Today we awoke to clear skies in the village of Namche ,enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the Panaroma Lodge and then went on an acclimatization hike up to Everest View Hotel. Mount Everest was hidden behind some clouds but Ama Dablam was visible and also part of Mount Lhotse. We enjoyed some lemon tea as we admired the view and then descended back to Panaroma Lodge in Namche. Everyone is doing well as we slowly make our way up the Khumbu valley towards Mount Everest !
Today we had breakfast at 7 AM in the sunrise lodge in the village of Phakding. Afterwards we made our way through the lush valley and across suspension bridges to the village of Namche, the capital of t he khumbu. We just finished a marvelous dinner at the Panorama lodge and are ready to fall fast asleep! Another great day in the khumbu as we trek closer to Mount Everest!
Today we flew early this morning from Kathmandu to Lukla, and then had a hearty breakfast in the Paradise lodge. We set off and enjoyed a casual day trekking up the Khumbu valley to the village of Phakding. It is wonderful to be enjoying the fresh mountain air and exercising after the long journey to Nepal from the USA. All members of our trekking and climbing team are doing well! The team heading up the trail!
Our Mount Everest climbing team and trekking team is in Kathmandu and scheduled to fly to Lukla tomorrow . They will begin to trek to base camp from there! Today everyone is sightseeing around Kathmandu and excited to get up to the fresh mountain air in the Khumbu valley! Please check out the tracking links above for location of the team as they make their way up to Everest base camp. Stay tuned for more dispatches…
Spring is here! Our Everest & Lhotse climbing team is packed and heading off to Nepal to climb Everest and Lhotse (4th highest). An exciting change for us this year is that our team is involved with the rope fixing from Camp 2 all the way to the summit of Mount Everest, as our local agency, Himalayan Guides Nepal PVT LTD has secured an exclusive contract with the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal for this project. Our expert team of sherpas will be leading the effort in finding the best route and placing the fixed ropes up the Lhotse Face, across the Yellow Band & Geneva Spur to the South Col high camp, up the Triangular Face to the Balcony (27,500′) and onward to the summit! We are excited to “lead the way” up the mountain and prepare the ropes so that our team and others can ascend safely on Mount Everest. We aim to complete this project earlier than in past seasons so that more time is available for teams to make a summit attempt during the good weather window in May. By controlling the rope fixing we can control our climbing schedule better than before.
Check back soon for more photos and video as the expedition prepares to launch!
Our Mount Vinson Expeditions concluded yesterday when our second team made it back to Punta Arenas, Chile, after a successful climb of the highest peak on the continent of Antarctica. We are thrilled to announce that Madison Mountaineering was the only company leading multiple Mount Vinson Expeditions with 100% climber success overall, this is unmatched by the other guide companies on the mountain this year. We credit this high level of achievement and safety to our commitment of thorough climber screening and preparation beforehand, our leadership on the mountain, and building cohesive teams of climbers that are very powerful. Our first team of Mount Vinson climbers comprised of Garrett, Peter, Richard, and Sharon reached the summit of Mount Vinson on January 7th, and our second team of Mount Vinson climbers comprised of Garrett, Keith, Annie, Mei, Jeff, Tamas, and Maria reached the summit of Mount Vinson on January 17th after first having skied to the South Pole!
Each of our Mount Vinson expeditions were very fortunate to reach the top of the mountain with fantastic weather, clear skies and only a little wind, very pleasant summit days indeed! We now will head home to our families and friends, and for some of us begin preparing for our next big expedition, Mount Everest beginning in early April! Please enjoy the photos below of our recent climbs in Antarctica! For climbers looking to climb Mount Vinson or other peaks in Antarctica for the upcoming season (December 2018), its important to start planning soon!
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The Madison Mountaineering Polar Explorer’s Mount Vinson expedition team have now arrived back to Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica. With foggy conditions at Vinson base camp it took a couple days to safely land the inbound plane and pick up our climbers. Plan is to enjoy the next couple days at Union Glacier Camp with very comfortable accommodations, hot showers, three hot meals a day and many fun outdoor activities. The Union Glacier Camp is the only private seasonally occupied camp site located in Ellsworth Land in Antarctica. The camp is located in the Heritage Range, below the Ellsworth Mountains, on Union Glacier. All is well and our team will check in once back in Punta Arenas, Chile!
Stay tuned as we gear up for the 2018 Everest and Lhotse expedition! We are excited to return to the Nepalese Himalayas in early June with a strong team of international climbers this season.
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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The Madison Mountaineering – Polar Explorers team arrived safely to Mount Vinson base camp after a successful summit yesterday. Everyone is happy that they made the summit with the upper mountain to themselves on a beautiful sunny day. Today the clouds have moved in and it has started to snow. Now back at base camp the team will wait for a flight back to Union Glacier. All is well and we will check in soon!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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The Madison Mountaineering Polar Explorer’s team reached the summit of Mount Vinson today! Climbers are now safely back at high camp after a wonderful summit day with hardly any wind and clouds beneath. Headed down to Vinson base camp tomorrow and will check in soon!
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Audio dispatch from Garrett Madison
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Our climbers enjoyed a rest day at high camp while preparing for their Mount Vinson summit push. Plan is to head off around 9am after breakfast, summit mid afternoon and be back by dinner time. Team is looking forward to begin their ascent and hope to all stand on the tallest point in Antarctica together. Fingers crossed for good weather! Everyone is doing well and we will check in soon.
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