Tag Archive for: Makalu Base Camp

Back in base camp after the summit!

The team on the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team has safely returned to their base camp after topping out on the world’s fifth-highest peak! Just in time for dinner, the team descended into their camp, concluding another chapter of this challenging expedition. The team climbed under the moon and stars from Camp 3, gaining Makalu’s summit ridge as the sunrise began to light-up the surrounding peaks – a welcome sight after climbing in the dark for so long! With Alex in our hearts, our team stepped onto the summit and embraced, taking in the moment as this dream was realized before turning back and heading down. We’re so proud of this team! 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 May the 12th. It’s a beautiful morning here in base camp, sunny and warm, and we are relaxing after our successful summit yesterday morning! We stood on top of the fifth-highest peak on the planet yesterday, about 6:00 AM.

It was a great summit day! We left Camp 3 at about 9:30 PM on May 10th, climbed through the night under a mostly full moon and arrived on Makalu’s summit ridge just before sunrise, which meant we got to watch as the morning sun illuminated the Kangshung Face of Everest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), right next door. We could see headlamps of climbers way up on Everest on the southeast ridge, just below the summit. So yeah, it was a really great summit day and then we descended all the way back down to base camp yesterday evening and arrived in time for dinner at our normal time, 6:00.

It was a great climb and I think the best possible way to wrap up what has been a really difficult time here at Makalu for the whole Madison Mountaineering team after our teammate and friend, Alex Pancoe passed away so suddenly at Camp 2 during our acclimatization rotation. That event just left us all reeling, but we talked it over and it was clear to us that Alex brought, he brought so much stoke to the mountains. He loved being here so much and we were sure that he would have wanted us to keep climbing. So, on the 8th, we realized that we had just enough time to get to the summit in good weather before jet stream winds returned to the top of the mountain, so we went for it.

We will spend the rest of today packing up, wrapping up the expedition and then we are going to start making our way back down to lower elevations! We’ll be in touch.

Morning light on Lhotse and Everest (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Morning light on Lhotse and Everest (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Final steps to Makalu's summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Final steps to Makalu’s summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Traversing Makalu's summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Traversing Makalu’s summit ridge (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 team on the move!

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

If Alex could talk to us, he would tell us to keep climbing. After much deliberation, the Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team is on the move, making their summit push in Alex’s honor. The team climbed from their base camp to Camp 2 today, moving strongly and efficiently up the route. Now crawling into their tents for the night, the team looks forward to climbing higher up the mountain tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Makalu:

Hello from Camp 2. This is Terray checking in via Inreach. The first day of our summit push went well as we made good time up 900 meters from Base Camp to Camp 2. We’re taking it one day, one step at a time, but looking forward to climbing to Camp 3 on the Makalu La tomorrow. 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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On the move on Makalu!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives.

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team is on the move! Weather improved throughout the day as the team climbed higher up the mountain before crawling into their tents for the night. The terrain is inspiring, both the route ahead of them and other surrounding peaks – no shortage of great views here! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Makalu:

Hello from Makalu Camp 1! Today we left base camp after breakfast and enjoyed a peaceful climb here, at first in light snowfall, and then under clearing skies. Now we’re settled into our tents at 6,400m and the skies have cleared. We have great views of the route above us, plus Baruntse (7162m/23,497ft), Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) and many other peaks. We’re looking forward to an active rest day tomorrow before we move to Camp 2. 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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Seeing the route on Makalu!

The team near crampon point with Makalu behind (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team took to the climbing route today, hiking up to ‘crampon point’ to acclimatize and get familiar with the start of the path to the summit. Under blue skies and with the sun shining, the team moved well above base camp, taking in views of the mountain, surrounding peaks, and down to their base camp below. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch after another great day on Makalu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition – today is April 29th.

Today, we woke up after a windy night here in base camp. But, the sun was shining so we took the opportunity to hike on up to ‘crampon point’ at about 6,000-meters, a little more than an hour above base camp. It was a great hike! The fresh snow made the footing a little difficult, but the team did really well and we had excellent views back down toward base camp and of all the peaks to the south of us, as well as a perspective almost all the way to the summit of Makalu!

We made it back down, had a late lunch, and we’ve just been resting since then. We’re looking forward to another movie in our base camp cinema tonight and dinner before that! So all is well here in base camp and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

En route to ‘crampon point’ (photo by Terray Sylvester)

En route to ‘crampon point’ (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing up the route (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing up the route (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Aga, with a view back toward base camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Aga, with a view back toward 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:

– 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 Expedition Puja

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu team post-puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team held their Puja ceremony today. With a fresh blanket of snow on base camp, the team came together to ask the mountain for safe passage before they begin their climb. As they prepared for their second night in base camp, the clouds broke, treating the team to blue skies and a gorgeous show of alpenglow on the surrounding peaks before sitting down for dinner. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Makalu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition – today is April 28th.

Today we had our pre-climb Puja! That’s always a nice event for the team to come together and ask the mountain for safe passage before we start climbing above base camp. It snowed for most of the day. We woke up to a couple of inches on the ground and we got a couple more inches over the course of the day. But right now, blue skies are above us, the top of the mountain is out, and we’re looking at some really beautiful alpenglow on the peaks to the southwest of us.

So, all in all it’s been a really good day here in base camp! We’re just about to sit down to dinner and tomorrow, we’re planning a hike up to crampon point.

All is well. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

During the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

During the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Aga, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Aga, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Kristin, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Kristin, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Alex, receiving a blessing during the puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Alex, receiving a blessing during the puja (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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First rotation is done!

The team together on the summit of Lobuche East!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Everest and Lhotse expedition teams continued their acclimatization efforts by climbing Lobuche East over the weekend. This concludes their first acclimatization rotation before they head through the Khumbu Icefall on the next rotation. The team had a great climb, enjoying spectacular views as they climbed swiftly and strongly to the summit. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Lobuche village:

Hello! Today is Monday, April 28 and we are back from our Lobuche Peak (6119m/20,075ft) climb.

Yesterday, we summited Lobuche East , the sub-peak of Lobuche Peak just below Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft). We had a great climb, beautiful weather, clear and sunny. We’re back down in Lobuche Lodge (4940m/16,210ft) now and we’re heading back to Everest Base Camp later today.

Terray and the Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) team flew from Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft) over to Makalu Base Camp yesterday and got all settled in. It looks like they have a beautiful base camp there at Makalu! We’re wishing them good luck on their climb.

So, all is well here in Nepal! We’ll check in soon.

Ama Dablam as seen from Lobuche High Camp.

Ama Dablam as seen from Lobuche High Camp.

Starting up the route on clear, starry skies.

Starting up the route under clear, starry skies.

Ascending fixed-lines on the way to the summit.

Ascending fixed-lines on the way to the summit.

Looking down the ridge that leads to the summit over clouds below.

Looking down the ridge that leads to the summit over clouds below.

Views of Mount Everest from the top of Lobuche East!

Views of Mount Everest from the top of Lobuche East!

Some of the team on the summit!

Some of the team on the summit!

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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Makalu team en route to Base Camp!

The team at breakfast in Pangboche!

The Madison Mountaineering Makalu expedition team said ‘see you later’ to our Everest and Lhotse teams and are on their way towards Makalu! After a pleasant trek to Everest Base Camp and some productive days there spent  training and acclimatizing, they headed back down the Khumbu Valley and await their helicopter flight to their base camp. The climbing is set to start soon and everyone is excited for what’s to come! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Pangboche:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition – today is April 26.

Yesterday, we departed from Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft). We trekked as far as Everest Base Camp with the main Everest (8848m/29,032ft)-Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) team to acclimatize, then we spent a few days there training and going for hikes, getting some higher altitude. But, yesterday we left and we headed down to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft). We rested here last night. We’ll spend one more night here tonight, and then if the weather permits, we hope to fly to Makalu Base Camp tomorrow morning!

It’s a beautiful day here – breezy, warm, spring weather. And, we’re really looking forward to heading over to Makalu and getting started with the climbing! So, all is well here in Nepal 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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Puja day in Everest Base Camp!

Our team following the Puja ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Mount Everest and Lhotse expedition teams gathered together today in prayer to ask the mountains for safe passage by way of the Puja ceremony. It was another beautiful day in Everest Base Camp for this important piece of our expeditions! With technical skills review and our Puja ceremony complete, our team plans to descend back down the valley tomorrow towards Lobuche East for our first acclimatization rotation in which we’ll climb to 6119m / 20,075ft. Meanwhile, we’ve said goodby to our Makalu expedition team who is en route to their climbing objective. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison check in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Mount Everest (8848m/29,032ft) – Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) team.

We are at Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft)! We’ve had two great days of training back to back out in the Khumbu Icefall on our ice course doing ascending, repelling on fixed-lines – some really fun, engaging terrain out here.

Today, we had our Puja – our sacred, spiritual ceremony where we ask the mountain for safe passage. Our entire Nepalese staff, our Sherpa team, and a Lama came up from down valley to recite the prayers and offer the the gods the chance for us to have safe passage. So, the Puja ceremony went well today. It was a big success, a beautiful day, a very special ceremony. Tomorrow, we’re going to head down to Lobuche (4940m/16,210ft) and do some climbing on Lobuche East Peak (6119m/20,075ft)!

Our Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) team left us after four nights here in Everest Base Camp. Terray, Aga, Alex, and Kristin – they’re down in Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft) and heading over to Makalu Base Camp here in a couple of days by helicopter. So, it’s a smaller crew, we’re sad to see them go, but wishing them a great adventure on their climb. And we’re looking forward to more great weather here at Everest 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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