Tag Archive for: Island Peak

Cleanup expedition complete in the Khumbu!

Last team dinner in Kathmandu!

The Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak environmental restoration expedition team has concluded their time in the Khumbu! After a beautiful trek out of the valley and one final celebratory dinner together, the team said their goodbyes and began the journey back to their home countries. It was a hugely successful trip to the Khumbu Valley made possible by an awesome team of climbers, Sherpa’s, porters and guides. The team put boots on the summit of both Lobuche East and Island Peak, as well as Gokyo Ri and removed around 76 kilos of trash while doing so! Awesome work to the team. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this closing dispatch from this post-monsoon season in Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak expedition – today is November 6th.

Today, we flew back from Luka (2860m/9,383ft) to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). Over the last several days, we enjoyed a really beautiful hike back down the Khumbu Valley from Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft). The weather was excellent – clear blue skies and beautiful fall colors on the hillsides.

And then, yeah, since we’ve arrived back in Kathmandu, we’ve been getting sorted out, taking showers, getting repacked. We just finished up our final dinner at Le Sherpa restaurant here in Kathmandu. And then early tomorrow morning, our first guests will start to depart for their home countries.

So, all in all, it was a really great trip! Successful summits on the Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak, as well as Gokyo Ri (4750m, 15,583ft.) And we cleaned up a total of about 76 kilos of trash, which is a good amount! That was mostly from Gokyo Ri and Lobuche East. But then the heavy snow put a stop to our cleanup efforts for this trip. However, we will continue to look for cleanup opportunities this fall, and of course, in future climbing seasons.

So all is well here! It was an excellent expedition. And looking forward to coming back to Nepal in the future!

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 success on Island Peak!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives.

It’s with great excitement that we share that the Madison Mountaineering environmental restoration expedition team successfully reached the summit of Island Peak! Despite lots of snow accumulation over the days prior, the team persevered and topped out under beautiful, blue skies and with great views of the surrounding Himalaya. The team descended safely and are now making their way down and out of the valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Khumbu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak expedition – today is November 2nd.

Today was summit day on Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft). Our team summited successfully in beautiful weather! It was the first perfectly clear day after several days of snowy, stormy weather here in the Khumbu. And then, descended to Chukhung (4730m/15,520ft).

Tomorrow morning, we are looking forward to heading farther down the valley in what should be another beautiful day. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft).

So all is well here 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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Enjoying the comforts of Cafe 4410!

The team together earlier in the expedition (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering environmental restoration team has descended down the valley to Dingboche after their successful climb on Lobuche East! The team welcomed the comforts of Cafe 4410 – a frequent stop of ours while trekking and climbing in the Everest region of Nepal! It’s been a productive rest day full of pastries, coffee, rest, and communications with friends and family back home. Tomorrow, the team continues on their way to Island Peak! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello, this is Terray calling in for the 2025 Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak expedition – today is October 31st.

Today we’re taking a rest day in Dingboche (4410m/14,470ft). We arrived yesterday afternoon after a nice descent through beautiful, snowy weather from Lobuche East High Camp. Today we’ve just been enjoying showers, and catching up on emails and communications with home, and the great food and drink available at Cafe 4410 – one of our favorite places here in the Khumbu Valley!

Tomorrow we plan to move up to Island Peak Base Camp to prepare for our ascent of Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft).

The weather was snowy over the last three days, but actually today, the precipitation has been very light, and the forecast is looking good. We will 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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Environmental restoration expedition update: summits and cleanup!

Our climbers Rick, Marco, Karl and Bill leaving the summit of Lobuche East with climbing Sherpas Aang Phurba Sherpa and Kam Dorji Sherpa (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering environmental restoration team has been hard at work in the Everest region of Nepal! The team summited Gokyo Ri and began their cleanup initiative, collecting about 16 kilos of waste from Gokyo Ri before moving to Lobuche East High Camp and collecting an additional 61 kilos of trash. Following the cleanup efforts, the team set out to climb Lobuche East, landing all boots on the summit today despite challenging weather conditions, including steady snowfall, limited visibility, and wind. Now safely back in camp, the team plans to rest and descend back down the valley tomorrow. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak environmental restoration expedition – today is October 29th.

Today was a great day! We had an excellent summit on Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft), 100% success! Conditions were a little bit challenging. Yesterday, it began to snow, and the snow continued falling steadily all day today. But, I’m really proud of our team. They did a great job pushing through abnormal conditions on this peak. The visibility wasn’t that great, and it was a little windy on the summit, and the footing was a little tough occasionally because of the new soft snow. But, conditions were safe for climbing and the team did a really great job with everybody touching the summit this morning at about 11 a.m. And then, we made it back down here to base camp, and we’re relaxing. We’ll stay another night here in base camp before descending down to the village of Dingboche (4410m/14,470ft) tomorrow.

We’ve had a great few days here in Nepal actually! Several days ago, we summited Gokyo Ri (4750m/15,583ft), and we started our clean up effort, picking up about 16 kilos of waste from the summit of Gokyo Ri. We’ve also conducted a cleanup here at Lobuche East High Camp. Fortunately, we got that started before the snow fell. We’ve picked up a total of about 61 kilos of waste here at Lobuche East. Now, unfortunately, there’s a lot of snow on the ground, so picking up waste is a little tougher, but we’ll still look for fixed lines and other trash in the days to come – old fixed lines I should say.

So all is well here in Nepal! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Our climber Steve with Tendi Sherpa and Guide Terray Sylvester on the summit of Lobuche East (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber Steve with Tendi Sherpa and Guide Terray Sylvester on the summit of Lobuche East (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Guide and Sirdar Aang Phurba Sherpa with the 61kg / 134lbs of waste our team has collected from near Lobuche East High Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Guide and Sirdar Aang Phurba Sherpa with the 61kg / 134lbs of waste our team has collected from near Lobuche East High 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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Visiting Sagarmatha Next

The team on the way to the Everest View Hotel (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering environmental restoration team had another great day while acclimatizing in and around Namche Bazaar! After enjoying a hearty breakfast at their tea house, the team hiked up to the Everest View Hotel for acclimatization, tea, and snacks. On the way back to their lodge, they stopped by Sagarmatha Next, one of our partners in removing waste from the region—ensuring it is either properly disposed of or transformed into art by the organization’s resident artists. Expedition Leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Namche Bazaar:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak environmental restoration trek – today is October 22nd.

Today we had a nice breakfast here at the Panorama Lodge where we’re staying in Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft), and then we hiked up to the Everest View Hotel. It was another beautiful morning here in the Khumbu Valley! And so this morning we had our first clear views of the Everest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) Massif. Everest itself was partly obscured by a lenticular cloud, but really nice views of Lhotse and Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), as well as Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) and Cholatse (6440m/21,130ft), and Taboche (6495m/21,309ft), plus other peaks around the Khumbu Valley.

And then after the Everest View Hotel, we walked over to Sagarmatha Next. Sagarmatha Next is an NGO that raises awareness around waste management issues here in the Khumbu. Since this is an environmental restoration trek, we’ll be partnering with them, yet again, for the third time on this itinerary. We plan to pick up trash at Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft), and perhaps other locations around the Khumbu. Then, if we find any clean mountaineering equipment, such as old ropes or crampons, or other items, we’ll send those over to Sagarmatha Next, where it will be turned into art by their resident artists. So it’s great to partner with them again!

We headed back down to the Panorama Inn for lunch and we rested the rest of the evening. We’re looking forward to trekking to Dole (4038m/13,248ft) tomorrow! We’ll be in touch.

Visiting Sagarmatha Next, and one of its founders, Tommy Gustafsson (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting Sagarmatha Next, and one of its founders, Tommy Gustafsson (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber Steve McConnell at Sagarmatha Next (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber Steve McConnell at Sagarmatha Next (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Beautiful views above Namche Bazaar (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Beautiful views above Namche Bazaar (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam towers high above the valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam towers high above the valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber Rick Irvine enjoying the beautiful fall weather (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber Rick Irvine enjoying the beautiful fall weather (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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Beautiful trekking so far in Nepal!

Starting the trek in Luka!

The Madison Mountaineering environmental restoration expedition team is checked into their lodge in Namche Bazaar! Namche serves as the main hub in the Khumbu region of Nepal and is an exciting place for trekkers and climbers alike to spend time acclimatizing, visiting cafes, and taking in the views as they move higher up the valley. The weather has been excellent so far and team spirits are high! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Namche:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East, and Island Peak environmental restoration expedition – today is October 21st.

We’ve had a couple great couple of days here in Nepal! Yesterday, we flew from Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) via heli. We had some of the clearest skies that I’ve enjoyed during any heli flight into the mountains. Excellent views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft) straight ahead of us as we approached Lukla. Then we hiked on down to Phakding (2610m/8,562ft).

This morning, we hiked from Phakding to Namche (3440m/11,290ft) again under clear, blue skies and warm, sunny temps. Now, we’re getting ready for dinner here at the Panorama Lodge in Namche Bazaar. It’s a clear night, and there’s lots of fresh snow on the mountains. So, it’s really pretty here in Nepal right now.

Everything’s going well so far, and we will be in touch tomorrow!

Getting ready to board the heli in Kathmandu!

Getting ready to board the heli in Kathmandu!

Approaching Namche Bazaar

Approaching Namche Bazaar

Warm welcome at our lodge in Namche!

Warm welcome at our lodge in Namche!

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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Environmental restoration expedition is off!

Welcome dinner in Kathmandu!

Here we go! Another environmental restoration trip is underway in Nepal. We are thrilled to have this special team come together in support of the Madison Mountaineering Foundations efforts to remove waste and restore the environment in high-altitude climbing destinations worldwide. Now together in the bustling city of Kathmandu, the team has conducted their gear check, enjoyed a welcome dinner, and headed out into the city to tour some of its most sacred places. With good weather tomorrow, we’ll fly to Lukla to officially begin the trek! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East, and Island Peak environmental restoration expedition – today is October 19.

Over the last two days, all of our climbers arrived here in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft), and today we headed out for our city tour. We visited Pashupatinath and Boudanath, two of the UNESCO World Heritage sites here in Kathmandu. It was a beautiful fall day here in the Kathmandu Valley. Clear, sunny skies, warm, pleasant temperatures, and actually we had great views of some of the mountains to the north! We could see some snowy peaks up in Ganesh Himal and Langtang areas, and some peaks in the Everest zone as well.

This evening, we headed out for our welcome dinner at La Sherpa restaurant here in Kathmandu, and now we’re just heading to bed. We’re looking forward to our helicopter flight up into the Khumbu Valley early tomorrow morning. We’ll fly to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft), and then begin trekking to Phakding (2610m/8,562ft).

Everything’s going really well here in Nepal, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Good times at Pashupatinath! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Good times at Pashupatinath! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Bhoudhanath Stupa (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Bhoudhanath Stupa (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our team touring Pashupatinath (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our team touring Pashupatinath (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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Makalu Base Camp!

Celebrating arrival in base camp with a welcome cake!

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team has reached their base camp! The flight to get there was nothing short of spectacular, with views of the valleys below and Himalayan peaks around every corner. Now settled into their camp, the team will begin to turn their sights towards the summit soon! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Makalu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition – today is April 27th.

This morning we had breakfast early and then hustled over to the helipad in Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft) for our flights to Makalu Base Camp, actually advanced base camp, but these days virtually every team treats this as the main base camp for the mountain. It’s here at about 18,600 feet or 5,600 meters.

Our flights this morning were spectacular! We headed up the valley of the Imja Khola River past Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) and then past the shoulder of Baruntse (7162m/23,497ft) and down into the Makalu Barun Valley. We past Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) – fantastic views, fantastic views of Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft), and then all of the spectacular glaciated peaks nearby.

We landed in base camp at about 8:00 AM. Since then, we’ve been settling in. We just had a nice dinner of Dal Bhat with some great curried chicken and enjoyed a welcome cake for dessert! Now we’re settling into watch our evening movie, Top Gun: Maverick.

Tomorrow, we plan to hold our pre-climb Puja to ask the mountain for safe passage. So, all is well here at Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Fresh snow in Makalu Base Camp

Fresh snow in Makalu Base Camp

The team at breakfast in Pangboche

The team at breakfast in Pangboche

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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Blessings at the Pangboche Monastery

Nima Sange Sherpa hiking to the Pangboche Monastery with Lobuche East and Island Peak climbers Erik and Mike. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams continued their journeys today toward their respective destinations. Our Ama Dablam team parted ways from our Everest Base Camp, Lobuche East, and Island Peak climbers and looks forward to settling into their base camp tomorrow! Together, the team visited the Pangboche Monastery for a blessing from the Lama before saying their goodbyes as we all go our separate directions up the Khumbu Valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) climb here in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal – today is October 26th. Today we woke up in Deboche (3820m/12,532ft) and walked up to Pangboche village (3985m/13,074ft). We had a cup of tea in the morning sunlight at the Namaste Lodge, and then we walked up to the monastery here in town where we received a blessing from one of the Lamas. The monastery here in Pangboche is the oldest one here in the Khumbu Valley and it’s really a nice place to spend a couple of hours. Then we descended back into town and moved into the lodge where we’ll spend tonight. Tomorrow morning we plan to hike up to Ama Dablam base camp (4600m/15,100ft).

Also today, we split off from our Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) trekkers. After the blessing they headed up to Pheriche (4371m/14,340ft) where they’ll spend two nights before moving higher up the valley toward Everest Base Camp, Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft), and then back over to Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft).

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

Arriving in the Pangboche monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Arriving in the Pangboche monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Everest Base Camp trekker Miga visiting the monastery in Pangboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Everest Base Camp trekker Miga visiting the monastery in Pangboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guest, Erik, spinning prayer wheels at the monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guest, Erik, spinning prayer wheels at the monastery. (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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Visit at the Tengboche Monastery!

The team making their way from Namche Bazaar to Deboche! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams continued up the valley today with stops along the way at the Tengboche Monastery and the neighboring bakery. Now settled into the lodge for the night, we’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep and another good day tomorrow! One of our team members is now on their way toward Gokyo Ri, but will soon be reunited with our team in just a few days on Lobuche and Island Peak! The views have been excellent and our team is in good spirits as we move further into the mountains! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2024 Madison Mountaineering autumn programs here in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal.

Today we walked from Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) to the village of Deboche (3820m/12,532ft). It was another beautiful day here in Nepal! Along the way, our guest who is heading to Gokyo Ri (5340m/17,519ft) and then looping back to climb Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft), he split off. He’ll head up into the Gokyo Valley to Dole (4038m/13,248ft) today. The rest of us, our Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) team and our EBC (5364m/17,598ft) trekkers, plus Island Peak and Lobuche East climbers, we all continued past Tengboche Monastery here to Deboche. At Tengboche (3867m/12,687ft), we had a nice visit in the monastery and received a blessing from the Lama there and then we relaxed and had some nice drinks, coffee drinks, hot drinks, and pastries at the bakery adjacent to the monastery. Now we’re settling into our lodge and looking forward to dinner in a few hours.

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

En route to Deboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

En route to Deboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our Everest Base Camp trekker Miga with Madison Mountaineering Office Manager Mike Sanders, Nima Sangye Sherpa, and Ama Dablam climber Joe! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our Everest Base Camp trekker Miga with Madison Mountaineering Office Manager Mike Sanders, Nima Sangye Sherpa, and Ama Dablam climber Joe! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting Tengboche Monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting Tengboche Monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam climber Kat completing a “kora” — or circumambulation — of Tengboche Monastery. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam climber Kat completing a “kora” — or circumambulation — of Tengboche Monastery. (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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