Tag Archive for: Puja Ceremony

First rotation done on Cho Oyu

Looking up towards the summit from Camp 1 on Cho Oyu

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team is back in their base camp after a successful rotation up the mountain to Camp 1 and beyond. Climbing to nearly 22,000 feet, the team had excellent weather, great views, and good times on the world’s sixth-highest peak! The team is in good health and high spirits, glad to be back at base camp enjoying some well-earned rest before the next phase of the expedition. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison check in with this dispatch from Cho Oyu:

Hello, this is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team.

Today is September 30th, and we’ve just come back down to base camp from our first rotation up in Camp 1 (6,400m/21,000 ft) for a couple of nights. We climbed up a little bit higher on the route to about 21,700 feet, had some good weather up there, some nice views, and now we’re back down in base camp.

We’re going to rest and get ready for the summit push here. It looks like there might be a big storm coming in on October 4th and 5th, so we might have to delay until after that big precipitation event, so we’ll keep watching the weather.

Meanwhile, everyone’s doing good. We’re happy to be back down in base camp and looking forward to some good rest here.

All is well on Cho Oyu! We’ll check in soon.

Looking out the tent door in Camp 1

Looking out the tent door in Camp 1

Alpenglow on Cho Oyu as seen from base camp

Alpenglow on Cho Oyu as seen from base camp

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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Enjoying life at over 18,000 feet

The team together after our Puja ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team has been enjoying themselves in advanced base camp! It’s been a busy few days as we prepare to move up the mountain on our first rotation. With the Puja ceremony and some technical skills training behind us, we’ll soon be shouldering our packs and stepping onto the route up to Camp 1! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from advanced base camp on Cho Oyu:

Hello, this is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team!

We have been enjoying a few great days in advanced base camp here at 18,700 feet, about 5,700 meters. Did our Puja ceremony yesterday, been doing more training and review practice here in camp with our technical equipment, and our plan is to move up tomorrow to Camp 1 (6,400m/21,000 ft) for a couple of nights for our first rotation to acclimatize and get a feel for the route. Our Sherpa team will be up there with us. Hopefully the good weather will continue, and we can enjoy some nice views up there and build some more acclimatization, and then we’ll be back in a few days time!

All’s well here on Cho Oyu in Tibet.

Scene from the Puja Ceremony.

Scene from the Puja Ceremony.

Our dining tent in advanced base camp.

Our dining tent in advanced base camp.

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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Up close views of Cho Oyu!

First up close view of Cho Oyu!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team moved on up to their advanced basecamp today under beautiful, blue skies and with excellent views of Cho Oyu along the way! Now moved into their tents, the team has a few more orders of business to take care of before starting their first rotation up the mountain. That said, the team is feeling excited and ready to get the climbing underway! We’re full of gratitude to be in this magnificent place with a wonderful team. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Cho Oyu:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team. Today is Thursday, September 25th and we have arrived at our advanced basecamp at about 18,600 feet on Cho Oyu!

It was a beautiful day hiking up from basecamp to advanced basecamp, or “ABC.” We’re looking forward to settling in and acclimatizing, continuing our training, doing our Puja ceremony before moving up on our first rotation to gain some acclimatization and elevation higher up on the mountain.

All is well here. The trip’s going wonderful, right on time, and we’re really happy to be here! All is well here on Cho Oyu in Tibet.

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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Keeping busy in K2 Base Camp

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

The Madison Mountaineering Karakoram expeditions team kicked off the weekend with their puja ceremony, then took to the ice to start their technical-skills review! The puja ceremony and technical trainings both, play an important role in many of our expeditions on 8,000-meter peaks – the puja to ask the mountain for safe passage, and technical trainings to sharpen our skills for the climbing to come. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from K2 Base Camp:

Hello from K2 Base Camp (4968m/16,300ft)! Today was another sunny day at the foot of the planet’s second highest peak. After breakfast, we held our pre-climb puja to ask the mountains for safe passage before we start climbing. In the afternoon, we started our technical training on the ice formations near camp. All in all it was a great way to spend the 4th of July! We’re looking forward to more technical training 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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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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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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Training and Puja Day!

The team after their puja in base camp, with Ama Dablam in the background!

The Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team had a busy day in base camp as they prepare for their first rotation! After awaking to sunny skies, the team conducted their pre-climb puja ceremony to ask the mountain for safe passage before heading up. Following the ceremony, the team went out into the field for technical training to review and simulate the route that lies ahead. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the fall 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is October 29th.

Today, we had a really nice day actually, a nice busy day! This morning was our pre-climb Puja. So, that’s our ceremony that we do before every climb to ask the mountain for safe passage before we start moving up above base camp (4600m/15,100ft). Then we had a nice lunch of salmon steaks, and sandwiches, and a good beef and tomato soup! And then, after lunch we headed over to the training location not far from base camp and we practiced our technical skills: ascending fixed lines in steep terrain, rappelling, transitions, all of the above. Everyone did really well with that! Now, we’re just walking back to base camp. It’s a little misty and we’re looking forward to moving up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft) tomorrow to start our rotation.

Also tonight, we will have another movie night. So far we’ve watched Top Gun: Maverick, and then last night we started The Godfather, but that’s a really long movie, so we made it about halfway through. We’ll probably finish it off tonight! And that’s about it.

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

Our climber, Tom, practicing technical skills with sirdar and guide Aang Phurba Sherpa! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Tom, practicing technical skills with sirdar and guide Aang Phurba Sherpa! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Joe, one of our Ama Dablam climbers practicing technical skills! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Joe, one of our Ama Dablam climbers practicing technical skills! (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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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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First rotation on Cho Oyu coming up!

Our team during yesterday's Puja ceremony!

The Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expedition team is about to begin their first rotation on the world’s sixth-highest peak! The team has spent the last few days settling into their base camp, reviewing technical skills, packing for their rotation up to Camp 2, and taking part in a Puja ceremony! The Puja ceremony is a crucial piece to all of our 8,000-meter expeditions, asking the mountain for safe passage before going up. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Tibet:

Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft) expedition here in Tibet on the sixth-highest mountain in the world in China! Today is September 21st.

We had our Puja ceremony yesterday, it went very well asking the mountain for safe passage. A Tibetan monk came up and officiated the ceremony with us! Tomorrow we’re planning to head up on our first rotation to acclimatize on Cho Oyu up to Camps 1 and 2. It’s been a little snowy the last few days, but hopefully, we’ll get a break in the weather. The team’s doing great! We’re really excited to be here. There’s just a handful of teams and a few climbers each here on the mountain, so pretty small compared to some of the other peaks we’ve been on this year. But, all is going well here!

We’re thinking of our team on Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft) in Nepal, the eighth-highest peak in the world. They’re starting their summit rotation tomorrow heading up to Camp 1, hopefully summiting around September 25th or 26th. So, fingers crossed and they’ll be in our prayers!

All is well here and we’ll check in soon!

Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu base camp!

Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu base camp!

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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