Visit at the Tengboche Monastery!

The team making their way from Namche Bazaar to Deboche! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams continued up the valley today with stops along the way at the Tengboche Monastery and the neighboring bakery. Now settled into the lodge for the night, we’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep and another good day tomorrow! One of our team members is now on their way toward Gokyo Ri, but will soon be reunited with our team in just a few days on Lobuche and Island Peak! The views have been excellent and our team is in good spirits as we move further into the mountains! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2024 Madison Mountaineering autumn programs here in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal.

Today we walked from Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) to the village of Deboche (3820m/12,532ft). It was another beautiful day here in Nepal! Along the way, our guest who is heading to Gokyo Ri (5340m/17,519ft) and then looping back to climb Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft), he split off. He’ll head up into the Gokyo Valley to Dole (4038m/13,248ft) today. The rest of us, our Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) team and our EBC (5364m/17,598ft) trekkers, plus Island Peak and Lobuche East climbers, we all continued past Tengboche Monastery here to Deboche. At Tengboche (3867m/12,687ft), we had a nice visit in the monastery and received a blessing from the Lama there and then we relaxed and had some nice drinks, coffee drinks, hot drinks, and pastries at the bakery adjacent to the monastery. Now we’re settling into our lodge and looking forward to dinner in a few hours.

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

En route to Deboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

En route to Deboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our Everest Base Camp trekker Miga with Madison Mountaineering Office Manager Mike Sanders, Nima Sangye Sherpa, and Ama Dablam climber Joe! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our Everest Base Camp trekker Miga with Madison Mountaineering Office Manager Mike Sanders, Nima Sangye Sherpa, and Ama Dablam climber Joe! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting Tengboche Monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting Tengboche Monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam climber Kat completing a “kora” — or circumambulation — of Tengboche Monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam climber Kat completing a “kora” — or circumambulation — of Tengboche Monastery. (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

Active rest in the heart of the Khumbu!

The team hiking above Namche Bazaar in excellent weather! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams spent today exploring the beautiful Namche Bazaar! A major hub in the Khumbu Valley, Namche has much to offer including cafes, bars, shopping, and more. After fueling up at breakfast, we ventured out under a beautiful blue sky and started walking through the village on our way to the Everest View Hotel. Together, the team topped out on the ridge and were greeted with crystal clear, unobstructed views of Himalayan peaks in any direction you looked! The team is in high spirits and we look forward to moving deeper into the Khumbu Valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering fall programs here in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal – today is October 24th. This morning we woke up to beautiful, clear, sunny skies here in Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) and we went for an acclimatization hike up to the Everest View Hotel. Along the way, we had excellent views of all the major peaks that you can ever see from the Everest View Hotel: Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), Taboche (6495m/21,309ft), and one of our objectives for this trip, Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft)! Then we descended back down into town and spent the afternoon relaxing in Namche Bazaar, right in the hub of the, the heart of the Khumbu Valley. Our guests have been enjoying sports massages offered by Lehara, the charity that operates here in Namche Bazaar. And, we’ve had some great meals at Sherpa Barista and other restaurants around town! We’re just about to settle into dinner and then we’ll head to bed.

Tomorrow, our plan is to continue moving up the valley. Our EBC (5364m/17,598ft) trekkers and Ama Dablam climbers will continue past Tengboche Monastery (3867m/12,687ft) to Deboche (3820m/12,532ft) and our guest who is heading to Gokyo Ri (5340m/17,519ft) and then on to Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) will take a left, head up past Phortse (3840m, 12,598ft) to the town of Dole (4038m/13,248ft).

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

Views of Ama Dablam. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Views of Ama Dablam. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse rising in the distance behind the Everest View Hotel. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse rising in the distance behind the Everest View Hotel. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Good times in the sun on our active rest day! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Good times in the sun on our active rest day! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sirdar and guide Aang Phurba Sherpa relaxing with our guests Kat, Joe and Thierry at the Everest View Hotel! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sirdar and guide Aang Phurba Sherpa relaxing with our guests Kat, Joe and Thierry at the Everest View Hotel! (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

Phakding to Namche

Our climbers Thierry, Rob and Joe crossing the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams continued on today, trekking up to Namche Bazaar and crossing the famous Hillary Bridge along the way. Blue skies and pleasant temperatures fueled the team as we walked, step by step up the trail taking in excellent views of the mountains above and river below. With a day of active rest to come, we’re excited to enjoy the comforts of Namche before venturing further into the Himalayas. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the autumn Madison Mountaineering programs here in the Everest region of Nepal – today is October 23rd. Today we walked from Phakding (2610m/8,562ft) up to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft). Some of the highlights of today’s trek included entering Sagarmatha National Park and crossing the famous Hillary suspension bridge on our way up the hill to Namche. It was another beautiful day here in the Khumbu Valley! We had excellent views of Kusum Kanguru (6367m/20,889ft) – a really nice, snowy, craggy peak high above the Dudh Koshi River. And now from Namche Bazaar, we’re looking over at Kongde Ri (6187m/20,299ft) which is another very majestic peak here in this part of the valley.

We’ve settled into our lodge and our guests are relaxing at Sherpa Barista Cafe, which is a great restaurant here in Namche, and we’re looking forward to a great dinner later tonight! Also, many of our guests have signed up for sports massages with a local charity called Lehara, which provides economic opportunities to local women here in the valley. So, those massages are a nice benefit of being in Namche!

Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to an active rest day! We’ll hike up to the Everest View Hotel where if the weather is as clear as it was today, we’ll have excellent views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), and Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), and Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft), and other peaks in the upper Khumbu Valley.

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

The team enjoying lunch in Jorsalle on the way to Namche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The team enjoying lunch in Jorsale on the way to Namche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guests Mel and Tom on the scenic trails en route to Namche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guests Mel and Tom on the scenic trails en route to Namche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Cliffs carved with Buddhist mantras along the trail. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Morning light in the Khumbu Valley. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Morning light in the Khumbu Valley. (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

A perfect day to fly!

The whole team starting the journey up the Khumbu Valley! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams awoke early to their alarm clocks this morning with excitement for the day ahead of them. After checking out of the hotel and hauling our duffel bags downstairs, we loaded the bus and we’re on our way to begin the next leg of the journey – an exciting helicopter flight from the capital city to Lukla! After lifting off and flying high above the city below, the city streets soon disappeared and turned into steep terraced hillsides, which later revealed crystal clear views of the Himalayas as we climbed higher and higher into the sky. Full of excitement from an awesome flight and with bellies full after a nice breakfast, we hit the trail en route to our first stop on the way into the Khumbu. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Phakding:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall 2024 Madison Mountaineering programs in the Khumbu Valley. Today we flew from Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) – we took helis! It was a beautiful flight, maybe one of the clearest flights that I’ve ever had coming into Lukla. We had great views of the mountains all the way in, landed in Lukla earlier this morning, then we had a nice breakfast at the Paradise Lodge, and walked here to Phakding (2610m/8,562ft)! And again, the weather was just fantastic all day – really nice temperature and good views of the hills and higher peaks around us.

We just had lunch and now we’re settling in with the nice white noise of the Dudh Koshi River, not too far away. We’re looking forward to another good day tomorrow when we’ll walk from Phakding up to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft)! 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:

/0 Comments/by

Hello from Nepal!

The team at their welcome dinner tonight!

The Madison Mountaineering team is back in Nepal this season with several different teams trekking and climbing around the Himalayas! After a long day of travel, everyone has arrived and is looking forward to the days ahead after some rest and final preparations. Together, we’ve gone through a gear check and orientation, capping off the day with a fun dinner at a nice restaurant nearby the hotel. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in from Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) for the Madison Mountaineering programs in Nepal’s Khumbu Valley this fall – today is October 20th. Over the last 48 hours, our guests have been arriving in Kathmandu. Today, we kicked off our fall programs with an orientation and gear checks here at the Yak and Yeti Hotel, and then we just wrapped up a really nice welcome dinner at Mezze restaurant in the downtown core of Nepal’s capital city, just a block from the former royal palace.

We have guests heading out on a variety of programs! We have our Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) climbing team, we have guests heading to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft), and we have some people who will trek to Everest Base Camp and then climb Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) and Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft). We have some folks who are heading out on the three passes loop up into the Gokyo area, and then looping back in toward Everest Base Camp and some of the popular 6,000-meter peaks in the area.

So we have a lot of activity underway here in Nepal and we’re looking forward to a really great season! Tomorrow we plan to do our pre-expedition city tour here in Kathmandu, and then the following day hopefully, we’ll start making our way up toward Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). So, all is well here in Kathmandu and 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:

/0 Comments/by

City tour in Kathmandu!

Members of our Fall Khumbu Valley programs pose for a team photo with a sadhu (Hindu holy man) at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team ventured out into the bustling city of Kathmandu today for a tour of some of its most important sites! After a wonderful visit to both the Pashupatinath and Boudhanath Temples, the team was free to do as they liked and spent the rest of the day walking the city streets, resting, and packing for the move tomorrow! With good weather in the forecast, we’ll meet on the helicopter pad for our flight to Lukla where the trek officially begins. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall 2024 Madison Mountaineering Khumbu Valley programs, our Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) climb, Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) treks, and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft), Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) climbs.

Today, we visited Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Temple here in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). That was our usual city tour before we fly out to the Khumbu Valley. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day here in Kathmandu and we had a really nice time visiting those two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll wake up early and take helicopters up to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) if all goes as planned and if the weather allows us to fly. So far the forecast is looking good! So, we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

The Madison Mountaineering team during our city tour at Pashupatinath Temple. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team during our city tour at Pashupatinath Temple. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Members of the team snapping photographs at Boudha Stupa. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Members of the team snapping photographs at Boudha Stupa. (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

Cho Oyu Summit Success!

Summit photo on the top of Cho Oyu!

After several years off the mountain, it comes with great pleasure to share that 100% of our 2024 Cho Oyu expedition team has successfully reached the summit of the world’s sixth-highest peak! We are so proud of the team for their hard work and determination after a challenging season weather-wise. A HUGE shoutout and thank you goes out to our Sherpa team – these feats would not be possible without you. We’ve returned safely to base camp and will begin our departure home soon! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Cho Oyu base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft) expedition team!

We are back down in base camp today and yesterday, October 7th, we summited Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world. All team members made it – 100% success! (I) couldn’t be more proud of our team. Everyone did awesome! We were so lucky with the weather. We had a beautiful, bluebird day, views in all directions (with) great views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), Makalu (8485m/27,838ft), Shishapangma (8027m/26,335ft). Just so happy that this climb worked out! It was a little tenuous there last week with the big storm, all the snow, and the season being delayed about a week here in Tibet. But, all is well!

We’re packing up base camp today. We’re going to start trekking out tomorrow, Jeeps down to Tingri (4348m/14,268ft), and onwards to Lhasa (3,656m/11,995ft). There’s no land border crossings back into Nepal open at this point after the massive flooding, they’re all washed out. So, we are going to be flying back from Lhasa! So, very excited about that.

It’s a beautiful day here in base camp! We’re doing well, and happy, and looking forward to getting home soon.

High Camp with otherworldly views of the surrounding Himalayas!

High Camp with otherworldly views of the surrounding Himalayas!

Views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from high on the mountain!

Views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from high on the mountain!

Evening light high in the alpine.

Morning light high in the alpine.

The team on our summit rotation under blue skies!

The team on our summit rotation under blue skies!

Climbing up on the summit rotation!

Climbing up on the summit rotation!

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

Moving up on Cho Oyu!

Advanced Base Camp earlier in the expedition.

Here we go! The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team is ready to begin their summit push. Well-rested and highly motivated, the team plans to depart from their advanced base camp soon to Camp 1 and will continue climbing up to the higher camps in the days following en route toward the summit. Good weather and route conditions will be important for our summit push, which we’ll continue to assess as we move on up the mountain. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this pre-summit push dispatch from Tibet:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft) expedition – today is October 3rd.

We have been back at base camp a few days after a good rest down in Tingri (4348m/14,268ft) and we are ready to make our summit push! We’re going to head up tomorrow to Camp 1, and next day from there up to Camp 2, and next day maybe go for the summit. So, fingers crossed for good weather, good route conditions. We’ll be checking in as soon as we get down off the mighty Cho Oyu, sixth-highest mountain in the world!

All is well here at base camp and we look forward to checking 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

Manaslu team back in Kathmandu!

Our climbers, Sherpa team and base camp staff posing for a final team photo before leaving base camp a few days ago!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team arrived back in Kathmandu after an exciting heli ride, following several days of waiting the weather out in the mountains. The team had excellent views throughout the entire flight of awe-inspiring peaks high above and the valleys, rivers, and waterfalls below. Upon reaching Kathmandu and settling back into our team hotel, the team went out for one final meal together before boarding their planes back to their home countries – a fantastic way to end an unforgettable expedition! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in with the final dispatch of the 2024 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 30th.

We spent the last few nights in Sama village waiting for the weather to clear so that we could fly back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). Late last week and into the weekend, a really heavy precipitation system came into Nepal which brought very heavy snow to the mountain. But this morning, fortunately, we woke up to perfectly clear, blue skies and so we were able to take a heli back to Nepal’s capital! It was a fantastic flight following the Budhi Gandaki River with beautiful glaciated peaks high above us on either side and really spectacular waterfalls pretty much the whole way till you get down into the foothills in the Gorkha District of Nepal.

We landed in Kathmandu mid-morning! We just wrapped up our farewell meal. It’s a beautiful evening here in Kathmandu and this evening our guests will start to depart for home – the last members of the team will leave tomorrow morning.

So, all in all it was a very successful expedition, 100% success on the planet’s eighth-highest peak! I for one am really looking forward to the next trip to Nepal. We’ll be in touch then!

The team after touching down in Kathmandu!

The team after touching down in Kathmandu!

A final, celebratory dinner in Kathmandu.

A final, celebratory dinner in Kathmandu.

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

2024 Manaslu expedition conclusion!

From left: Tenzi Sherpa and Temba Sherpa with our climber Chie Takeshita and Guide Terray Sylvester on the summit of Manaslu at 4:44 a.m. on September 25.

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has safely descended off of the mountain after successfully reaching the summit of the world’s eighth-highest peak! The team was welcomed back to camp by our rockstar base camp staff with a celebratory meal and cake, which we enjoyed while reflecting on the accomplishment from the day prior. The team has now begun to head their separate ways after saying their goodbyes with memories that won’t soon be forgotten from this hugely successful expedition! Awesome work, team. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this final dispatch from Manaslu base camp:

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

Today we descended from Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft) back down to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). We spent last night at Camp 2 after our successful summit on the 25th! We aimed for the 25th as our summit date because the forecast was good for the 25th, but the forecast was predicting significant precipitation for today. Fortunately, that precipitation held off until the afternoon, so we had very pleasant conditions when we woke up in Camp 2 this morning and really nice weather for most of our descent back here to base camp.

It’s great to be here and to reunite with our excellent base camp staff, Khamba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh, and with our whole Sherpa crew! So as of now, we are completely off of Manaslu! We’ve cleaned out all of our gear and taken down all of our trash, and anything else we brought up there from the mountain from all of the camps we used. All of our Sherpa crew and of course, all of our climbers are safely off of the mountain!

So, that concludes the climbing portion of the expedition. We had a really successful climb, it was just excellent! Tomorrow we plan to descend down to Sama village. We’ll spend one night there before beginning to make our way back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft).

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

Our climbers, James and Sara, with Ming Dorchi Sherpa at the summit of Manaslu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers, James and Sara, with Ming Dorchi Sherpa at the summit of Manaslu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guests celebrating with a “summit cake” and our excellent base camp staff. From left: Khumba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh.

Our guests celebrating with a “summit cake” and our excellent base camp staff. From left: Khamba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh.

Our climbers Sara, James, and Chie with Expedition Leader Terray Sylvester.

Our climbers Sara, James, and Chie with Expedition Leader 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