Tag Archive for: Lukla

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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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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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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2025 Makalu expedition is here!

All of the spring Nepal climbing and trekking teams at the Pasang Lhamu Gate in Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Madison Mountaineering is excited for this highly anticipated expedition – Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak! Over the course of the last few days, our team gathered in Kathmandu before boarding their next flight. This time, they were flying into the mountains to begin the expedition! Our Makalu climbers will trek alongside our Everest and Lhotse climbers to Everest Base Camp, before flying over to Makalu where they’ll begin their climb. It’s been a great start to the expedition so far, spirits are high, and we’re excited to continue higher into the alpine! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Phakding:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition this spring – today is April 14.

Yesterday, all of the team came together in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). We had a nice welcome dinner and then headed to bed early. We woke up this morning for our heli flight up to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). The weather was great for the flight! It was a little hazy in Kathmandu in the days leading up to our arrival, but then some rain started which cleared out the sky. So, we had a spectacular flight into Lukla, had a nice breakfast there, and then walked to Phakding (2610m/8,562ft). We’re getting settled into our rooms now, looking forward to a nice meal, and looking forward to our move to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) tomorrow!

Our plan is to acclimatize here in the Khumbu Valley all the way up to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft), and then we’ll fly over to Makalu Base Camp to begin our ascent of the fifth-highest mountain. 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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Spring Himalayan Expeditions are underway!

Team dinner in Kathmandu!

The Madison Mountaineering spring 2025 Himalayan season is underway in Nepal! After a brief stopover in Kathmandu to gather as a team, conduct gear checks, and make final preparations, the team boarded helicopters and took a scenic flight to Lukla where we started the trek. This marks the beginning of our 2025 Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Everest Base Camp expeditions! Everest and Lhotse expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this inaugural dispatch from the Himalaya:

Hey! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Everest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) team – today is April 14.

We’re trekking up the Khumbu Valley, we flew from Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) this morning. Today is Nepali New Year, 2082! We had a nice trek, it was cool and a little bit of rain. So, it kept the dust down and now we’re in the Sunrise Lodge in Phakding (2610m/8,562ft). Tomorrow, we’re trekking up to Namche (3440m/11,290ft)!

It’s great to be underway here on the expedition, heading up towards base camp (5364m/17,598ft). Everyone’s doing well and very excited to be here! We’ll check in soon.

Some of the team getting ready to board helicopters en route to Lukla!

Some of the team getting ready to board helicopters en route to Lukla!

On the trail!

On the trail!

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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Check in from the Ama Dablam team!

The team on the summit of Ama Dablam with Everest and Lhotse in the background! From left: Guide Terray Sylvester, our climber, Joe, and Sirdar and Guide, Aang Phurba Sherpa. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Safely back in base camp, the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team spent the day re-introducing themselves to the luxuries of life off of the mountain! After a great day successfully reaching the summit on the day prior, the team relaxed, celebrated, and began getting prepared to make their way back down the valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Ama Dablam base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the autumn 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is November 8th. Today, we had a rest day here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft) after our successful summit push. Yesterday, we topped out on Ama Dablam at about 7:30 AM in the morning, and then we descended all the way back down to base camp and had a nice dinner here and got a good nights sleep.

So, we spent today taking showers and getting packed and prepared for our trek back down the valley to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). Our plan is to leave for Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) tomorrow morning and then finish off the trek the following day.

All in all, we had a fantastic summit push! Two days ago, or three days ago on November 5th, we moved up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). The following day, we moved to Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft), rested most of the day, and then that evening at about 11:00 PM we started our summit climb and topped out at about 7:30 AM in the morning! The climbing conditions were perfect – zero wind and perfectly clear skies, which meant we had great views of the peaks around us and before the sun came up, excellent views of a brilliant, starry sky over the Himalayas!

So, all is well here in base camp and we’ll be in touch from Namche Bazaar tomorrow!

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

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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A perfect day to fly!

The whole team starting the journey up the Khumbu Valley! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Himalayan expedition teams awoke early to their alarm clocks this morning with excitement for the day ahead of them. After checking out of the hotel and hauling our duffel bags downstairs, we loaded the bus and we’re on our way to begin the next leg of the journey – an exciting helicopter flight from the capital city to Lukla! After lifting off and flying high above the city below, the city streets soon disappeared and turned into steep terraced hillsides, which later revealed crystal clear views of the Himalayas as we climbed higher and higher into the sky. Full of excitement from an awesome flight and with bellies full after a nice breakfast, we hit the trail en route to our first stop on the way into the Khumbu. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Phakding:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall 2024 Madison Mountaineering programs in the Khumbu Valley. Today we flew from Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) – we took helis! It was a beautiful flight, maybe one of the clearest flights that I’ve ever had coming into Lukla. We had great views of the mountains all the way in, landed in Lukla earlier this morning, then we had a nice breakfast at the Paradise Lodge, and walked here to Phakding (2610m/8,562ft)! And again, the weather was just fantastic all day – really nice temperature and good views of the hills and higher peaks around us.

We just had lunch and now we’re settling in with the nice white noise of the Dudh Koshi River, not too far away. We’re looking forward to another good day tomorrow when we’ll walk from Phakding up to Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft)! We’ll be in touch then.

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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Hello from Nepal!

The team at their welcome dinner tonight!

The Madison Mountaineering team is back in Nepal this season with several different teams trekking and climbing around the Himalayas! After a long day of travel, everyone has arrived and is looking forward to the days ahead after some rest and final preparations. Together, we’ve gone through a gear check and orientation, capping off the day with a fun dinner at a nice restaurant nearby the hotel. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in from Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) for the Madison Mountaineering programs in Nepal’s Khumbu Valley this fall – today is October 20th. Over the last 48 hours, our guests have been arriving in Kathmandu. Today, we kicked off our fall programs with an orientation and gear checks here at the Yak and Yeti Hotel, and then we just wrapped up a really nice welcome dinner at Mezze restaurant in the downtown core of Nepal’s capital city, just a block from the former royal palace.

We have guests heading out on a variety of programs! We have our Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) climbing team, we have guests heading to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft), and we have some people who will trek to Everest Base Camp and then climb Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft) and Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft). We have some folks who are heading out on the three passes loop up into the Gokyo area, and then looping back in toward Everest Base Camp and some of the popular 6,000-meter peaks in the area.

So we have a lot of activity underway here in Nepal and we’re looking forward to a really great season! Tomorrow we plan to do our pre-expedition city tour here in Kathmandu, and then the following day hopefully, we’ll start making our way up toward Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). So, all is well here in Kathmandu and 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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City tour in Kathmandu!

Members of our Fall Khumbu Valley programs pose for a team photo with a sadhu (Hindu holy man) at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team ventured out into the bustling city of Kathmandu today for a tour of some of its most important sites! After a wonderful visit to both the Pashupatinath and Boudhanath Temples, the team was free to do as they liked and spent the rest of the day walking the city streets, resting, and packing for the move tomorrow! With good weather in the forecast, we’ll meet on the helicopter pad for our flight to Lukla where the trek officially begins. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall 2024 Madison Mountaineering Khumbu Valley programs, our Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) climb, Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) treks, and Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft), Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) climbs.

Today, we visited Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Temple here in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). That was our usual city tour before we fly out to the Khumbu Valley. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day here in Kathmandu and we had a really nice time visiting those two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll wake up early and take helicopters up to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft) if all goes as planned and if the weather allows us to fly. So far the forecast is looking good! So, we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

The Madison Mountaineering team during our city tour at Pashupatinath Temple. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team during our city tour at Pashupatinath Temple. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Members of the team snapping photographs at Boudha Stupa. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Members of the team snapping photographs at Boudha Stupa. (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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