Tag Archive for: Pangboche

Ama Dablam Base Camp

Beautiful weather for today’s puja in Ama Dablam Base Camp (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team has arrived in their base camp at the foot of the mountain! Widely considered one of the most beautiful peaks on the planet, it’s not a bad place to call home for the next few weeks… The team moved strongly and swiftly up the trail from Pangboche, even collecting some trash along the way as we kick off our cleanup efforts. After dropping our bags and settling into our tents in camp, the team came together for the pre-climb puja ceremony, which is an important piece of our expeditions in the Himalaya and Karakoram. It’s good to be in base camp! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalaya:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition 2026 edition. Today is the 27th of October.

This morning, we left our lodge in Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft) around 8:00 a.m. and hiked up to Ama Dablam Base Camp (4600m/15,100ft). It took us just about two and a half hours to get here. Overall, our team is really strong and they made great progress today. Ama Dablam Base Camp is about 4,500 meters, but temperatures were really nice when we arrived. It was another clear, sunny day.

We had some ramen, some tea, rested a bit, and then we had our pre-climb puja. Today’s a very auspicious day for ceremonies, according to the Tibetan calendar. So we had our regular expedition puja to ask the mountain for safe passage. That went really well! And then we’ve spent the rest of the afternoon resting. We’re about to have dinner and then we’ll head to bed. We’re expecting a beautiful night tonight! The skies are clear, so the stars should be really brilliant this evening.

In other news, we started our cleanup effort today. We collected trash as we hiked up to Ama Dablam base camp, just what we could find along the trail. It was good. We got two small bags full and we’ll continue that in the days to come as we do our first rotation on the mountain and then possibly during summit push. But our crews will head out tomorrow to begin picking up trash above base camp.

We’re going to partner with Sagarmatha Next for this. In the past, we’ve donated old fixed-lines and other gear from Ama Dablam and other mountains to Sagarmatha Next. And when we visited them while we were in Namche (3440m/11,290ft) on our trek up the valley, they said that they can definitely use some more equipment, which is excellent material for their resident artists! We also partner with the SPCC on these cleanups, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee.

Okay, 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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Blessings at the Pangboche Monastery

Crossing the Imja Khola River (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team had a short day on the trail, moving from Deboche to Pangboche. More beautiful weather shined overhead as the team moved efficiently while taking in the views surrounding them. There’s been no shortage of amazing views so far! After settling into our lodge, the team made their way towards the Pangboche Monastery, where they received a blessing from the Lama. Now, the team is settled in for the evening and looking ahead to the move to base camp tomorrow! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Himalayas:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is October 26th.

Today, we trekked from Deboche (3820m/12,532ft) to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft). We arrived in Pangboche mid morning, had some nice ginger lemon tea. And then we went up to the Pangboche Monastery, which is the oldest one in the Khumbu Valley, and received a blessing from the Lama there. After that, we headed down to our lodge, the Shyar Khumbu, and had a nice lunch. And now we’re relaxing until dinner!

Today was a shorter day, which is nice. It gives us a bit more time to rest before we move to base camp (4600m/15,100ft) tomorrow. The weather was great again here in the Khumbu Valley, and we’re looking forward to more of the same for the next couple of days. Well be in touch tomorrow.

Ama Dablam rising above the team (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Ama Dablam rising above the team (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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Tengoche Monastery

Entering Tengboche Gompa (photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team took to the trail again today, leaving their stay in Namche Bazaar and continuing on to Deboche. The team trekked under clear skies and with excellent views of the surrounding peaks, and some wildlife too! Along the way, we stopped at Tengboche Monastery which is the largest gompa in the region, then made our way to the neighboring cafe to fuel up before pushing onto our next stop. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2026 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition. Today is October 25th.

Today we trekked from Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) to the village of Deboche (3820m/12,532ft). It was another fantastic day here in the Khumbu Valley; blue skies, not a cloud in sight! So we had great views of some of the many giant peaks in this region including Taboche (6495m/21,309ft) and Cholatse (6440m/21,130ft), Thamserku (6623m/21,729ft), Kangtega (6782m/22,251ft), Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), and our objective, Ama Dablam.

We stopped for lunch in Phunki Tenga (3250m/10,663ft), and then we climbed the hill through the rhododendron forests to Tengboche Monastery. We toured the monastery, and then afterwards we relaxed at the cafe next door, had some espresso drinks and pastries.Then we descended to Deboche.

We also had two wildlife sightings today. We saw Himalayan Goral in the rhododendrons below Tengboche, and we spotted a Danphe as well. Those are also called Himalayan Monal, it’s a brightly colored bird that is the national bird of Nepal!

Tomorrow we’re looking forward to moving to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft). Well be in touch then!

Our climber, Calvin, exploring Tengboche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Calvin, exploring Tengboche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Rhonda, spinning prayer wheels at Tengboche Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Rhonda, spinning prayer wheels at Tengboche Monastery (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Naomi, visiting Tengboche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Naomi, visiting Tengboche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

A massive prayer wheel at Tengboche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

A massive prayer wheel at Tengboche (photo by Terray Sylvester)

Great weather in the Khumbu Valley! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Great weather in the Khumbu Valley! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Departing from the Panorama Lodge in Namche Bazaar.

Departing from the Panorama Lodge in Namche Bazaar.

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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Summit success on Island Peak!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archives.

It’s with great excitement that we share that the Madison Mountaineering environmental restoration expedition team successfully reached the summit of Island Peak! Despite lots of snow accumulation over the days prior, the team persevered and topped out under beautiful, blue skies and with great views of the surrounding Himalaya. The team descended safely and are now making their way down and out of the valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from the Khumbu:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Gokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak expedition – today is November 2nd.

Today was summit day on Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft). Our team summited successfully in beautiful weather! It was the first perfectly clear day after several days of snowy, stormy weather here in the Khumbu. And then, descended to Chukhung (4730m/15,520ft).

Tomorrow morning, we are looking forward to heading farther down the valley in what should be another beautiful day. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to Pangboche (3985m/13,074ft).

So all is well here 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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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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Acclimatizing for Ama Dablam!

Evening light on Ama Dablam above our base camp.

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team spent the day acclimatizing as they continue to prepare for their climb! More beautiful views fueled the team as they climbed up towards Camp 1. The team couldn’t ask for better weather on the expedition so far and with more good weather tomorrow, the team will conduct their Puja ceremony along with technical skills training near their base camp. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall, 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is October 28.

Today, we woke up to another beautiful day here – no wind, nice sunshine. So, we went for a hike up to Yak Camp, which is about a little over halfway, two-thirds of the way up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). It was a really nice hike, great views all around the valley, Thamserku (6608m/21,680ft), Kangtega (6782m/22,251ft), up toward Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft), Cholatse (6440m/21,130 ft), Taboche (6495m/21,309ft) – all the beautiful peaks around here! Then, we came down for a nice lunch and we’ve been relaxing this evening.

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to our Puja, our pre-climb ceremony to ask the mountains for safe passage! Then, we’ll be doing some technical training later in the day.

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

Fresh apple pie for dessert in base camp this evening!

Fresh apple pie for dessert in base camp this evening!

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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