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.“

– Instagram:

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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.“

– Instagram:

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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.“

– Instagram:

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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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Setting off on the summit push!

Birthday party for our climber, Fatima!

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team is set to start the summit push in a few hours time! They’ll get an alpine start out of Camp 1, and return back in a few days after making their go at the summit. Feeling rested and recovered after a few days at lower altitudes, the team is psyched and ready to go! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft) expedition. Today is July 14.

We have spent the last two nights in Camp 1, Advanced Base Camp (4400m/14,435ft) at the foot of Peak Lenin. Tomorrow morning, we are planning to wake up early. We’ll have breakfast at 2:30 AM and then start our summit push. If all goes as planned, in a few days we’ll be standing on the summit of the second highest peak in both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at 7,134 meters.

Before we go to bed tonight, we’re also going to celebrate a very special event: the birthday of one of our climbers, Fatima!

So all is well here and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Birthday party for our climber, Fatima!

Birthday party for our climber, Fatima!

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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Acclimatization Rotation Done

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

The Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin expedition team wrapped up their acclimatization rotation yesterday after spending three nights in Camp 2. In that time, the team climbed to over 6,000 meters on two separate occasions, building the acclimatization needed to go for the summit which stands at 7134m / 23,406ft. The team enjoyed good weather and climbing conditions throughout, and is excited to be back in Camp 1 where they can rest, recover, and get ready for their summit push! More to come from the Pamirs. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Peak Lenin:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Peak Lenin (7134m/23,406ft) expedition. Today is July 12th.

Today, we wrapped up our acclimatization rotation. We descended back to Advanced Base Camp at Camp 1 (4400m/14,435ft). For the rotation, we spent three nights at Camp 2 (5300m/17,388ft) at about 5,400 meters. And twice we climbed to 6,000 meters and above. Yesterday, the team summited Razdelnaya Peak (6148m/20,170ft), which has an altitude of 6,150 meters. That name, Razdelnaya, means divided. The Tajik, Kyrg’s border runs over the top of it. And actually, that’s true of Peak Lenin as well, which is right on the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Overall, we had really nice weather for our rotation. Sunny skies and beautiful views for the first two days. Yesterday, a bit of snow was in the forecast, but it held off until the afternoon. And actually, the climbing conditions were really good yesterday. As we made our way up towards 6,100 meters, there was light overcast, which kept temperatures down, and made climbing really fun. No wind at all!

Today we descended back down to Camp 1. We’ll be here for at least two nights while we rest and prepare and watch the weather forecast for our summit push.

So, all is well here in Kyrgyzstan and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Climbing to Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing to Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Upper Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Upper Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Looking down towards Camp 2 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Looking down towards Camp 2 (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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