Tag Archive for: Camp 1

Check in from the Ama Dablam team!

The team on the summit of Ama Dablam with Everest and Lhotse in the background! From left: Guide Terray Sylvester, our climber, Joe, and Sirdar and Guide, Aang Phurba Sherpa. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Safely back in base camp, the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team spent the day re-introducing themselves to the luxuries of life off of the mountain! After a great day successfully reaching the summit on the day prior, the team relaxed, celebrated, and began getting prepared to make their way back down the valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Ama Dablam base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the autumn 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is November 8th. Today, we had a rest day here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft) after our successful summit push. Yesterday, we topped out on Ama Dablam at about 7:30 AM in the morning, and then we descended all the way back down to base camp and had a nice dinner here and got a good nights sleep.

So, we spent today taking showers and getting packed and prepared for our trek back down the valley to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). Our plan is to leave for Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) tomorrow morning and then finish off the trek the following day.

All in all, we had a fantastic summit push! Two days ago, or three days ago on November 5th, we moved up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). The following day, we moved to Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft), rested most of the day, and then that evening at about 11:00 PM we started our summit climb and topped out at about 7:30 AM in the morning! The climbing conditions were perfect – zero wind and perfectly clear skies, which meant we had great views of the peaks around us and before the sun came up, excellent views of a brilliant, starry sky over the Himalayas!

So, all is well here in base camp and we’ll be in touch from Namche Bazaar tomorrow!

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

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 archive. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team is in position to make a push for the summit from Camp 2! While climbing up from Camp 1, the team had great weather and moved smoothly between the two camps along the southwest ridge. In just a short time, the team will get an alpine start and make their push for the summit! Stay tuned for more updates. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this brief dispatch from Ama Dablam before going for the summit:

Hello from Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft)! We just finished a fun and scenic climb here from Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). We were the first team on the route today. So we were able to move at our own pace and enjoy the varied terrain and excellent views. Now we’ve settled into camp. We’re planning to get a good rest and go for the summit (6812m/22,349ft) late tonight.

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:

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The summit rotation on Ama Dablam has started!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team has started their summit rotation! After several days of rest and relaxation, we’ve shouldered our packs and left the comforts of our base camp. With good weather ahead, we plan to continue climbing up the mountain, with hopes of standing on the summit in just a few days time! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam:

Hello from Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft)! This morning we moved here from base camp (4600m/15,100ft) through a dusting of fresh snow. Now we’re settled in our tents and waiting for our dinners to cook.

The team is doing well. We’re looking forward to a pleasant night here and a scenic climb to Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft) tomorrow. 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:

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First rotation complete!

Views of Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team is safely back in base camp after completing the first rotation on the mountain! Weather has continued to be excellent so far, offering the team beautiful views and climbing conditions as they climbed their way up the mountain. With some rest and recovery ahead, we’ll begin to prepare for the summit rotation starting soon! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the autumn 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is November 1st.

Over the last few days, we completed our acclimatization rotation. The team spent two nights at Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft) and we made a foray up toward Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft), and now the whole team is back down in base camp (4600m/15,100ft). We’re resting now and we’ll be preparing for our summit push which is coming soon!

All in all, it was a great time up on the mountain, really beautiful weather! The good days have just continued, clear skies and great views. And, really fun scrambling on the way up to Camp 1 and up to Camp 2.

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

Our climbers, Joe and Thierry, in Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers, Joe and Thierry, in Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Kat, Joe, and Thierry approaching Camp 1! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Kat, Joe, and Thierry approaching Camp 1! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

All smiles back in base camp! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

All smiles back in base camp! (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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Training and Puja Day!

The team after their puja in base camp, with Ama Dablam in the background!

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team had a busy day in base camp as they prepare for their first rotation! After awaking to sunny skies, the team conducted their pre-climb puja ceremony to ask the mountain for safe passage before heading up. Following the ceremony, the team went out into the field for technical training to review and simulate the route that lies ahead. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is October 29th.

Today, we had a really nice day actually, a nice busy day! This morning was our pre-climb Puja. So, that’s our ceremony that we do before every climb to ask the mountain for safe passage before we start moving up above base camp (4600m/15,100ft). Then we had a nice lunch of salmon steaks, and sandwiches, and a good beef and tomato soup! And then, after lunch we headed over to the training location not far from base camp and we practiced our technical skills: ascending fixed lines in steep terrain, rappelling, transitions, all of the above. Everyone did really well with that! Now, we’re just walking back to base camp. It’s a little misty and we’re looking forward to moving up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft) tomorrow to start our rotation.

Also tonight, we will have another movie night. So far we’ve watched Top Gun: Maverick, and then last night we started The Godfather, but that’s a really long movie, so we made it about halfway through. We’ll probably finish it off tonight! And that’s about it.

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

Our climber, Tom, practicing technical skills with sirdar and guide Aang Phurba Sherpa! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Tom, practicing technical skills with sirdar and guide Aang Phurba Sherpa! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Joe, one of our Ama Dablam climbers practicing technical skills! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Joe, one of our Ama Dablam climbers practicing technical skills! (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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Acclimatizing for Ama Dablam!

Evening light on Ama Dablam above our base camp.

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team spent the day acclimatizing as they continue to prepare for their climb! More beautiful views fueled the team as they climbed up towards Camp 1. The team couldn’t ask for better weather on the expedition so far and with more good weather tomorrow, the team will conduct their Puja ceremony along with technical skills training near their base camp. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall, 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is October 28.

Today, we woke up to another beautiful day here – no wind, nice sunshine. So, we went for a hike up to Yak Camp, which is about a little over halfway, two-thirds of the way up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). It was a really nice hike, great views all around the valley, Thamserku (6608m/21,680ft), Kangtega (6782m/22,251ft), up toward Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft), Cholatse (6440m/21,130 ft), Taboche (6495m/21,309ft) – all the beautiful peaks around here! Then, we came down for a nice lunch and we’ve been relaxing this evening.

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to our Puja, our pre-climb ceremony to ask the mountains for safe passage! Then, we’ll be doing some technical training later in the day.

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

Fresh apple pie for dessert in base camp this evening!

Fresh apple pie for dessert in base camp this evening!

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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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:

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Manaslu Camp 2

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has reached Camp 2 and settled in for the night! The team moved swiftly between camps, making good time with cool temperatures as they climbed to around 6,400 m/21,000 ft. The team plans to continue their summit rotation tomorrow by moving up to Camp 3, positioning themselves one camp closer to going for the summit. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Camp 2:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is Sunday, September 22nd.

Today, we left Camp 1 (5700m/18,700ft) a bit after sunrise and had a nice climb up to Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft)! We moved very well, just four hours to Camp 2. Unfortunately, it was cloudy with a little bit of precipitation which meant we didn’t have much in the way of views, but the upshot of that was that the temperatures were lower, so it wasn’t too hot as we climbed to Camp 2.

So, now we’ve settled into our tents. We’re going to relax here for the rest of the day before moving to Camp 3 (6800m/22,310ft) tomorrow! 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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Manaslu summit rotation is underway!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has arrived in Camp 1, marking the start of their summit rotation! The team’s hard work was on display today, as they moved strongly and efficiently up to their first camp. With good weather tomorrow, the team plans to continue on up to Camp 2! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 1:

Hello from Camp 1 (5700m/18,700ft). With our ascent here from Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft) after lunch today, our summit push is underway! The team moved very efficiently on the way here. Now we’re watching the evening sun on the mountains around us and settling in for dinner. 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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First rotation on Cho Oyu coming up!

Our team during yesterday's Puja ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team is about to begin their first rotation on the world’s sixth-highest peak! The team has spent the last few days settling into their base camp, reviewing technical skills, packing for their rotation up to Camp 2, and taking part in a Puja ceremony! The Puja ceremony is a crucial piece to all of our 8,000-meter expeditions, asking the mountain for safe passage before going up. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Tibet:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft) expedition here in Tibet on the sixth-highest mountain in the world in China! Today is September 21st.

We had our Puja ceremony yesterday, it went very well asking the mountain for safe passage. A Tibetan monk came up and officiated the ceremony with us! Tomorrow we’re planning to head up on our first rotation to acclimatize on Cho Oyu up to Camps 1 and 2. It’s been a little snowy the last few days, but hopefully, we’ll get a break in the weather. The team’s doing great! We’re really excited to be here. There’s just a handful of teams and a few climbers each here on the mountain, so pretty small compared to some of the other peaks we’ve been on this year. But, all is going well here!

We’re thinking of our team on Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) in Nepal, the eighth-highest peak in the world. They’re starting their summit rotation tomorrow heading up to Camp 1, hopefully summiting around September 25th or 26th. So, fingers crossed and they’ll be in our prayers!

All is well here and we’ll check in soon!

Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu base camp!

Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu base camp!

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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