Tag Archive for: Manaslu Base Camp

Great views of Manaslu from Camp I

Clear skies over Manaslu (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team is settled into Camp 1, and the first rotation on the mountain is officially underway! After a big breakfast, the team shouldered their packs and climbed under mostly clear skies to their next camp. The weather provided excellent views of the mountain and nearby glacier to further motivate the team as they climbed into Camp I. Now settled in, the team will continue to rest and acclimatize the rest of the day before climbing higher tomorrow. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp I on Manaslu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 17.

This morning, we had a nice breakfast in base camp (4859m/15,944ft): french toast, homemade yogurt, bacon, omelets. And then just after 9 AM, we climbed to Camp I (5700m/18,700ft). We had a really nice day for it! Today was the driest day so far since we moved to base camp; a few passing clouds, but really nice views of the Manaslu Glacier and the north face of the mountain.

We arrived in Camp I at just under 5,800 meters and we’ve been resting since then. We just had some ramen soup and we’re looking forward to dinner in a little while. And then a night of acclimatization at Camp I before we venture into the ice fall between Camp I and Camp II (6400m/21,000ft) tomorrow.

Everything’s going well here in the Himalayas in Nepal. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Climbers Woodie and Myles ensconced in Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbers Woodie and Myles ensconced in Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 1 (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing on the lower Manaslu Glacier (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing on the lower Manaslu Glacier (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:

/0 Comments/by

Getting ready to go up!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team is prepared to start their first rotation on the mountain! While the Sherpa team has been hard at work making carries to prepare the higher camps, our climbers sorted gear and chose their meals, getting mentally prepared for the climbing to come. After a good nights sleep, we’ll be on the move tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 16.

This morning was a nice day here in Manaslu Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft)! We had a little bit of rain in the afternoon, but the morning was partly clear with some nice views up the north face of Manaslu. And we spent the day preparing for our rotation. We’re planning to move up to Camp I (5700m/18,700ft) tomorrow. The team chose their meals for Camp I and got gear sorted out. And our Sherpa team will do another carry this evening up to Camp I, up to Camp II (6400m/21,000ft). So things are looking good for progress above base camp!

Everything’s going 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:

/0 Comments/by

Pre-Climb Puja Ceremony

The team after a successful ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team had a busy day in base camp! After a good breakfast, the team jumped into some technical skills review to dial in all of their systems before heading out on the nearby glacier tomorrow. Not long after that, we were met by a Lama from Samagaun who led the team through their Puja Ceremony, which is an important part of our climbs in the Himalaya and Karakoram. The rest of the day included more acclimatizing, nutritious meals, and relaxing following another good day in Nepal! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) Expedition. Today is September 15.

Today was a busy day here in Manaslu Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft). After breakfast, we did a technical skills review session, right here in base camp. We just dialed in our technical climbing gear and reviewed ascent and descent techniques. Tomorrow, we’ll do a longer session – probably half a day on the Manaslu Glacier itself.

And then after that technical skills session, we had our pre-climb Puja. A Lama from Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) came up and led that. This Puja was a Tibetan-Buddhist ceremony to ask the mountain for safe passage. It’s always a really nice way to kick off the climbing phase of an expedition and for the whole team to come together: both our climbers and climbing Sherpas, as well as our base camp staff. So that was really nice!

Then we had a good lunch: chicken burgers, salad, fresh fruit, and a few other items. And after lunch, we headed out for a hike to the top of base camp, and then about halfway toward Crampon Point. We turned around around 5,050 meters or so, came back to camp.

We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. And then we’re looking forward to dinner and a movie on our base camp cinema!

So, all is going well here at Manaslu. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Pre-climb puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Pre-climb puja (photo by Terray Sylvester)

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

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

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

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

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

Our climbers participating in a technical skills refresher before tomorrow’s session on the Manaslu Glacier

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:

/0 Comments/by

Manaslu Base Camp!

The whole team in base camp!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has arrived in base camp! With the final member of our team now on-site, it’s time to get to work. After fueling up for the day in Sama Village, we shouldered our packs and hit the trail en route to base camp. The team is settled in there now, and looks forward to the days ahead as they prepare to take to the climbing route and start making their way toward the summit! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu Base Camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 14th, 2026.

This morning, we walked from Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) up to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). We left Sama just before 8 a.m. and arrived in base camp in time for an early lunch. It was a really nice walk! The weather was a little rainy in the morning, but after an hour or so the rain dissipated, and for the rest of the way to base camp we had dry air, and really nice views down into the Nubri Valley far below us.

We’ve been resting this afternoon since arriving in base camp, and we’re looking forward to our Puja tomorrow! In other big news, our express climber, Woodie, arrived in Sama yesterday. He touched down in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) yesterday morning, then went straight to the helipad and flew to Sama. So he joined us for the hike up to base camp today!

We’re looking forward to getting the climbing phase of the expedition underway, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Our climbers Myles and Woodie en route to Manaslu Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers Myles and Woodie en route to Manaslu Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Hiking above Sama Village and the terminus of the North Manaslu Glacier (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Hiking above Sama Village and the terminus of the North Manaslu Glacier (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:

/0 Comments/by

Milarepa Cave

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team kept up the acclimatization work with a hike to a sacred cave nearby their tea house. The team enjoyed views of Manaslu high above them throughout the day. Everyone is doing great so far! It won’t be long before they make the move up to base camp in just a few days time. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 12th.

Today, we woke up to a nice day: partly cloudy, blue sky, some sunshine. So we went for a hike up to the Milarepa Cave, which is a sacred cave between Sama Village (3530m/11,581ft) where we’re staying, and Samdo, the next village up the valley toward Larkey Pass (5106m/16,752ft). The cave is really nice, very peaceful, set in the forests at about 4,000 meters. And then after spending some time at the cave, we came back down to our lodge, and we’ve been resting this afternoon.

Today was another good acclimatization day for the team. Yesterday, we climbed to above 4,000 meters in the Pungen Valley, and today we went above 4,000 meters again. That’s about 13,000 feet plus.

So, we’re preparing well for our move to base camp in a couple of days. The team’s doing well and we’re looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Maybe we’ll visit the monastery complex here in Sama, before we potentially move to base camp the next day! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching 4000m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching 4000m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Lush forests in the Nubri Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Lush forests in the Nubri Valley (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:

/0 Comments/by

Acclimatizing in the Punggen Valley

Our climber, Myles, with sirdar Aang Phurba Sherpa on the way to Punggen Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering team wasted no time this morning getting out to start their acclimatization efforts in preparation for the climb to come. After fueling up with some breakfast, we departed the tea house for a leisurely hike in the Punggen Valley and visit at an ancient monastery that calls the valley home. It was a great day kicking off the acclimatization efforts, with more of the same planned for tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition. Today is September 11th, 2026.

This morning we woke up early and went for an acclimatization hike up into the Punggen Valley, which is a side valley just below Sama village (3530m/11,581ft), where we’re staying until we move up to base camp. We left our lodge at about 7:45, 8 o’clock, and a few hours later, we were up above 4,000 meters in the Punggen Valley, which is a summer pasture, high altitude summer pasture for yaks. There’s also an ancient monastery there, which is really neat to visit. We came back down to Sama for lunch and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

We just wrapped up dinner. It’s beautiful night here: clear skies and mild temperatures. Tomorrow we’re looking forward to another acclimatization hike while we prepare to move up to base camp (4859m/15,944ft)! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Into the Punggen Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Into the Punggen Valley (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from Sama Village (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Punggen Monastery at 4,100m (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Punggen Monastery at 4,100m (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:

/0 Comments/by

2024 Manaslu expedition conclusion!

From left: Tenzi Sherpa and Temba Sherpa with our climber Chie Takeshita and Guide Terray Sylvester on the summit of Manaslu at 4:44 a.m. on September 25.

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has safely descended off of the mountain after successfully reaching the summit of the world’s eighth-highest peak! The team was welcomed back to camp by our rockstar base camp staff with a celebratory meal and cake, which we enjoyed while reflecting on the accomplishment from the day prior. The team has now begun to head their separate ways after saying their goodbyes with memories that won’t soon be forgotten from this hugely successful expedition! Awesome work, team. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this final dispatch from Manaslu base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 26.

Today we descended from Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft) back down to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). We spent last night at Camp 2 after our successful summit on the 25th! We aimed for the 25th as our summit date because the forecast was good for the 25th, but the forecast was predicting significant precipitation for today. Fortunately, that precipitation held off until the afternoon, so we had very pleasant conditions when we woke up in Camp 2 this morning and really nice weather for most of our descent back here to base camp.

It’s great to be here and to reunite with our excellent base camp staff, Khamba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh, and with our whole Sherpa crew! So as of now, we are completely off of Manaslu! We’ve cleaned out all of our gear and taken down all of our trash, and anything else we brought up there from the mountain from all of the camps we used. All of our Sherpa crew and of course, all of our climbers are safely off of the mountain!

So, that concludes the climbing portion of the expedition. We had a really successful climb, it was just excellent! Tomorrow we plan to descend down to Sama village. We’ll spend one night there before beginning to make our way back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft).

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

Our climbers, James and Sara, with Ming Dorchi Sherpa at the summit of Manaslu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers, James and Sara, with Ming Dorchi Sherpa at the summit of Manaslu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guests celebrating with a “summit cake” and our excellent base camp staff. From left: Khumba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh.

Our guests celebrating with a “summit cake” and our excellent base camp staff. From left: Khamba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh.

Our climbers Sara, James, and Chie with Expedition Leader Terray Sylvester.

Our climbers Sara, James, and Chie with Expedition Leader 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:

/0 Comments/by

Manaslu summit rotation is underway!

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

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has arrived in Camp 1, marking the start of their summit rotation! The team’s hard work was on display today, as they moved strongly and efficiently up to their first camp. With good weather tomorrow, the team plans to continue on up to Camp 2! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 1:

Hello from Camp 1 (5700m/18,700ft). With our ascent here from Base Camp (4859m/15,944ft) after lunch today, our summit push is underway! The team moved very efficiently on the way here. Now we’re watching the evening sun on the mountains around us and settling in for dinner. 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:

/0 Comments/by

Primed and ready for the summit push!

Morning light on Manaslu’s East Pinnacle, which towers over base camp. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team is ready to go! Acclimatization is done, their final preparations are complete, and the team plans to depart on their summit rotation soon. The team is excited and ready to start their climbing! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 20th.

Today we passed another pleasant day here in base camp (4859m/15,944ft). Today was a rest day, we also worked on our final preparation for our summit push! We sorted out food for our upper camps and worked through our packing list, made sure that all of our devices are charged, and all the other little items that we need to do before we head back up the mountain.

The weather was great today! Another beautiful sunny morning and then a few rain showers this evening. We’re just about to sit down to dinner and then have another restful night here in base camp! All is well 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:

/0 Comments/by

Getting ready to go up!

Our team dialing in their down suits for their upcoming summit push!

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team spent the day reviewing their oxygen systems and down suits, which they’ll use on their summit push! Today was somewhat of a rest day, albeit a productive day nonetheless as the skills reviewed are important to be familiar with as we climb above 8,000 meters. With this review behind us, the team is now one step closer to heading off on their summit push! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Manaslu base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 19th.

Today we’re taking a rest day here in base camp (4859m/15,944ft) since at this point we have completed our acclimatization on the upper mountain. This morning has been very beautiful – blue skies and warm temps. We’ve been walking around base camp in sandals! Yesterday evening was also really nice. We watched the full moon rise over Saula Himal (6235m/20,456ft), it’s the mountain range just across the Nubri valley from us to the east.

We also have ticked off a couple of important tasks this morning! We started the day by going over our oxygen systems to make sure our climbers are totally familiar with masks, regulators, and cylinders we’ll be using during our summit push. We had what we call a down suit party where everyone puts on their down suits and we make sure they’re adjusted properly and everyone’s familiar with all the features so that we’re good to go once we start climbing in the colder temps above Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft), above Camp 3 (6800m/22,310ft).

So, it’s been a productive day here! We’re about to sit down to dinner and then we’ll watch a movie, and we’ll be in touch tomorrow! All is well here in Nepal.

Our climber, Chie, practicing with our oxygen system.

Our climber, Chie, practicing with our oxygen system.

Our climber, James, practicing with our oxygen system.

Our climber, James, practicing with our oxygen system.

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:

/0 Comments/by