The first acclimatization rotation is complete and the team is safely back in base camp. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides this update:
Hello, this Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest climbing team. Today is April 25th and our whole team came down from Camp 2 today to Everest base camp. We had a good day coming through the Western Cwm between Camp 2 and Camp 1 and then on down through the Khumbu Icefall.
We also were able to get the fixed lines put in to Camp 3! Conan Bliss, one of our guides, stayed back with Aang Phurba Sherpa, our Sirdar, and put in a second rope the way up to high Camp 3. So there is an up line and a down line now, which is good for all teams on the mountain.
We are happy to be down in base camp and having a rest for a few days. All’s well here and we’ll check in soon!
The team spent the day acclimatizing around Camp 2. And plan to head back down to base camp tomorrow to complete the first rotation. Garrett Madison reports:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest climbing team. Today is April 24th and we are up at Camp 2! We had a great day moving up from Camp 1 to Camp 2 yesterday and a good night’s rest. Today we went for an acclimitization hike up on the west shoulder of Everest with great views all the way around our Camp 2, which is our advanced base camp, of the surrounding peaks of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse. Our plan is to head down tomorrow after a good rotation up here. Everyone’s doing well and we’ll check in soon!
On their first acclimatization rotation, the team is sleeping at Camp 2 (6533m/21,434ft). They are spending a couple of nights there before descending back to base camp. Here’s Garrett’s recap of the day:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest climb. Today we woke up at 5am at Camp 1, had some breakfast, got packed up and then climbed up to Camp 2. We had a beautiful day, the Sun was out and it wasn’t too hot. We made our way around some big cevasses and got up to Camp 2 here about mid-day, had lunch, and now just relaxing and getting ready for dinner and a good night’s rest. Everybody’s doing really well up here and we look forward to a couple nights up at Camp 2 and then we will head back down to base camp. Thanks!
Durning today’s acclimatization hike above Camp 1, the team had a scary moment and needed to perform a crevasse rescue as expedition leader, Garrett Madison reports:
Hey, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition team. Today we had a good acclimatization hike above Camp 1 here in the Western Cwm on Mount Everest. However, one of our team members punched through a snow bridge into a hidden crevasse and fell down about 10 or 15 feet. But, thanks to quick action by our guide team and some other friends who were on route, he was able to get out of the cevasse quickly and without any injuries or complications. So big thanks to Ryan Waters and Tashi Sherpa from Mountain Professionals who were on the scene and helped out. All’s well that ends well. So we are all back in Camp 1 having a good dinner and looking forward to a move up to Camp 2 tomorrow. Thanks for checking in.
Today the team made their first climb up through the Khumbu Icefall and is spending the night at Camp 1. Garrett provides this update from Camp 1 (6055m/19,865ft) on Everest:
Hey, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest climbing team. Happy Easter! We are up at Camp 1 on Mount Everest. We had a great climb today up through the Khumbu Icefall from base camp to Camp 1, gained about 2,000 ft. (610m). It was a beautiful night, a Moonlit night, almost didn’t need a headlamp to see. Then the Sun rose and eventually it warmmed up. Just a beautiful day, a really fun day. Easy climb through the icefall relatively – it didn’t feel too dangerious. So we are all up here at Camp 1 and our plan is to spend a couple of nights here before heading to Camp 2. All is well.
The Everest team is preparing for the first rotation up the mountain – early in the morning on April 21. Network connectivity at base camp was very poor and expedition leader, Garrett Madison, made this audio dispatch via satellite phone. The audio quality is poor – below is our best attempt at a transcription. Today, our team assisted in flying over 700 kg of rope fixing equipment to Camp 2. This gear will soon be used by our Sherpa team in fixing the route to the summit. The return flight brought down almost 190 kg of trash that was collected by our Sherpa team over the past few days at Camp 2.
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest climbing team. Today our team ventured into the Icefall and climbed up to the first few ladders. We got some great views of base camp, and then came back down for lunch. So, it was a good exprience for us to get a sense of what the Icefall feels like. [garbbled] [Tonight] our plan is to leave base camp and climb up to Camp 1 to start our first rotation on Everest aclimitizing […garbbled…] then back to base camp.
We got to help this afternoon with the helicopter operations to shuttle rope fixing equipment to Camp 2 [for placing the fixed lines up the route to the summit of Mount Everest] and we also flew down almost 190 kg of trash, that our Sherpas collected, that was left by teams in the past at Camp 2. So, great job to our Sherpa who worked hard the past few days up there collecting that trash and bagging it up. Then putting in the helicopter for flying down to base camp here. We were able to […garbbled…]
Great day on Everest today, very productive and possitive day!
With ~700 kg rope fixing equipment at helipad
Loading the helicopter at EBC
Helicopter pilot Maurizio Folini flying loads to camp 2
Flying into the Western Cwm
Everest Camp 2
187 kg of trash our team collected from Camp 2 and flew to EBC
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019.04.20-Flying-over-the-crevasses-in-the-Western-Cwm.jpg7681024Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2019-04-20 15:32:262019-04-20 15:32:26Preparing for First Rotation
The Everest team did some acclimatizing today with a hike above base camp. While taking in the views, they reflected on the tragedy that occurred in Khumbu Icefall five years ago on this day. Garrett Madison has this update:
Hi, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition team. Today we had a great day in remembrance of the April 18, 2014, Khumbu Icefall avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas. We took a rest day and went on a hike up above base camp. We had beautiful views across base camp, up onto Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse; the whole valley really. Just a spectacular day, no clouds initially. Took our time come back down to base camp. Had a nice lunch and just been taking it easy today. Just a really, really great day here at Everest base camp. Saw a lot of friends, got to catch up with other teams here in base camp.
Tomorrow we will get back to our training here in the Khumbu Icefall in preparation for a move up to Camp I, probably on the 21st of April. All’s well here! Thanks for checking in!
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PHOTO-2019-04-18-03-43-22.jpg15521600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2019-04-18 15:03:522019-04-18 15:03:52Acclimatizing at Base Camp
The Everest team conducted training in the Icefall above base camp today. Garrett Madison provides the day’s summary:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest climbing team. Today we had a training day at base camp. We went out onto the glacier and practiced ascending fixed lines, repelling down vertical sections, climbing ladders and just getting comfortable with the different types of climbing techniques necessary to go up through the Khumbu Icefall. Today was our second training day. Everybody did really good. We had great weather. So, it was nice to be out today – some sunshine, some warmth, and then, as usual, it clouded up in the afternoon. But, we are doing well. We’re going to train tomorrow as well and then go on an acclimatization hike the following day. So, all good here at Everest base camp. Thanks for checking in!
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PHOTO-2019-04-16-01-29-31.jpg1024768Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2019-04-16 14:16:502019-04-16 14:16:50Training in the Icefall
[ NOTE from Kurt: you may have read about the accident on Sunday at the same Lukla airport used by our team and nearly all climbers and trekkers in the Everest region. We are thankful that no one from our team or staff was involved in the incident that tragically killed the first officer of the aircraft and two police officers on the ground and injured four others. We send our prayers to all of them. ]
As the team settles into life at base camp, one of the first orders of business is the truly wonderful and deeply spiritual Puja Ceremony. Typically a Lama priest will travel up the valley to base camp and conduct a half-day ceremony at the purposely built alter that the team’s Sherpa and support team have painstakingly constructed. This ceremony is the essential step of prayer for safe passage for all that will be travelling on the mountain. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides this update of the team’s activities:
Hi, this is Garrett checking in for the Mount Everest climbing team. We had a wonder Puja ceremony in base camp where a Buddhist Lama came up. And we asked the mountain for safe passage for all of our climbers and Sherpas. Now we are heading out training in the Khumbu Ice Fall, practicing fixed line climbing techniques, repelling and ladder crossing. Everybody’s doing good here in base camp. We’ve got some sunshine today, so it’s a nice change from yesterday which was mostly cloudy.
We are looking forward to a few days of training here before getting ready to head up to the higher camps in about a week’s time, All’s well here in base camp. Thanks!
Checking in from their home for the next 6 weeks or so, expedition leader Garrett Madison provides this update:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition team. Today we had our first full day in base camp. We woke up to decent weather – some sun, had a little walkabout around camp to get the lay of the land and put the finishing touches on our camp to dial in everything – getting it just the way we want it. Everyone’s doing really well. We had a wonderful dinner here, we’re watching a movie and looking forward to good night’s rest. Tomorrow we are going to take it easy as well, just acclimatizing, resting, and hopefully do our Puja ceremony, if the Lama can make it up here. So, all good here in Everest base camp. Thanks!
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PHOTO-2019-04-12-22-13-53.jpg12001600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2019-04-13 14:18:022019-04-13 14:18:02Home for the next 6 weeks
