Tag Archive for: Camp 3

Tucked in at Camp 2

Climbing through the icefall in the early morning hours of May 17.

The Madison Mountaineering Everest–Lhotse expedition team climbed through the Khumbu Icefall in the early morning hours of May 17 on their way to Camp 2, marking the start of their summit rotation. With no crowds and good conditions, the team moved swiftly through the complicated terrain of the icefall and reached Camp 2 in good time. Now, the team plans to take a rest day before moving up to higher camps! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Camp 2:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft) expedition, we are up here at Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft).

We had a great climb from base camp (5364m/17,598ft) up through the Khumbu Icefall early this morning, we left at 1:00 AM and got up to Camp 2 about mid-day. It wasn’t crowded at all, good conditions, nice and cool for a good part of the day, then the sun came out in the afternoon.

But the team’s all settled in here at Camp 2. We’re having dinner and we’re excited for our rest day tomorrow! Beautiful conditions up here on Everest! Fingers crossed we’ll get to move up in a couple days time to push higher to Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft) and Camp 4 (7900m/25,919ft) on our summit rotation.

All is well! We’ll check in soon.

Headlamps piercing the darkness and illuminating the route ahead.

Headlamps piercing the darkness and illuminating the route ahead.

Starting up through the Khumbu Icefall!

Starting up through the Khumbu Icefall!

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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Time to rest and recharge!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Everest–Lhotse expedition team is done with their acclimatization rotations on the mountain and look ahead to their summit push! After spending several days up at high-altitude building acclimatization, familiarizing themselves with the route, and putting their skills to the test, the team dropped back down to lower elevations where they’ll rest up and get ready for their final push up the mountain. This time, with eyes set on the summit! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from the Himalaya:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft) team.

We had a great rotation up at Camps 1 (6050m/19,849ft) and 2 (6500m/21,325ft), touched Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft), made it back down to base camp (5364m/17,598ft) yesterday afternoon. (We’re) resting and relaxing, some of us are going to head down to Namche (3440m/11,290ft) for a little bit of an acclimatization drop to get some thick oxygenated air and recharge, get ready for our final summit rotation, which will start in about a weeks time from base camp.

So, all is well here! We’re just happy that everyone had a great rotation, got some high-altitude, some technical training up on the Lhotse Face. Time to rest and recharge now. Check 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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Climbing to Camp 3

The team together during their acclimatization rotation.

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Everest–Lhotse expedition team touched Camp 3 today before descending back down to Camp 2, where they are turning in for the night after a great day high on Mount Everest. There were perfect conditions today, good company, and enjoyable climbing. The team plans to descend back down to base camp tomorrow, where they’ll rest and recover, before looking ahead to their summit rotation! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Camp 2 on Mount Everest:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft) team – we’re up at Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft)!

Today is May 7th and today we climbed up to Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft) for acclimatization. It was a beautiful day, awesome views, no wind, no clouds. So, had a great trip up to Camp 3, hung out for a bit, had a few snacks and came back down to Camp 2. Good acclimatization, good technical skills practice. So, we’re feeling very prepared and very ready to come back up here in a week or 10 days for our summit push!

We’re going to head down to base camp (5364m/17,598ft) tomorrow for a good, long rest, and then return to make our final summit bid on Everest and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft)!

All is well here on Everest! We’ll check in soon.

Looking down the fixed-lines on the Lhotse Face.

Looking down the fixed-lines on the Lhotse Face.

Nearing Camp 3 with Nuptse behind.

Nearing Camp 3 with Nuptse behind.

Smiles in the Western Cwm.

Smiles in the Western Cwm.

Looking down the Western Cwm on a sunny day in the Himalaya.

Looking down the Western Cwm on a sunny day in the Himalaya.

Alpenglow on peaks surrounding.

Alpenglow on peaks surrounding.

The team stopping for a rest on the Lhotse Face.

The team stopping for a rest on the Lhotse Face.

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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Heading up soon!

Mount Everest (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition teams are turning in for the night, packed and ready to begin their next acclimatization rotation! The team plans to climb all the way up to Camp 3 over the course of the next few days, building acclimatization and putting their skills to the test along the way as they navigate new terrain on their way to the higher camps. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Everest Base Camp:

Hey! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) expedition team.

Today is May 2nd and we are heading up tonight to start our rotation to the higher camps! We’re going to head up the Khumbu Icefall, spend a couple of nights at Camp 1 (6050m/19,849ft), and then head up towards Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft), spend at least a couple of nights up there, try to touch Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft) for further acclimatization and skills practice, and then head on down to base camp.

(We’re) looking forward to getting up high on the mountain and putting our skills to the test here in the icefall, and also getting some bigger and better acclimatization, hopefully some great views up there.

So, all is well here at base camp! We’ll check 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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Summit bid coming up!

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

We are in Camp 4 and in position for our summit push! The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team reached their high camp today and are prepared to make their bid for the summit. The team climbed from Camp 3, moving strongly and swiftly through the clouds before settling into their tents for the night with excitement in knowing that with good weather tomorrow, they’ll go for the summit. We are so proud of the team for their hard work and look forward to the climbing ahead! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 4:

Hello from Camp 4 (7450m/24,445ft)! Today we climbed here from Camp 3 (6800m/22,310ft). We were in clouds most of the day, but we climbed above them in the afternoon and now we have excellent views from here in camp. The team is doing well. We’re resting from today’s push and preparing for tomorrow’s summit bid. Despite the clouds, the weather is excellent: no wind and very little precipitation. 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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Above the clouds in Camp 3!

Great views of Manaslu’s East Pinnacle and the route to Camp 4!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team reached Camp 3 today behind a light blanket of clouds. Upon reaching their camp, the clouds burned off opening up spectacular views of the route and mountain above, as well as other Himalayan peaks rising out of a sea of clouds below them. The team is doing great and looks forward to continuing their summit push tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 3:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 23rd, Monday.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a Monday morning than the way we just spent it! We left Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft) at about 7:30 this morning and arrived in Camp 3 (6800m/22,310ft) a couple of hours later. Conditions were perfect for our ascent here! We were in a light cloud layer which kept the temperatures down. But now that we’ve settled into Camp 3, the skies have cleared above us, so we have excellent views from Camp 2 up to the east pinnacle. We have great views of the route up to Camp 4 (7450m/24,445ft) and the massive north face of Manaslu. We can see a few mountains out in the distance towards Tibet, east into Nepal, but below Camp 2 is a carpet of clouds.

So, it’s a really nice day here! We’re about 6,600 meters, just over 6,600. We’re going to spend the rest of the day resting and then we’ll move to Camp 4 tomorrow if all goes as planned.

All is well here in Nepal and 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 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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Getting ready to go up!

Our team dialing in their down suits for their upcoming summit push!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team spent the day reviewing their oxygen systems and down suits, which they’ll use on their summit push! Today was somewhat of a rest day, albeit a productive day nonetheless as the skills reviewed are important to be familiar with as we climb above 8,000 meters. With this review behind us, the team is now one step closer to heading off on their summit push! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 19th.

Today we’re taking a rest day here in base camp (4859m/15,944ft) since at this point we have completed our acclimatization on the upper mountain. This morning has been very beautiful – blue skies and warm temps. We’ve been walking around base camp in sandals! Yesterday evening was also really nice. We watched the full moon rise over Saula Himal (6235m/20,456ft), it’s the mountain range just across the Nubri valley from us to the east.

We also have ticked off a couple of important tasks this morning! We started the day by going over our oxygen systems to make sure our climbers are totally familiar with masks, regulators, and cylinders we’ll be using during our summit push. We had what we call a down suit party where everyone puts on their down suits and we make sure they’re adjusted properly and everyone’s familiar with all the features so that we’re good to go once we start climbing in the colder temps above Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft), above Camp 3 (6800m/22,310ft).

So, it’s been a productive day here! We’re about to sit down to dinner and then we’ll watch a movie, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow! All is well here in Nepal.

Our climber, Chie, practicing with our oxygen system.

Our climber, Chie, practicing with our oxygen system.

Our climber, James, practicing with our oxygen system.

Our climber, James, practicing with our oxygen system.

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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Acclimatization is complete!

The team touching Camp 3. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has made their way back to base camp after finishing up their final acclimatization rotation before making their summit push! The team had great weather overall on the mountain, with great views of the route, the mountain above, and the far-off peaks and valleys surrounding them. The team is feeling great and looks forward to a few days enjoying the comforts of their base camp before getting back on the mountain and going for the summit! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 18th.

Today we woke up early in Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft) and descended back to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). We arrived just before lunch, had a good meal, and then everyone spent the afternoon taking showers, starting on some laundry, and getting settled back in our cozy box tents here in base camp.

With that, we’ve wrapped up our acclimatization before our summit push. At this point, we’ve spent three nights in Camp 1 (5700m/18,700ft) and two nights in Camp 2. It seems like the whole team is doing really well! Everyone was feeling good higher on the mountain, feeling strong. So, I’m looking forward to a good summit push!

We’ll probably spend three to four days here in base camp and then hopefully start up toward the summit! But, it all depends on the weather and conditions on the mountain.

This last rotation was a lot of fun, in large part because we had such great weather! Yesterday afternoon and today we had really clear skies, which meant we could see out into the hills of Tibet and far down the Nubri valley, which is surrounded by glaciated peaks out toward the Ganesh range, and then even out toward Shishapangma (8027m/26,335ft), far in the distance.

So, all is well here! We’re just about to have dinner and watch a movie. It’ll probably be another Indiana Jones film, and then we’ll go to bed! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

The team descending back to base camp at the end of a successful acclimatization rotation. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The team descending back to base camp at the end of a successful acclimatization rotation. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers, Chie and Sara, in their tent at Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers, Chie and Sara, in their tent at Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 1. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing through the icefall below Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing through the icefall below Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sara with Siddhi Tamung, a member of our Sherpa team, during the rotation. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sara with Siddhi Tamung, a member of our Sherpa team, during the rotation. (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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Checking in from Camp 3!

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

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team checked in from Camp 3 today after finding a bit of cell service at over 22,000 feet! Good weather throughout this rotation has allowed the team to move between base camp and Camp 3, where they reached their high point on the expedition so far. They’ve returned to Camp 2 for one last night of acclimatization and sleep before they plan to return to base camp tomorrow, where they’ll begin to get ready for their summit push! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 17th.

We are currently just a few meters below Camp 3 (6800m/22,310ft) and we happen to have a bit of cell service, so I thought I’d send in a dispatch from here. Everything’s been going really well on this rotation! We spent a night at Camp 1 (5700m/18,700ft), and then we bumped up to Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft). We’ll spend one more night at Camp 2 after we touch Camp 3, and then we’ll head back down to base camp (4859m/15,944ft) tomorrow, the 18th. The weather’s been really good! We had perfectly clear skies for a lot of yesterday as we climbed up to Camp 2 and we woke up to a beautiful, clear morning today as well.

So, all is well here in Nepal and we will 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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