Tag Archive for: Nepal

Acclimatization day in Samagaun!

The team acclimatizing near Birendra Lake with Manaslu Glacier in the background! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team had a lovely day acclimatizing and exploring Samagaun and the surrounding areas! The team paid visits to a high alpine lake along with several monasteries, making for time well spent at over 3,500 meters while our climbers get used to lower levels of oxygen. 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, it’s September 3rd.

Today we had a really nice day! We had a sunny morning and so we went for an acclimatization hike up to Birendra Lake above town, and then we visited the local monasteries. Then we finished off that hike by heading farther up the Nubri Valley toward the next village, Samdo. It’s really nice here right now, everything’s very green and lush with lots of wildflowers because of the monsoon rains. With the beautiful, sunny day we had great views around the area including up to almost the summit of Manaslu itself.

We just finished dinner and we’re heading to bed soon. Tomorrow, we’ll wake up early and hopefully go for another acclimatization hike down the valley toward the Pungen Monastery. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Our climber, Chie, lighting butter lamps in Pema Decho Ling Monastery in Samagaun.

Our climber, Chie, lighting butter lamps in Pema Decho Ling Monastery in Samagaun.

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

Samagaun

Preparing to take off from Kathmandu!

Our 2024 Manaslu expedition team has moved from the bustling city of Kathmandu into the mountains, now at the foot of Manaslu. The landscape is quite different, but the excitement continues to grow as it won’t be long before Manaslu first comes into view. 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 2nd.

Today we headed over to the domestic airport in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) and caught a helicopter out of Kathmandu and up the very spectacular Budhi Gandaki River Valley and into Samagaun (3530m/11,581ft) – Sama Village at the foot of the mountain! It was a spectacular flight with lots of waterfalls along the way and really pretty views of the terraced hillsides of Nepal which are very green right now thanks to all the monsoon rain.

So now we’re in Sama and we’re just about to have dinner and relax! Over the next few days, we’ll be acclimatizing here before moving up to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). All is well and we will be in touch tomorrow!

Guide, Terray Sylvester en route to Sama Village with our climber, Sara and the rest of the team.

Guide, Terray Sylvester en route to Sama Village with our climber, Sara and the rest of the team.

Views from the helicopter on the way to Sama Village!

Views from the helicopter on the way to Sama Village!

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

City tour in Kathmandu

The team during our city tour in Kathmandu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team spent the day touring the exciting city of Kathmandu, which is Nepal’s capitol city. Home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites, the team visited and learned about these sacred places and visited a popular painting school before turning in for the evening. With some more good sleep and the gear check behind us, the team is excited to continue the expedition soon! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2024 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is September 1st.

Today we had a nice tour around Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft)! We visited two UNESCO World Heritage sites. We started at Pashupatinath, which is the most important Hindu temple in Nepal, and one of the more important Hindu temples out there anywhere. Then we headed over to Boudhanath Stupa where we visited Buddhist monasteries near the stupa and then visited a Thangka painting school which is a traditional kind of  Tibetan Buddhist painting.

We’ve been relaxing since then and we plan to wake up early and fly to Samagaun (3530m/11,581ft) at the base of the mountain tomorrow morning weather permitting. So, all is well here and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Touring Pashupatinath with our local cultural guide. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Touring Pashupatinath with our local cultural guide. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

A boy swimming in the Bagmati River at Pashupatinath. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

A boy swimming in the Bagmati River at Pashupatinath. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Butter lamps in a Buddhist monastery in Baudha, Kathmandu. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Butter lamps in a Buddhist monastery in Baudha, Kathmandu. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Pashupatinath temple. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Pashupatinath temple. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting a Thangka painting workshop near Boudhanath Stupa. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Visiting a Thangka painting workshop near Boudhanath 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:

/0 Comments/by

Manaslu expedition team is together in Kathmandu!

Our team enjoying their pre-climb welcome dinner in Kathmandu.

The 2024 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition is underway! After a long day of travel from their home countries, the team all gathered together in Kathmandu where we conducted a gear check, orientation, and welcome dinner before getting some rest for the days ahead. We are excited to begin this journey together, and with good weather, we will be heading into the mountains soon! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Kathmandu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2024 Madison Mountaineering Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) expedition – today is August 31st.

Today our team touched down in Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft)! We did gear checks, an orientation, and we just wrapped up a great dinner here in downtown Kathmandu. It was a beautiful day – the monsoon has not yet ended so we had a little bit of rain in the afternoon and an atmospheric lighting storm, but the whole morning was sunny with beautiful clouds and clear air around the Kathmandu Valley.

The team’s in good spirits! Tomorrow we’ll do a city tour, and then hopefully we’ll fly up to Sama village (3530m/11,581ft) at the foot of Manaslu on Monday. But, 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

Cleanup and climbing team has arrived in base camp!

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

The Madison Mountaineering mountain cleanup project expedition team has arrived in Everest Base Camp! The team left Lobuche Village and set forth on the path to their next stop under clear, blue Himalayan skies. Fueled by tea and the excitement of moving into their temporary home, the team stepped into base camp ready for their climbing and cleaning activities on Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest peak! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering spring cleanup and climbing expedition – today is April 25th.

Today we left Lobuche (4940m/16,210ft) under warm, sunny skies and walked up to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) with a short break for tea in Gorak Shep (5164m/16,942ft) along the way. We got to base camp just before lunch, moved into our tents, and then had a great lunch. We’ve been relaxing and getting settled this afternoon.

It’s great to be here and great to meet the rest of the team! We’re looking forward to a rest day tomorrow, then a little bit of training and skills review. As soon as possible, we’ll start heading up the mountain to begin our cleanup work and our climbing! So, all is going really well here and we’ll be in touch 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:

/1 Comment/by

World’s highest bakery!

Climber Nelly Attar with Madison Mountaineering Everest Base Camp trekker & Lobuche East climber Jeannette Glass in the famous bakery at Lobuche Village! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering mountain cleanup project expedition team has moved from Pheriche to Lobuche Village – a stop that wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the world’s highest bakery! The team met up with another Madison Mountaineering climber who is preparing to ascend Lobuche East, sharing laughs and treats as they swapped stories from their journeys so far. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering spring cleanup and climbing expedition – today is April 24th.

Today we hiked from the village of Pheriche (4371m/14,340ft) to Lobuche Village (4940m/16,210ft) at about 5,000 meters. Another day of great weather, pretty much sunny all day with a little dusting of snow in the evening. We relaxed at the bakery here – the world’s highest bakery with one of our team’s base camp trekkers who’s now headed up to climb Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft)! Then we relaxed after our bakery stop and now we’re about to sit down for dinner. So, all is well here and we will move to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) tomorrow!

Climber Nelly Attar near Lobuche Village with Nuptse Range in the background. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climber Nelly Attar near Lobuche Village with Nuptse Range in the background. (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

Spring in the Khumbu!

Arriving at Tengboche Monastery, last stop before Deboche. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Mountain Cleanup Project expedition team has had great weather so far for their trek up the Khumbu Valley on the way toward base camp. Clear skies and t-shirt weather have made for perfect views of the high peaks above them as they continue on up, now settled into Deboche for the night. In the next few days, the team will continue on utilizing their acclimatization to reach Everest Base Camp where the climbing and cleanup efforts are set to begin! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering spring Annapurna (8091m/26,545ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) cleanup and climbing expedition – today is April 22nd. We are continuing our approach to Everest Base Camp (5364m/17,598ft) up the Khumbu Valley. The weather continues to be really warm, honestly a little unseasonably and surprisingly warm, but it’s very pleasant. It means we’ve had clear skies, no rain, and t-shirt weather as we’re walking up the valley.

Today we came from Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) up to Deboche (3820m/12,532ft). Along the way, we stopped for coffee in Kyangjuma with excellent views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), Lhotse, and Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft)! Then we continued up an old and slightly less often used trail up the slope to Tengboche Monastery (3867m/12,687ft) where we had a nice coffee and some pastries, and then continued down the hill to Deboche. We’ll spend the night here, and then we’ll make good time hopefully since we’re well acclimatized on up to base camp. We’ll spend a night in Pheriche (4371m/14,340ft), one night in Lobuche (4940m/16,210ft), and then head straight to Everest Base Camp where we’ll rest and then start preparing to clean on the upper mountain.

Okay! We’ll be in touch.

The team taking a break at Kyangjuma with great views of the Everest Massif and Ama Dablam.

The team taking a break at Kyangjuma with great views of the Everest Massif and Ama Dablam.

Hiking up to Tengboche Monastery (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Hiking up to Tengboche Monastery (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Rhododendrons in bloom en route to Tengboche (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Rhododendrons in bloom en route to Tengboche (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

Summit Push Coming!

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

The Madison Mountaineering mountain cleanup project expedition team has crawled into their tents for the evening in Camp 3 on Annapurna. Today the team moved up from Camp 2 and is eyeing a summit push soon! Tomorrow will be used to rest and prepare for their summit day, with hopes of getting an alpine start late tomorrow evening to set forth towards the summit. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 3 on Annapurna:

Today we moved from Camp 2 to Camp 3 at about 6,500m on the north face of Annapurna 1. The weather was generally excellent, with a clear, sunny morning, a few snow flurries in the afternoon, and then a still, sunny evening as we moved into our tents, ate dinner, and drank many cups of tea. Tomorrow we plan to rest all day, with an eye toward starting our summit push late tomorrow evening. 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:

/0 Comments/by

Camp 2 on Annapurna

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

Blue skies made for a great day of climbing up to Camp 2 on Annapurna for the Madison Mountaineering mountain cleanup project expedition team! The team took in great views all around of Annapurna 1’s North Face and the surrounding area. With more good weather in the forecast, the team plans to move up to Camp 3 tomorrow, which positions them to make a summit push! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Camp 2 on Annapurna:

This morning we moved to Camp 2 under cloudless skies with excellent views of Annapurna 1’s North Face and the dramatic glaciated terrain of the surrounding cirque. For the past several days, daily convective buildup has brought afternoon snow showers, but we’re expecting that pattern to taper off in the days to come. We’re expecting summit winds to die down, as well. Given all of that, we’re hoping for good climbing conditions as we move to Camp 3 tomorrow, then prepare for our summit push! The team is in great shape. 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:

/0 Comments/by

Summit push is underway!

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

The Madison Mountaineering mountain cleanup project expedition team has set off on their summit push! With good weather today, the team moved up to Camp 1 and is settled into their tents for the night. With hopes of moving up to Camp 2 tomorrow, the team will evaluate weather and route conditions before continuing on. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this brief dispatch from Annapurna:

Hello from Camp 1! We started our summit push today. We hope to move to Camp 2 tomorrow, weather-dependent. All is well. 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:

/0 Comments/by