Tag Archive for: Mount Everest

Trekkers reach Nachme Bazzar

lunch stop on the way to Nachme

From Lukla, the Everest team has made their way up the valley, overnighting Phakding, and continuing on up the big hill to Namche Bazaar.  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides this report:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Everest expedition team!  Today is April 5th and we trekked up to the village of Namche Bazaar.  A beautiful day trekking up over the suspension bridges and the river gorge.  Got up to Namche, had a hot shower, and explored some of the village.  We just had a wonderful dinner and we are getting ready to head off to bed.  Everybody is doing great!  We had a beautiful day, not too hot, no rain, some nice mountain views, and everybody’s really happy to be here.  We’ll check in soon.  Thanks!

 

Bridge to Namche

Bridge to Namche

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Lukla and the trek begins…

The team has arrived Lukla and the trek begins to Everest base camp.  Garrett called in from Lukla via satellite phone with this update:

Hello, good morning!  This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition.  Today is April 4th and we have arrived in Lukla, Nepal (2850m) in the Khumbu Valley!  This morning we flew from Ramechhap, near Kathmandu, to Lukla and landed about 6:30 AM.  Now, we are having a leisurely start to the day:  a nice breakfast, fresh coffee and getting our bags and gear organized.  So, we are going to head out shortly and trek to Phakding (2640m), the first village for our night here on the trek towards base camp.  Everyone is doing well and are excited to be up in the mountains with the fresh air.  Good views of surrounding peaks with snow and ice on them.  We are ready to get a little exercise and get things underway.  Check in again soon.  Thanks!

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Heading to Ramechhap

Everest 2019 Team Photo

Everest 2019 expedition leader, Garrett Madison, checks in with an update on Day 2 and the team heading to Ramechhap:

Hey!  This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition team!  We had a great day in Kathmandu doing gear checks, going out to dinner, had a city tour today, did some final shopping and this afternoon we are leaving to drive from Kathmandu towards the town of Ramechhap (27.393889°, 86.061389°).  Tomorrow morning we are going to fly from there to Lukla (2850m).  The Kathmandu airport is undergoing some renovation repairs right now on the runway.  So domestic flights are a little bit jammed up.  From Ramechhap we should have a smooth flight up to Lukla.  We are looking forward to that tomorrow and getting started on our trek to base camp.  Everyone is doing great and the whole team is here and we are excited!  The weather is good.  We will check in again soon.  Thanks!

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Welcome to Kathmandu

picture of hotel and swimming pool

Welcome to Kathmandu!  The Madison Mountaineering Everest 2019 team has nearly all arrived in Kathmandu to kick off the Everest expedition and base camp trek.  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provided this update:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in on April 2, 2019 for the Mount Everest expedition.  Today most of our members are arriving Kathmandu, Nepal.  Later, we are going to do our equipment check and then have a team dinner.  Tomorrow we are going on a city tour.  After the city tour, we are going to prepare for our departure to Lukla.

 

Great weather here in Kathmandu at the minute.  Everyone is doing fine.  There was a big rain storm in southern Nepal recently which didn’t affect us here.  We didn’t even notice it.  Everyone is doing well so far and we look forward to a few more of our members arriving Kathmandu today and getting started!  Thanks for checking in!

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The Blog on alanarnette.com

Garrett on Everest

As Alan Arnette continues his outstanding all-things Everest news coverage, we are delighted to see his interview with Garrett Madison posted today: http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2019/03/28/everest-2019-interview-with-garrett-madison-a-leader-on-everest/.

In addition to our Madison Mountaineering expedition dispatches, Alan’s Everest 2019 blog provides a nexus of information for the ‘big picture’ of the Everest season.  Check it out and be sure to support his drive to end Alzheimer’s.

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Welcome to Everest 2019

Welcome to Everest 2019!  Our annual spring Mount Everest expedition begins in just 45 days.  Our strong team of international climbers will gather at the Hotel Yak and Yeti, our Kathmandu home-base and the launching point of countless Mount Everest expeditions over the years.  Here in Seattle, we are now gathering expedition equipment, food and supplies, making logistical arrangements with our Nepal support staff, and ensuring that all of our climbing team members and trekkers have everything ready to go.  Busy times at Madison Mountaineering HQ!  We are looking forward to our continued best-in-class rate of success and safety on Everest.  Leaders in setting the fixed ropes, we have put the first team on top in 2016, 2017, and 2018.  And we aim to do so again this year!

We are very excited to announce that we have added a second Mount Everest expedition for this year!  In addition to the Spring expedition, we are leading another in the much lesser-climbed Autumn season.  Looking for an alternative to climbing in the busy Spring Everest season?  In Autumn we will pretty much have the entire mountain to ourselves.  The conditions will typically be more winter-like and the days shorter, but the Autumn weather-window should present a great chance for success.

Limited spots on the team are currently available for qualified climbers, contact our office for details.

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2018 Expedition prepared to launch…Leading the way on Everest!

Everest & Lhotse climbing

Spring is here! Our Everest & Lhotse climbing team is packed and heading off to Nepal to climb Everest and Lhotse (4th highest). An exciting change for us this year is that our team is involved with the rope fixing from Camp 2 all the way to the summit of Mount Everest, as our local agency, Himalayan Guides Nepal PVT LTD has secured an exclusive contract with the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal for this project.  Our expert team of sherpas will be leading the effort in finding the best route and placing the fixed ropes up the Lhotse Face, across the Yellow Band & Geneva Spur to the South Col high camp, up the Triangular Face to the Balcony (27,500′) and onward to the summit!  We are excited to “lead the way” up the mountain and prepare the ropes so that our team and others can ascend safely on Mount Everest.  We aim to complete this project earlier than in past seasons so that more time is available for teams to make a summit attempt during the good weather window in May. By controlling the rope fixing we can control our climbing schedule better than before.

Check back soon for more photos and video as the expedition prepares to launch!

Tracking Maps

Everest Base Camp Trek map

Everest Climb map

-Garrett Madison 

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Mount Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

Mount Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

Moved from the Chicago area to Washington in 1999 to attend the University of Puget Sound where he found the Cascade Mountains and ultimately climbing. Before starting out as a professional guide in 2005 he spent the previous several years completing his BS in chemistry, working as a fisherman in Alaska, and as a chemist in Seattle. And for the last ten years he’s been guiding a seasonal circuit that takes him from Argentina and Ecuador, to Alaska, and then back to Rainier and the North Cascades, with an occasional bonus trip to Mexico or Antarctica. Billy loves living outside and enjoys surfing, riding, climbing, and music in his spare time.

Resume:

Mt. Everest (3 expeditions)
Mt. Rainier (125+ summits via 6 routes)
Denali (9 expeditions)
Aconcagua (8 expeditions)
Vinson Massif (1 expedition)
Orizaba (2 expeditions)
Cotopaxi and Cayambe (8 expeditions)
Mt Baker (4 summits via 4 routes)
Mt. Adams (3 summits via 3 routes)
North Cascades (numerous alpine routes)

Certifications/Training:

Wilderness First Responder, CPR
Outdoor Emergency Care
AIARE Avalanche Level II
Leave No Trace Trainer
AMGA member and Rock Guide Course graduate

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Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

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Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

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Everest 2017 Recap

Madison Mountaineering Everest 2017 Recap, “The Leader” on Everest

Success / Safety:

All of our climbers and Sherpas are off the mountain and now and preparing to head home! We have had a fantastically successful expedition, with all 8 of our clients reaching the summit of Everest, along with 4 American guides, and 15 Sherpas. We also had several of our climbers complete the Everest & Lhotse “peak to peak” combination, where they climbed Mount Lhotse (4th highest mountain) the day after reaching the summit of Mount Everest. This amazing and unmatched level of success among all the teams on Mount Everest is secondary to our number one priority, that all members (clients, guides, & Sherpas) made it safely off the peak.

Rope Fixing to the Summit:

Our team took the lead in partnership with the British – Nepal Gurkha team in fixing the ropes to the summit of Mount Everest on May 15th. This was not part of our original plan, as the rope-fixing project was taken upon by several other teams at the start of the season. Unfortunately, after several mishaps, the lead team had to abandon the rope-fixing project along with their partners. Without any clear consensus on how or when the lines would be put in to the summit, our team stepped up to finish the job. This “mission critical” project was necessary so that teams could begin their summit attempts on Mount Everest, with teams reaching the summit the following day on May 16th and continuing to reach the summit today. We are glad that our team had the capability and prowess to organize and execute such an important task, when no other teams on the mountain could summon such an effort, at such a critical stage in the climbing season.

Rescues:

Our team was at the South Col when several climbers who had pushed themselves very hard on summit day returned and needed critical medical attention. Our guides came to assist with medicine (dexamethasone, etc) and supplemental oxygen. However, what stands out the most is that one of our veteran guides, Brent Bishop, along with our Sherpas, rescued the Slovak Climber from the Balcony (27,500’), lowering him all the way down to the South Col high camp. Our Sherpas gave up their oxygen for him to use on the descent. This heroic effort by Brent and our Sherpas involved abandoning their own summit attempt, just hours away from the top, and spending the day giving their all in an effort to save a life.

We feel very fortunate that our expedition was a stunning success. We attribute this to our careful team selection and training, our top notch Everest guides and leadership, and of course our incredible Sherpa team who we invest heavily in year after year.

Photo: At the top of Mount Everest on May 23rd, 2017

Everest 2017 Recap

Our Sherpa team in base camp

Everest 2017 Recap

Descending Mount Everest with a little wind on our summit day!

Everest 2017 Recap

Lhotse climbers Sid Pattison and Ingvild Settemsdal near the summit of Lhotse with Everest behind

Everest 2017 Recap

The South Col high camp on Everest with Lhotse behind

Everest 2017 Recap

Guide Billy Nugent taking a pause on the descent from Everest

Everest 2017 Recap

View from the top!!

Everest 2017 Recap

Summit ridge of Mount Everest all to ourselves May 23rd, 2017

Everest 2017 Recap

We are now going to relax and enjoy the post summit euphoria before returning to our friends, families, and loved ones, as well as our busy lives back home! Thanks for following along!

Garrett Madison

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Mount Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

Mount Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

Moved from the Chicago area to Washington in 1999 to attend the University of Puget Sound where he found the Cascade Mountains and ultimately climbing. Before starting out as a professional guide in 2005 he spent the previous several years completing his BS in chemistry, working as a fisherman in Alaska, and as a chemist in Seattle. And for the last ten years he’s been guiding a seasonal circuit that takes him from Argentina and Ecuador, to Alaska, and then back to Rainier and the North Cascades, with an occasional bonus trip to Mexico or Antarctica. Billy loves living outside and enjoys surfing, riding, climbing, and music in his spare time.

Resume:

Mt. Everest (3 expeditions)
Mt. Rainier (125+ summits via 6 routes)
Denali (9 expeditions)
Aconcagua (8 expeditions)
Vinson Massif (1 expedition)
Orizaba (2 expeditions)
Cotopaxi and Cayambe (8 expeditions)
Mt Baker (4 summits via 4 routes)
Mt. Adams (3 summits via 3 routes)
North Cascades (numerous alpine routes)

Certifications/Training:

Wilderness First Responder, CPR
Outdoor Emergency Care
AIARE Avalanche Level II
Leave No Trace Trainer
AMGA member and Rock Guide Course graduate

.

Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

.

Everest 2017 Guide Billy Nugent

.

 

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