The Madison MountaineeringEverest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), and Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft) expedition team have arrived in Camp 1! The team moved smoothly through the Khumbu Icefall and looks forward to the coming days of acclimatization and time spent in the Western Cwm. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch from Camp 1:
Greetings from C1 (6050m/19,849ft). We had a nice climb up through the icefall today, everyone is doing well here.
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/2024/05/20220421_MountEverest_R5_TerraySylvester_0040.jpg8001200Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2024-05-04 13:21:032024-05-04 16:38:45Through the icefall and into Camp 1
The Madison MountaineeringHimalayan expedition teams have set off on their first rotation through the Khumbu Icefall with plans to touch Camp 3 before returning to their base camp, and beginning preparations for their summit push! On a clear and starry night, the team set foot into the icefall navigating through what’s considered one of the most challenging sections on the route. Previous technical training in base camp reviewed the skills the team will need to use to safely and efficiently move through this landscape. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch from the Himalayas:
Hey! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison MountaineeringEverest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft) climb. We are heading up on our first rotation now to Camp 1 (6050m/19,849ft)! We’re going to spend a couple of nights up there, then head on up to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft)! It’s a beautiful, starry night. Little rumbles in the distance there… We’re excited to get going! Everyone’s doing 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:
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.“
It comes with great excitement to share that the Madison MountaineeringMount Everest expedition team has completed their first rotation with 100 percent of the team reaching the summit of Lobuche East! The team has returned to base camp, greeted by additional members who have joined the expedition. All together, we look forward to a second Puja ceremony and our second rotation, this time through the Khumbu Icefall. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:
Today our team returned from a successful climb of Lobuche Peak (6119m/20,075ft) for training and acclimatization. 100 percent success on the peak, beautiful views, and everyone back safely. A few members of our team have been here in base camp (5364m/17,598ft) with me training the last few days, practicing fixed lines, and tomorrow we’re going to have a Puja ceremony, our second one now that everyone is here together to ask the mountain for safe passage. And then, we’re planning our first rotation up to Camps 1 (6050m/19,849ft), 2 (6500m/21,325ft), and 3 (7230m/23,720ft) shortly.
Everyone’s doing great, it’s been beautiful weather here at Everest Base Camp, and our Sherpa team has been working hard up on the route to Camp 1 and Camp 2 carrying loads. So, all is well here at Mount Everest and we’ll check in soon!
The Madison Mountaineering team ascending fixed lines toward the summit of Lobuche East!
Everest Base Camp sitting below Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)
Sunset views from Everest Base 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:
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 climbing is about to begin! Our 2024 Himalayan expedition teams have conducted their Puja ceremony, done technical training in the Khumbu Icefall, and are ready for their first rotation. Their first rotation will take place on Lobuche East, another peak near base camp which has less objective hazard than the Khumbu Icefall. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison MountaineeringEverest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft) expedition team. Today, our Everest main team is down at Lobuche Peak (6119m/20,075ft) and leaving in a few hours for the summit of Lobuche East! (They’re) going for the summit early morning, hopefully at sunrise, and then will be back at base camp (6119m/20,075ft) in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, a couple of our climbers were out training in the Khumbu Icefall today practicing ropes and technical climbing with Aang Phurba and myself. Terray and Nelly are back from Annapurna (8091m/26,545ft) doing their climbing and cleanup project. It was a very successful project! Now they’ve just arrived to Everest Base Camp, settling in, and getting ready for Lhotse!
So, all is well here in the Khumbu Valley and on Mount Everest! Our Sherpa team has been carrying loads up to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft), the weather has been great, and we are excited to continue with the expedition and head up the icefall here in a few days time! We’ll check in soon.
Scene from the team’s Puja Ceremony – an essential piece of our Mount Everest expeditions. (Photo by Courtenay Roche)
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.“
Following a full day yesterday, the team took a rest day today, enjoying good weather, food, and rest. The climbing has been smooth thus far and everyone is looking forward to the move up to Camp 3 tomorrow! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Camp 2:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison MountaineeringEverest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) expedition. We are up at Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft) and everyone is doing well!
Yesterday, we climbed up from base camp (5364m/17,598ft) through the Khumbu Icefall, across Camp 1 (6050m/19,849ft), and up to Camp 2 here. Everyone is great. We have really good weather, good route conditions and got into Camp 2 in the afternoon.
It’ll be a nice restful day, dinner, and good night’s sleep. So, today we’re just resting. Our Sherpa team is up now on the Lhotse Face at Camp 3 (7230m/23,720ft), setting up our tent platforms and getting things ready for us to move up to Camp 3 tomorrow. So the plan is move up to Camp 3 on the 21st and the weather looks good! It looks like some calm days ahead, so we are excited for the forecast and moving up the mountain to give Everest and Lhotse our best shot!
So, we’ll check in soon. All is well here on Mount Everest!
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.“
Good news from the 2023 Madison MountaineeringMount Everest and Lhotse expedition… The team has safely and successfully made it through the Khumbu Icefall and settled into their tents for the night at Camp 2! Good weather and route conditions made for smooth climbing through the icefall and into the Western Cwm. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checked in with this brief update from Camp 2 on Mount Everest:
We all made it up to camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft), nice weather and good conditions!
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.“
After an alpine start to their day, the team is back in Everest Base Camp (EBC) due to a collapse in the icefall. Our team is all safe and back to their beds, with hopes that the route gets reopened soon, so that they can move up the mountain tomorrow. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief update from EBC:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest (8848m/29,032ft) expedition team. Today is May 18th, it’s about 2:30 in the morning here at Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft). We set out two or three hours ago for our first rotation to move up to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft), but after leaving base camp and just about getting into the icefall, we encountered some climbers coming back down who had tried to go up, and had encountered a collapse in the icefall where the route was broken about half the way up.
So, we’re going to rest today and hopefully the icefall doctors can get up there and repair that section of the route that’s broken, and then our plan is to go again tomorrow. So, one day behind our anticipated schedule, but everyone’s doing well here! Good practice, good dry run this morning, looking forward to getting some sleep and then going for it again 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:
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 training and preparation is done, and there’s only one thing left to do! The team is settled into their base camp homes for a few more hours of shut eye before they depart out of base camp, and once again, onto the mountain. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison lays out todays plan as the team gets an alpine start in just a few short hours:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison MountaineeringEverest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) expedition. Today is May 17th and tonight we are starting our summit rotation, heading up from Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft). We’re departing in a few hours time, around 1:00 AM. Hopefully we’ll have a smooth climb up through the Khumbu Icefall and get up to Camp 2 mid day.
So, we’re looking forward to kicking things off here! The weather looks great, crowds have thinned, we’ve done all of our training and preparation, and we’re ready to go! So, very excited to be headed up the mountain and attempting to summit Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse.
Guide, Scott Webster and climber, Stevie Hornik. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climber, Danah Al Ali practicing technical skills near base camp. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climber, Eva Perglerova ice climbing near base camp. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Guide, Cacho Beiza (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climber, Rich Draves practicing ice climbing near base camp. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climbers, Stevie Hornik and Peter Horsman practicing with oxygen equipment. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climbers, Erwin Visser and Rich Draves practicing with oxygen equipment under the instruction of Garrett Madison. (Photo: 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:
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.“
Here we go! With good weather in the forecast, technical trainings complete, and acclimatization done, the team is primed and ready to make their summit push! The team has one more day of rest and preparation before they, once again, venture through the Khumbu Icefall and up the mountain. Only this time, with plans to go for the summit! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with today’s dispatch from Everest Base Camp:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison MountaineeringEverest (8848m/29,032ft) expedition. Today is May 16th and we are preparing to head up soon to start our summit rotation!
Today, we did a little training review, went for a short hike, went over our oxygen systems and talked through what to expect on the summit push! Tomorrow, we’re going to rest and organize our final equipment, and then plan to head up tomorrow night, about 24 hours from now to start our summit rotation.
We’re looking at May 23rd for our potential Everest summit date. So, fingers crossed the weather holds, the conditions are good, and we get lucky! We’re excited, this is what we’ve been working for all year and we’re looking forward to get the climb underway.
Climber, Rick Irvine training near base camp. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Guide, Cacho Beiza helping climbers, Rick Irvine and Serge Larouche polish their technical skills on the Khumbu Glacier. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climber, Serge Larouche training near base camp. (Photo: 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:
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/2023/05/PHOTO-2023-05-16-00-00-09.jpg11181600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2023-05-16 16:33:142023-05-16 17:51:17Summit rotation set to start!
After several days and nights spent above the Khumbu Icefall in the Western Cwm, the Madison Mountaineering team’s second acclimatization rotation is coming to a close! With a few days of rest and relaxation ahead, the team can start to look forward to their summit push. Expedition guide, Terray Sylvester, checks in with today’s dispatch from Everest Base Camp:
This morning our first wave of Everest and Lhotse climbers wrapped up their second acclimatization foray on the mountain. They spent three nights at Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft), climbed up toward the Lhotse face one day, and then this morning we returned back down to base camp (5364m/17,598ft). It was absolutely beautiful weather for that descent and we had great conditions as we descended through the Khumbu Icefall, which is in really excellent shape this year!
Meanwhile, the second wave of our Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse climbers are at Camp 2. They moved from Camp 1 (6050m/19,849ft) to Camp 2 today, they’ll spend several nights there acclimatizing, and then descend back to base camp. If weather and route conditions allow, then some of those climbers will head up to Nuptse as well!
So, all is well here in base camp! Tomorrow, our first wave of climbers will start their drop back in Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft). We’ll fly down the valley via helicopter to rest and relax, and prepare for our summit push. We’ll be in touch!
Morning light on Pumori as the “first wave” moved to Camp 2. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climber, Rick Irvine, in the Khumbu Icefall on the way to Camp 2. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Morning light on Camp 1. (Photo: Terray Sylvester)
Climber, Peter Horsman, and the “first wave” team descending out of the Western Cwm toward base camp. (Photo: 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:
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/2023/05/PHOTO-2023-05-05-06-08-12.jpg10661600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2023-05-05 11:53:212023-05-05 15:15:25Wrapping up the second rotation!
