On their summit push, the Everest and Lhotse expedition team strategically took another rest day at Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft). Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, checks in via Garmin inReach Mini with this brief update:
All is well in C2. Our main team is planning to move to C3 tmrw, targeting the 20th. Kenton & team all safely in EBC.
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:
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.“
Our Everest team has extended their rest period at Camp 2 to time their summit attempt for the best-forecasted weather. Everest guide Terray Sylvester sends this evening’s expedition dispatch via Garmin inReach Mini:
Hello from Camp 2! All is well.
Our team rested here today, reading, napping and admiring the scenery, including a paraglider(!) who launched from the South Col. Our forecast indicates we’ll have the best summit weather if we rest here one more day before climbing higher. So our plan is now to move to Camp 3 on the 17th.
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:
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.“
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PHOTO-2022-05-05-09-14-15-The-team-getting-comfortable-with-their-down-suits-before-the-climb-to-Camp-3-the-following-day.jpg8561200Kurthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgKurt2022-05-15 12:24:142022-05-15 19:55:10Summit Push – Rest Day at C2
Our Everest team has safely moved up to Camp 2 in the Western Cwm to kick off their summit push! Everest guide Terray Sylvester sends this expedition dispatch via Garmin inReach Mini:
Hello from Camp 2!
Our Everest and Lhotse climbers ascended from base camp to our advanced base camp (aka Camp 2) here at 21,300′ (6500m) yesterday in great weather. We’ll rest here now before climbing to Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft), where we’ll spend a night before continuing up to Camp 4 (7900m/25,919ft) at the South Col.
The team is feeling good!
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:
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.“
All the preparations are done and have led up to this moment. Our Everest team is catching a few more hours of sleep before they start up the mountain on their summit push! Everest guide Terray Sylvester outlines the plan in today’s expedition dispatch:
Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Everest and Lhotse expedition. It’s May 13th.
We are just going to bed in preparation for the first day of our summit push, which will actually start at about 1am tonight. We’ll have breakfast at midnight and then we’ll set off out up into the Icefall and on to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft). From there we plan to take a rest day and then we will start making up the Lhotse Face to Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft) and Camp 4 (7900m/25,919ft) and hopefully on to the summit (8848m/29,029ft) in a little less than a week. The forecast looks good and spirits are high with the team. Everyone’s pysched to get going and start our summit push.
So, it’s good night here in base camp and we’re looking forward to getting the climbing started.
We will be in touch as we make our way up the mountain!
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:
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.“
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PHOTO-2022-05-13-05-41-20-Mount-Everest-Terray.jpg510760Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2022-05-13 13:21:222022-05-13 16:48:03It’s Go Time!
Summit push preparations are in full swing at Everest base camp. Here’s Everest guide Terray Sylvester with a recap of the day’s activities at base camp and the plan for what’s next:
Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2022 Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition. It’s May 12th.
Today we did some preparation for our summit push. We did an instructional oxygen system talk here in base camp and we sorted food for our high camps. The weather forecast still looks good for our departure, not tomorrow but the following morning early, pre-dawn.
Spirits are high and we’re all looking forward to getting started up the mountain
We will be in touch!
Guide Rob Smith providing instruction on the oxygen system (📸: @terray_s)
Climber Todd Ammerman gives the O2 mask two thumbs up! (📸: @terray_s)
Climber Cameron Kenny trying on his oxygen mask (📸: @terray_s)
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:
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.“
The “dropback” rest period is complete and the team has returned to base camp. Here’s Everest guide Terray Sylvester with a recap and the plan for what’s next:
Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition. It’s May 11th.
Today our climbers flew back from Namche Bazaar where they were resting for a few days pre-summit attempt. Great weather for the flights, really beautiful scenery. We settled back into base camp and had a nice dinner of pork chops, roast pumpkin, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, and fruit salad for dessert.
Now, we are settling in to watch “Gladiator“! Our summit plans have taken shape and in all likelihood we will leave base camp within the next couple of days, aiming for a summit in just a little over a week.
So, all is well here in base camp. It’s a beautiful warm and misty night.
We will be in touch!
Sara Safari leaving Namche for EBC (📸: @terray_s)
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.“
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PHOTO-2022-05-11-06-54-54-Josh-Garrison-departing-for-EBC.jpg6831024Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2022-05-11 13:49:122022-05-12 01:34:01Back at EBC
The second rotation is complete and the team has returned to base camp. Here’s Everest guide Terray Sylvester with a recap and the plan for what’s next:
Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Everest and Lhotse expedition. It’s May 5th.
We just returned from Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft) back to base camp (5310m/17,421ft). We spent three nights on the upper mountain for our second acclimatization rotation. We went directly from base camp up to Camp 2, then took a rest day, and then we went up and touched Camp 3 at just about 7000m on the Lhotse Face. We then spend another night at Camp 2 and came back down here to base camp today. We had fantastic climbing conditions and weather throughout. We managed to avoid most other parties on the route. On the day we went up the Lhotse Face we had absolutely perfect conditions with spectacular views. It felt really good to get up a little bit higher and finish laying the groundwork of our acclimatization for our summit push.
Now we’re back in base camp and we’ll just be resting for that summit attempt. We’re going to do a “drop back” where we head down to lower elevation in Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) to let our bodies recover from being up at altitude for nearly a month and maximize our strength for the summit push.
We just finished dinner of pork chops and macaroni and cheese and vegetables and cake. Now we are watching “The Bourne Legacy” and we’ll go to bed after that.
All is well and we’ll be in touch!
The team getting comfortable with their down suits before the climb to Camp 3 the following day
Climbing the Lhotse Face
Part of the team in Camp 3
Climber Todd Ammerman with Guide Cacho Beiza in Camp 3
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:
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.“
Today the Everest team tagged Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face and returned to Camp 2 as part of the second rotation. Here’s expedition leader Garrett Madison with today’s expedition dispatch:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition team. Today is Wednesday, May 4th.
We had a great day up here climbing to Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft) and returning to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft)… [transmission drops]
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:
Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“
The second rotation has kicked off with an excellent night of climbing up the Khumbu Icefall and a warming morning in the Western Cwm. Here’s expedition leader Garrett Madison with today’s expedition dispatch:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition team. Today is May 2nd.
Today we woke up and had breakfast at 01:00am in base camp (5310m/17,421ft), left base camp at 02:00am, and climbed up the Khumbu Icefall. We had a beautiful night and early morning of climbing. There’s some fresh snow in the icefall which made it very nice. Once the sun came up we have some good views. Not many people in the icefall today, just a couple of other teams – some friends we recongized.
We got up to Camp 1 (6050m/19,849ft) around 08:00am and then we continued on up to Camp 2. Got up to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft) midday, had lunch, and just took an afternoon nap.
We just finished our dinner. Everyone’s up here doing great! We’re tired, it was a big, hard day – long day, hot at the end coming into Camp 2 but everyone did really well. We’re recovering well and looking forward to a nice rest day tomorrow. It’s snowing right now outside our tents. We’re tucked in and looking foward to a good night’s rest.
We’ll check in soon, thanks!
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:
Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“
The first rotation is complete with our Everest team returning to base camp this afternoon! Everest guide Terray Sylvester has this recap of the first rotation and the plan for the next few days:
Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Everest and Lhotse expedition. It’s April 24nd.
We just returned to base camp this afternoon from our first acclimatization rotation higher on the mountain. We spent two nights in Camp 1 (6050m/19,849ft) and two nights in Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft) before coming back down to base (5310m/17,421ft). We had beautiful weather throughout. We were among one of the only teams in Camp 1 and Camp 2, so it was really nice having the mountain a little bit to ourselves.
We’re just settling back-in in base camp, had dinner of pork chops and pumpkin pie. We’re gonna watch the latest James Bond film (“No Time to Die“).
Then we’ve got a few days of rest, showers, and relaxation in our future! We’ll be in touch!
Climber Carter Beck crossing a ladder in the icefall
Climbing out of the Khumbu Icefall into the Western Cwm
The team above Camp 2 on our active rest day
Descending through the Khumbu Icefall back to 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:
Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“
