Tag Archive for: Camp II

Team Safely Down to Camp II

Everest Camp 2

Our Everest team is safely down to Camp II and expedition leader Garrett Madison provides the recap of the descent from the South Col via sat phone:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition.  Today is May 24th.  It’s 8:07 PM and we are all safely down in Camp II.

Today we woke up at Camp IV on the South Col about 6:00 AM, had breakfast, started packing, and made our way down from the South Col, over the Geneva Spur, down the Lhotse Face, over the Yellow Band, and onwards down over the [garbled] at Camp III, down the Western Cwm into Camp II.  We’re all safely back in Camp II.

We’re tired – it was a big effort getting down today.  But, everybody’s doing okay here in Camp II.

Our plan is to get up tomorrow at 4:00 AM and head out by 5:00 AM to make our way down through the Khumbu Icefall to base camp.  So we’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re down to Camp II, we’re doing well, and we’re just so fortunate and so happy that we had a beautiful summit day yesterday on Everest.  Nine clients, four guides, and over twenty sherpas were all able to make the summit on what was probably the nicest summit day I’ve ever had – beautiful conditions up there.  And some of our climbers were also able to make Lhotse.  So very fortunate that everyone had good climbing and is down safe.

One more day to go here through the Western Cwm and the Khumbu Icefall to be back at base camp.  We are looking forward to making our way towards Kathmandu and back home.

All’s well here in Camp II and we’ll check in soon!

(photo:  Madison Mountaineering archives)

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Summit Push Update: Camp III

Camp III on the Lhotse Face with lots of fresh snow

The team has moved up to Camp III (7230m/23,720ft) on the Lhotse Face and expedition leader Garrett Madison checks in via sat phone with the day’s recap and the plan for what’s ahead:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhtose expedition.  Today is May 19th, just a litte after 7:00 PM.

Today we climbed up from Camp II to Camp III.  We are currently in Camp III.  Happy to be here on the Lhotse Face.  It’s been a stormy day – very blustery, lots of snow fall, and high wind gusts throughout the day.  We got up here to our camp and spent the first three hours digging out our tents which had been consumed and covered in fresh snow and spin drift blowing by the wind.  Once we got moved into our tents, got our stoves going and made some water, we had dinner.  Everyone is getting to bed now.

The weather changed a bit.  We were hoping to head up to Camp IV tomorrow, but with the new forecast and the inclement and blustery weather on the way tomorrow, our plan is to hunker down here in Camp III and take a rest day and wait out the weather and then move up to Camp IV the following day on the 21st of May.

Everyone’s doing well here.  We had a great day.  It was a big push coming up in the tough weather, the high winds, and the snow.  But everyone did wonderful.  I’m very proud of the team.  We’re looking foward to tomorrow up here at Camp III.  Hopefully we’ll get a few breaks in the weather and get to enjoy some nice views.

Thanks for checking in!  We’ll talk to you soon.

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Summit Push Update: Moving up to Camp III tomorrow

On the way to Camp III

Our Everest team has been holding tight at Camp II over the past few days as they wait for the weather conditions to open up for a summit attempt.  Everyone is doing well and excited to get climbing.

The plan is to move up to Camp III tomorrow (May 19th) and be in position for a summit attempt within the following few days as the weather allows.

Stay tuned for our progress updates!!

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Summit Push Update: Rest day at Camp II

The Lhotse Face covered in snow as seen from Camp II

Our Everest team had a rest day today at Camp II in the Western Cwm.  Garrett Madison checks-in via sat phone with all the details and the plans for the summit attempt:

Hello, it’s May 16th and this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse team.

Today was our rest day at Camp II after coming up here yesterday through the Khumbu Icefall, past Camp I, and through the Western Cwm to Camp II.  We had a wonderful day coming up here – didn’t see many people at all actually on the route.  It was a bit windy which kept it cool in the Western Cwm where it usually gets too hot.  After we pulled in here yesterday we had a nice lunch, a restful afternoon, and dinner.

Today we’ve just been resting all day and watching the weather.  It looks like we might have a weather window around the 21st of May but too be sure, we’ll check the weather forecast tomorrow to confirm and probably head up the following day or perhaps delay another day or two before heading up from Camp II.

It’s great up here, everyone’s well – we’re healthy, happy, in good spirits, and eating well.  We were out taking photos and videos today and just admiring the views – it’s been clear and sunny and warm.  So, life is good here at Camp II.

We’re fortunate to be here and feel very lucky to be on Everest.  We are setting our sights on a summit attempt here, hopefully, sometime in the next few days – weather pending.

All’s well here at Camp II and we’ll check in soon.  Thanks!

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Summit Bid Time

Jon and Becks on the summit of Mount Everest!

It’s Summit Bid time!  Garrett and the team are ready to head up the mountain tonight to go for the summit!  Here’s Garrett with the details from Everest base camp:

Hello!  This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition 2021.

We’re in base camp and went through all of our oxygen systems today and our food for the high camps and talked about our plan.  We’re gonna head up to Camp II tonight and reevaluate the weather at Camp II, take a rest day there, and look at potential summit days of the 20th, 21st, 22nd.  But we’ll definitely have to reevaluate the weather forecast.  Looks like it could be good, but still a lot of uncertainly in the weather forecast model.  So, we want to give it a day or two to verify what’s in the forecast.

But everyone’s doing well here.  We’re excited to head up, it’s a beautiful evening here at Everest base camp:  no clouds, the stars are out, just a spectacular day here.  So we’re feeling good, we’re excited, and we’re looking forward to getting up the mountain here.

Also, today our British friends, Kenton, Jon, Becks, and Ardavan, all flew out from base camp down to Kathmandu.  So they’re doing well in Kathmandu at the moment.  They had a great climb of Everest and Lhotse.  So, we’re hoping to repeat their success here sometime in the near future.

We’ll check in soon, thanks!

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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2nd Rotation Complete

On the way to Camp III

A great second rotation is complete and the team is back at base camp.  Garrett phoned in with today’s expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest/Lhotse expedition.  Today is May 7th and we arrived in Everest base camp after a great rotation up at Camp II for three nights and touching Camp III.

We all came down today through the Western Cwm and the Khumbu Icefall and made it back to base camp this afternoon in time for lunch and some hot showers.  Tomorrow most of our team is going to head down to Namche for a rest before we come back and set our sights on the summit.

We learned today that the rope-fixing team made the summit.  So the lines are in to the top – that’s great news – and the weather looks good.  So hopefully, our climbers Kenton Cool with Ardavan and Jon Gupta with Becks will be able to make a summit attempt here in the next few days.  They’re up at Camp II right now.

We are just happy to be here!  Great weather on Mount Everest.  All is well and we’ll check in soon.

Our 2 Kristins on the Lhotse Face

Our 2 Kristins on the Lhotse Face

The Lhotse Face covered in snow as seen from Camp II

The Lhotse Face covered in snow as seen from Camp II

Our Camp I on the way to Camp II with fresh snow

Our Camp I on the way to Camp II with fresh snow

Camp III on the Lhotse Face with lots of fresh snow

Camp III on the Lhotse Face with lots of fresh snow

Climbing under the bergschrund at the base of the Lhotse Face

Climbing under the bergschrund at the base of the Lhotse Face

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Camp III Touched!

The Western Cwm

After touching Camp III, the Everest team is back in Camp II and preparing to head down tomorrow to base camp.  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, has all the details:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest and Lhotse expedition.  Today is May 6th and today we climbed up to Camp III on the Lhotse Face.  We had a great day, beautiful weather here on Mount Everest.  A lot of fresh snow on the Lhotse Face made for really good climbing, good conditions.  We made it back in time for a late lunch in Camp II and just finished our dinner here tonight.

We’re gonna head down to base camp tomorrow.  Everyone’s doing okay.  All’s well here with our team on Mount Everest.  And our British climbing friends, Kenton Cool and Jon Gupta, along with their climbers, Ardavan and Rebecca, are planning to head up soon, they’re here at Camp II, and they’re going to make their summit bid, probably, in a few day’s time.  So, it was nice to see them today and wish them good luck.

We’re looking forward to getting down to base camp and resting and relaxing and having a hot shower and enjoying base camp life very soon.

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

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Team at Camp II and Getting Ready to Touch Camp III

Everest Camp 2

The entire Everest/Lhotse team is now safely up at Camp II on their second acclimatization rotation and is getting ready to climb up the Lhotse Face in the early morning 750m or so to touch Camp III before descending back to Camp II for the night.  Everest guide, Rob Smith, provides today’s expedition dispatch:

Hi, this is Rob from Everest Camp II.  The climbing team had a rest day today at camp, which is nice.  It snowed quite a bit.  We’ve been digging out tents and swapping a few (tent) fly sheets and we’re having a very early night tonight because we are getting up at 4:00 AM tomorrow to get onto the Lhotse Face and touch Camp III.

So big day tomorrow, tune in again to hear how it goes.  Okay, bye for now!

If climbing Mount Everest is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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