Tag Archive for: K2 advanced base camp

Back down to K2 Base Camp

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

The Madison Mountaineering Karakoram expedition teams have returned back to their base camp after spending a few nights acclimatizing and taking part in environmental restoration efforts at K2‘s Advanced Base Camp. While they begin to prepare to make their summit bids, the team will spend some time resting and recovering over the course of the next few days, with some more activity and cleanup efforts thrown into the mix. Everyone’s in good spirits and excited for what’s ahead! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from K2 Base Camp:

Hello from K2 Base Camp (4968m/16,300ft). We’re spending active rest days here as we prepare for our summit bids on K2 (8611m/28,251ft) and Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft). We’re also hoping to fit in at least one more cleanup session before we conclude the waste collection aspect of this expedition. That effort was proposed by our climber, Ryan Mitchell. He’s done a great job helping with the cleanup itself, and raising funds to support it by soliciting donations to our nonprofit Madison Mountaineering Foundation, which we founded to support our waste removal efforts in the high altitude climbing zones that we cherish. The team is doing well. 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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456 pounds of waste collected so far!

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

The Madison Mountaineering team that’s positioned in advanced base camp at the foot of K2 continued their acclimatization efforts today, combined with more cleanup in and around camp. An additional 62 kilos of trash will be properly removed from the mountain, bringing the teams total to 207kg / 456lbs altogether! With some more cleanup planned in the days ahead, the team will also start to look for their window to move up the mountains, K2 and Broad Peak both. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from K2:

Hello again from K2 Advanced Base Camp (5303m/17,400ft)! This morning we cleaned up 62 kilos of trash from here at ABC and the base of the Abruzzi Spur, where debris that falls from Camps 1 (6065m/19,900ft) and 2 (6700m/21,980ft) often lands. As with our previous high elevation cleanups, we picked up old tents, clothing items, food packaging, pieces of oxygen systems, and many cooking gas canisters. We were also surprised to find a GoPro 10. This was our third cleanup session, and our staff and climbers did a great job. All told, we’ve now picked up 207kg / 456lbs of waste from here at K2 (8611m/28,251ft). We’re planning at least one more cleanup push before we launch our summit bids on K2 and Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft). 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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Settled in Advanced Base Camp

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

The Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team reached advanced base camp today under blue skies, with great views of the surrounding peaks, and the route above them. They’ll spend several nights here acclimatizing and cleaning up some of the trash that’s accumulated in and around the camp. The team is remaining in good spirits and hopeful to move higher up the mountain soon! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from K2‘s Advanced Base Camp:

Hello from K2 ABC (5303m/17,400ft)! This afternoon we hiked here and settled into our tents. We’re planning to spend two nights here acclimatizing and cleaning up trash before we return to base camp (4968m/16,300ft). The weather was beautiful today — sunny skies and slightly cooler temperatures. 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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More cleanup efforts in the Karakoram!

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

Upon exiting their tents, the Madison Mountaineering team welcomed a blanket of fresh snow on their base camp! As they day continued on, the clouds above them cleared over head, allowing the team to conduct some further cleanup efforts around camp. Over the course of the expedition, they’ve removed over 300 pounds of trash with no plans of stopping any time soon! With plans to move up to advanced base camp soon, they’ll shift their focus to climbing, but do some cleanup in the process. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from K2 Base Camp:

Hello from K2 Base Camp (4968m/16,300ft)! Today we woke up to several inches of fresh snow in camp and clearing skies. By lunch the snow had melted off around camp. So we headed out for a second trash cleanup session. Our climbers and staff picked up 111 kilos today. That brings our total so far to 145 kilos, or about 320 pounds. We’re planning to move our cleanup to advanced base camp (5303m/17,400ft) next. 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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Progress on K2 and the Unclimbed Peak

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

Madison Mountaineering teams on K2 and the Unclimbed Peak are making great progress so far! Our K2 expedition team climbed from Advanced Base Camp today up to Camp 1 where they are settled into their tents for the night. Meanwhile, our Unclimbed Peak team is moving up the route with our Sherpa team hard at work fixing lines towards the summit. The team plans to take a rest day tomorrow and is aiming to make their summit push the following day! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from camp on the Unclimbed Peak:

Cacho, Benny, and 4 climbers are in Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft) on the Abruzzi route. We had a short climb today, resting tomorrow in prep for our summit attempt!

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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Unclimbed Peak and K2 climbs have commenced!

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

Climbing for the Madison Mountaineering Karakoram expedition teams has begun! Our K2 expedition team has started their first rotation on the Abruzzi route where they’ll acclimate at higher altitudes and familiarize themselves with the route along the way. Meanwhile, the Unclimbed Peak expedition team has moved to their advanced base camp and is getting ready to make their ascent later this week. It’s an exciting time with lots of climbing action going on in the Karakoram! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from advanced base camp on the Unclimbed Peak:

Greetings from the Unclimbed Peak Advanced Base Camp (ABC)! We’ve moved up here for a few days, hoping to climb it on July 11-13. All is well here!

Cacho and Benny are heading up today with our K2 (8611m/28,251ft) team on a rotation to spend five nights total on the Abruzzi route. (ABC, C1, C2)

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

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive. (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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Settled into K2 Base Camp

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

The Madison Mountaineering Karakoram expedition teams have settled into their base camp at the foot of K2! The team enjoyed excellent views of some of the world’s great peaks like the Trango Towers, Masherbrum, and Gasherbrums throughout the five-day trek from Askole. Now in base camp, the team has begun technical skills review and organizing for the climbing ahead. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft), Unclimbed Peak, and Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft) expedition team. Happy Fourth of July here from K2 base camp (4968m/16,300ft) in Pakistan!

The team is doing well! We did training today. Tomorrow we’re going for an acclimatization hike up to advanced base camp (5303m/17,400ft). The weather has been great and we’ve been enjoying our time here settling into base camp, taking showers, having great meals, watching movies, and getting organized and ready for the climbing ahead!

We’re happy to celebrate the American Independence Day here! Great evening here with the team and we’re looking forward to some good days ahead. We’ll check in soon! All is well here at K2 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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Acclimatization Rotation: Complete

Morning light on the summit of K2 from the Madison Mountaineering base camp. Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo: Terray Sylvester)

After five nights spent on K2 during their acclimatization rotation, the team has safely and successfully descended back down to base camp! We had a great rotation up on the mountain, familiarizing ourselves with the route and acclimatizing to the altitude that we’ll experience during the summit rotation. The team plans to spend the next few days resting and preparing to make their summit push! With good weather in the forecast, the team will look to head back up the mountain soon, only this time going for the summit. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from K2 Base Camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition. Today is July 19th and our team is all in base camp (4968m/16,300ft) resting and doing well! Yesterday the team came down from Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft), descending all the way from Camp 2 to Base Camp after concluding a great rotation – five nights of acclimatizing up on the route between Advanced Base Camp (5303m/17,400ft), Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft), and Camp 2.

The weather has been really nice! Sunny skies, it’s warmed up quite a bit, and we are just getting ready to strategize for our final rotation – our summit push, which hopefully will come in a few days time. We’re watching the weather forecast and working with other teams, coming up with a good plan for fixing the final ropes from Camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) to Camp 4 (7681m/25,200ft), and onto the summit!

So everyone is doing well here in K2 Base Camp and 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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First Rotation Coming Up!

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

The 2023 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team is primed and ready to move up the mountain for their first rotation! They’ve completed technical trainings to sharpen their skills for what they’ll face in the climbing ahead, organized their gear, and all there’s left to do is start the climb. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this update from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 (8611m/28,251ft) expedition team. Today is July 12th and we had another great day here training in base camp (4968m/16,300ft), reviewing all of the fixed line climbing techniques with the ascender and repelling down. We got organized for our first rotation – the plan is the team will head up to advanced based camp (5303m/17,400ft) tomorrow on the 13th, spend one night, and then head up to Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft) for a couple of nights and up to Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) for a couple of nights. Back down in base camp by the 18th.

So the weather forecast is looking very [garbled] the next few days. Our team is ready to go and gain some altitude on K2, and get some good acclimatization in! So, all is well here in 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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Back in K2 Base Camp

Photo from Madison Mountaineering Photo Archive

The team has completed their first rotation on K2, and are now resting up and enjoying themselves in base camp (4968m/16,300ft). Here’s expedition lead, Garrett Madison, with today’s dispatch from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 Expedition Team. Today is Wednesday, July 6th and the team is all back down in base camp.

The team had a great second night at Camp 2 (6700m/21,980ft) completing the first rotation – it was two nights at Camp 1 (6065m/19,900ft), two nights at Camp 2, and a night at Advanced Base Camp (5303m/17,400ft), so a total of five nights up on the mountain. We’re all back in base camp and had a great afternoon – showers, laundry, a nice dinner, and a movie! So, looking forward to a good nights rest. Everyone’s doing well here!

Tomorrow, some of our sherpa team will do a trip up to Camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) with some oxygen. But, we’re all doing well here on K2. It’s been cloudy today and yesterday, but hopefully some good weather’s coming tomorrow and the next day. Looking forward to hopefully some more good weather in the future!

All is well and 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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