellar conditions on the mountain continued, with the route in good shape, light winds and clear skies. Now we’re all back in Camp 4, resting for our descent to Advance Base Camp tomorrow.

Also, a big congratulations to our climber, Fatima, who, at 19, became the youngest Arab to climb above 7,000m and the first Emirati to summit Peak Lenin!

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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In position to go for the summit

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

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team moved into Camp 4 today, now in position to make their bid for the summit! They climbed up from Camp 3 with perfect conditions, and enjoyed a restful afternoon after getting settled. With views of the Pamir Mountains stretching around them, they’ll crawl into their sleeping bags and get ready for an alpine start tomorrow. This time, they are leaving for the summit. Stay tuned! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in from high camp on Peak Lenin:

Hello from Camp 4 (6400m/21,000ft)! Today the fine weather continued as we climbed here from Camp 3 (6100m/20,013ft). We arrived at our tents here at 6,400m / 21,000′ at about 1pm and we’ve been resting since then. Currently there’s a light breeze here and hardly a cloud in the sky. We have excellent views of the other two 7000m peaks in the Pamir: Peak Communism (7495m/24,590ft) and Peak Ozodi (7105m/23,310ft). We’re planning an alpine start tomorrow morning in our bid to summit Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft)!

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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Peak Lenin Camp 3

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team is settled into Camp 3 after a perfect day on the mountain climbing up from Camp 2. The team had excellent views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Now tucked into their tents for the night, they’ll continue the climb tomorrow up to Camp 4. More to come from Peak Lenin! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 3:

Hello from Camp 3 (6100m/20,013ft) at just above 6,100m / 20,000′! We climbed here today from Camp 2 (5300m/17,388ft) under clear, sunny skies. It’s been a beautiful evening. Not a cloud in the sky, mild temps and zero wind.

As we ate dinner we were treated to panoramic views of the Alay Valley far below us, into China to the east, up the final slopes of Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft) above us, and to the southwest the endless, snowy serrations of the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan.

Tomorrow we plan to complete the relatively short move to Camp 4 (6400m/21,000ft) at 6,400m. 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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Summit rotation is underway!

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team’s summit rotation is underway! Kicked off in the early morning hours, the team enjoyed climbing under clear starry skies which later turned into sunshine as they moved into Camp 2. With more good weather in the forecast, they’ll move on up to Camp 3 and get into position to go for the summit. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hello from Camp 2 (5300m/17,388ft)! We climbed here from Advance Base Camp (4400m/14,435ft) today under clear sunny skies. Tomorrow we’re planning to move to Camp 3 (6100m/20,013ft) as we aim for a summit bid on Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft) within the next few days. Our climbers are doing well. 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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