Tag Archive for: 2016

Burgers and fresh baked pie at Everest Base Camp!

Today we had a wonderful lunch of cheese burgers and fresh baked pie as all of our climbers arrived into base camp. Now that we have concluded our second rotation the team will enjoy a few days of rest and recovery at lower altitude. Tomorrow morning we have scheduled a Airbus B3e helicopter coming into base camp (weather permitting) to take members of our climbing team down to Namche. Right now we have the B3e making three trips to base camp to shuttle our team down valley. Over the next 5-6 days our team will travel back down the Khumbu to rest at a lower altitude before returning for the final summit rotation. Garrett discussed with the team that by doing this it allows you to come back stronger and perform better on the summit rotation. We discussed as a team today that we WILL NOT be summiting on the 13th of this month, which happens to be a Friday! 😉

Tonight we had a few laughs after dinner while watching Happy Gilmore. Now the team is getting some well deserved sleep!

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Burgers, fries and a Coke for lunch!

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Pretty impressive baking skills for 17,500ft! 

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Jeff G. coming up toward Camp 3. You can see Camp 2 toward the bottom left.

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Lama comes to Everest Base Camp for Puja Ceremony!

Today we said goodbye to the trekkers and prepared for the Puja Ceremony. A Lama came into our base camp and was assisted by sherpa to bless our team and equipment for safe passage to the top of Mt. Everest. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the ceremony! Through the afternoon the weather slowly shifted to clouds and then to snow. In base camp we received a couple inches of snow and the temperature dropped considerably. Good thing we are well equipped! The weather report is calling for snow over the next few days and the possibility of sun in the morning hours. At dinner we celebrated Nick’s Birthday with a large cake and we all sang happy birthday together!

Tomorrow we will continue to sort our gear and prepare the communication equipment. Our team will conduct training in the icefall to prepare for the first rotation up to Camp 1. The team is doing very well and we are all in good health. Onward and upward!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!!

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Wonderful time together at Everest Base Camp!

The 2016 Mount Everest trekkers had a wonderful time together at base camp! After our James Bond movie night everyone made their way back to their tents and got a good night sleep at 17,000ft. Throughout the night we could hear the cracks of the ice around us as the glaciers moved. What an adventure!! Getting up at sunrise we enjoyed a warm breakfast and clear skies across the mountains that surround base camp. We met many new friends in base camp and it has been a great time engaging with the climbers that will begin their first rotations up Mt. Everest in the days to come. It has been a wonderful jounrey and the team will now trek back through the Khumbu Valley toward Lukla. Congrats team! Onward!

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Trekkers and Climbers arrive to 2016 Mount Everest Base Camp!

Today both our trekkers and climbers arrived together to the Madison Mountaineering 2016 Mount Everest Base Camp!! We have been hard at work preparing the camp and are very excited to be able to come together and enjoy a night at base camp together. All team members picked out their tents and enjoyed spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. The weather was beautiful with the sun shining throughout the afternoon. We all enjoyed a great dinner together before our much anticipated movie night. We watched James Bond and had a welcome cake as well. Tomorrow the trekkers will depart from Everest Base Camp and make their way toward Lukla. Our climbers are excited to begin training in the icefall in the days to come before making their first rotations.

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Climbers and Trekkers climb Kala Patthar!

Today both the climbing & trekking teams hiked up from Lobuche to village Gorak Shep and had a nice lunch, then trekked up Kala Pattar peak (18,315′) for a spectacular view of Mount Everest! This is one of the most beautiful day climbs as our teams make their way toward Everest Base Camp. We had clear skies and a bit of wind at the top, but they views were most definitely worth it! The climbers & trekkers are all together now at our lodge and will trek to Everest base camp tomorrow. We are all very excited to finally reach Mount Everest base camp!

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Everest Trekking team passes through Everest Climbers Memorial

After a rest day and acclimatization hike in Dingbuche the team moved further up the Kumbu Valley. We passed through the Everest Climbers Memorial where many large memorials are built. As the team moved onward they are surrounded and guarded on all sides by the tallest mountains in the world it is certainly one of the most stunning and beautiful monument locations on earth. We will spend the night in Lobuche and hopefully move futher up valley in the morning.

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We are enjoying the beautiful views and abundance of hot tea as we make our way toward Everest Base Camp! 

 

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Mount Everest climbers enjoy pleasant breakfast in Dingboche

After a pleasant breakfast in Dingboche our climbing team set out and trekked above and past the village of Pheriche, then stopped for a break in the outpost Thugla. Enjoying hot tea and beautiful views with every stop. We continued onward to the memorials below Lobuche, where we took some time to pause and reflect, then continued to our lodge for the night. We are warm and comfortable and everyone is doing well. Another great day with amazing views of the peaks surrounding Mount Everest. The weather has been sunny and beautiful in the day with temperatures quickly dropping once the sun goes down.

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Leaving Panorama hotel, off to Debuche

This morning after a great breakfast we left the wonderful Panorama hotel in Namche where we spent the last two nights, and enjoyed many fine pastries! This wonderful town is provides some of the best views that we have seen thus far. The team hiked up toward Everest View Hotel in the morning to see breathtaking views of Ama Dablam and Everest. Now we are hiking up the Khumbu valley through Tengboche where we visited the monastery, and now heading to our lodge for the night, the Rivendell. Many fine views of Mount Everest today! Photos: trekking along the route with Mount Everest in the distance, our team being blessed in Namche, loading the duffel bags in yaks this morning.

  

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Namche Bazaar is an ancient nexus of trade

Namche Bazaar is an ancient nexus of trade between the lower regions of Nepal and the Tibeten Sherpa people coming over the Nangpala pass. The team arrived early afternoon into Namche and will spend at least one night here resting, acclimatizing, and enjoying the shops and bakeries before moving higher. The weather has been consistently sunny with beautiful clear views in the morning with rolling clouds coming in throughout the afternoon. Everyone is healthy and strong and looking forward to continue the journey toward Everest Base Camp! The team plans to do a few short hikes above Namche and get a glimpse of Everest in the far distance.

Photo: the team on the trek today

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Trekkers left Kathmandu now in Phaplou

Our Trekkers left Kathmandu this morning on the way to Lukla, but due to quickly deteriorating weather conditions the aircraft was diverted to Phaplou, nearby Lukla. The team will spend the night there and attempt to finish the flight tomorrow morning. All is well, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow!

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