Tag Archive for: Sherpa

Keeping it Fun in Base Camp!

Our climber, Nelly Attar celebrating a successful ascent while ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

The Madison Mountaineering team is making the most of their time in K2 base camp (4968m/16,300ft)! Today, the team went ice climbing and have a fun evening ahead, with a good dinner and a movie. Expedition guide, Terray Sylvester checks in with todays dispatch from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2022 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition – it’s July 12th.

Today we had another rest day here in base camp while we’re still waiting for high winds to taper off on the mountain. But, we had sunny skies today so we took advantage of them and we went ice climbing on some of the ice towers here on the Godwin-Austen Glacier, right next to base camp. That felt great – it was a lot of fun to swing the tools! We also held a second session of our medical and rescue skills refresher training for our Sherpa and Balti teams. So now, a few clouds have come in and we’re just getting ready to sit down for dinner, and we’ll probably follow that up with a movie as usual.

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

Climber, Krisli tops out on an ice tower near base camp while ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

Climber, Krisli tops out on an ice tower near base camp while ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

Expedition leader, Garrett Madison working with Krisli while ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

Expedition leader, Garrett Madison working with Krisli while ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

Krisli ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

Krisli ice climbing today. (📸: @terray_s)

Nelly swinging the ice tools. (📸: @terray_s)

Nelly swinging the ice tools. (📸: @terray_s)

Guide, Cacho Beiza teaching emergency medical skills to members of our sherpa and Balti staff. (📸: @terray_s)

Guide, Cacho Beiza teaching emergency medical skills to members of our sherpa and Balti staff. (📸: @terray_s)

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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Rescue and Technical Skill Review

Members of our sherpa team practicing moving a victim in a rescue litter near base camp today (📸: @terray_s)

The Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team practiced rescue and technical skills today while they continue to wait for a weather window to make their summit push. Terray Sylvester checks in with todays dispatch from K2 base camp (4968m/16,300ft):

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2022 Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition – it’s July 8th.

Today, we had another rest day in base camp while we wait for a weather window for our summit push. Beautiful weather – we took the time to do our review session with technical skills and rescue skills with our Sherpa and Balti teams. We try to do one of those every expedition and we’ll probably continue it in the coming days.

The weather is beautiful and the whole team is healthy. So, we’re looking forward to getting back on the mountain.

We’ll be in touch!

Guide, Cacho Beiza, discussing technical and rescue skills during a refresher session with our sherpa and Balti staff in base camp today (📸: @terray_s)

Guide, Cacho Beiza, discussing technical and rescue skills during a refresher session with our sherpa and Balti staff in base camp today (📸: @terray_s)

Guide, Cacho Beiza, reviewing how to use our rescue litter in base camp today (📸: @terray_s)

Guide, Cacho Beiza, reviewing how to use our rescue litter in base camp today (📸: @terray_s)

Sirdar and guide, Aang Phurba Sherpa, teaching during the skills clinic (📸: @terray_s)

Sirdar and guide, Aang Phurba Sherpa, teaching during the skills clinic (📸: @terray_s)

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 Ceremony and Preparation

Members of our Sherpa team making offerings during our puja ceremony today (📸: @terray_s)

Today, the team had their Puja ceremony in base camp (4968m/16,300ft) and continues to rest up before they make their way back up the mountain. Here’s expedition lead, Garrett Madison, with today’s dispatch from K2 base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering K2 Expedition.

Today is July 7th and today we had our Puja ceremony in base camp. After lunch, the weather cleared up and our Sherpa team, our Pakistani team, and all of our climbers gathered around our Puja shrine. We had a wonderful ceremony asking the mountain for safe passage. Afterwards, we had a little dance party, celebration, then had a nice dinner and just finished a movie!

So, everyone’s doing well in base camp. We’re resting lots, eating, and just taking it easy – waiting for some of this bad weather to pass and looking forward to good weather on the way!

All is well here on K2.

Our Pakistani staff and members of our Sherpa team providing the music for the post-puja dancing today (📸: @terray_s)

Our Pakistani staff and members of our Sherpa team providing the music for the post-puja dancing today (📸: @terray_s)

Climber, Krisli, receiving a blessing from Dorje Gyaljen Sherpa at today's puja (📸: @terray_s)

Climber, Krisli, receiving a blessing from Dorje Gyaljen Sherpa at today’s puja (📸: @terray_s)

Our climber, Nelly, sporting a tsampa (roasted barley flour) "mustache" during today's puja. The mustache is a blessing to guarantee that the recipient lives to old age (📸: @terray_s)

Our climber, Nelly, sporting a tsampa (roasted barley flour) “mustache” during today’s puja. The mustache is a blessing to guarantee that the recipient lives to old age (📸: @terray_s)

Dorje Gyaljen Sherpa leading today's puja. Dorje is a very strong Himalayan climber and member of our Sherpa team, he's also trained as a Buddhist lama (📸: @terray_s)

Dorje Gyaljen Sherpa leading today’s puja. Dorje is a very strong Himalayan climber and member of our Sherpa team, he’s also trained as a Buddhist lama (📸: @terray_s)

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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Mountain Hardwear Bagpacks to Summit !

Mountain Hardwear Backpacks to Summit!

For our 2018 expedition we are using these backpack from Mountain Hardwear. Also, our Mountain Hardwear ‘South Col’ backpacks are utilized by our climbing Sherpa to transport the essential equipment in harsh environment . Furthermore, these backpacks  are used for rope fixing all the way to the summit.


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Day 9 & 10: Arrival in Everest Base Camp!

Base Camp Arrival :

Yesterday our team arrived in Mount Everest base camp! It was nice to finally arrive at our home for the season. After, over a week of trekking through the beautiful Khumbu valley we are here now. We were greeted by our Nepal Sherpa staff and then had a relaxing afternoon moving into our personal tents. Today we said good bye to our trekkers and Island peak climbers as they left us to head onto their next destination. We had a leisurely morning and took much needed hot showers. Then, went on a walkabout around the small city of Everest base camp. The weather has been great today and we are enjoying the spectacular views of Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, and Mount Nuptse from our camp. Everyone is well and we are happy to be settled into our home for the next 5 – 6 weeks.

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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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Everest 2017 expedition comes to an end

Our Mount Everest 2017 expedition is coming to an end! This morning our entire team navigated through the Khumbu icefall and arrived safely from Camp 2 back to base camp. With successful ascents of Mount Everest and Lhotse, our entire team is thankful for safe passage and excited to return home to family and loved ones. We are incredibly proud of our guides, climbers and Sherpa for working together as a team to accomplish our goals. For dinner we enjoyed steak and chicken with a few bottles of bubbly to celebrate our season. Tomorrow our team will helicopter out back to Kathmandu to conclude their expedition in the Himalayas.

Make sure to follow us on social as we will continue to post photos and videos from this expedition!

Facebook / Instagram / Twitter  @MadisonMtng

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Navigating the icefall at night. Photo: AndersC

Everest 2017 expedition

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Welcome back to base camp Ingvild!! (Everest+Lhotse summits)

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Congrats Ellen!!

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Conan, Drew and Allan returning back to base camp

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Congrats Drew!!

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Billy, Garrett, Sid and Phurba

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Safe travels John! 

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Allan taking off back to Kathmandu. Safe travels!

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Descent from summit of Lhotse

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Lhotse summit with Makalu in the background

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Successful Lhotse summit as team makes descent

Congrats to climbers Sid Pattison and IngvildS for a successful Lhotse summit today! They made the ascent with Lakpa Dandi in great time and are now safe and sound at Camp 2. Our main team moved down from Camp 4 today and are now resting at Camp 2 before making the final descent to base camp. We’ve had an incredible expedition and look forward to having our team back down safely. We posted a beautiful 360-photo from the summit of Lhotse today on Facebook, check it out here!  Epic photos below from guide Geoff Schellens 🙂

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Moving up from Camp 3 on the Lhotse face. 

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Toward the summit of Lhotse

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Moving toward Everest summit

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Ascent of Everest 

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Lhotse summit

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Sid Pattison and IngvildS after an amazing summit today!! L for… Lhotse!!

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Team makes safe descent to Camp 4

After a successful summit on both Mount Everest (main team) and Lhotse (private team) today, our climbers made a safe descent and are now resting at Camp 4 on the South Col. With high winds today our team bunkered down in their tents after returning from their summit push. Guide Sid Pattison and climber IngvildS will climb Lhotse tonight if the weather allows. The rest of our team will return to Camp 2 tomorrow and base camp the following day. Summit photos and video will be posted soon! 🙂

Private guide Geoff Schellens and climber JohnS successfully summited Lhotse this morning! After their summit they made a safe descent to Camp 2. Tomorrow morning they will depart Camp 2 and will arrive back in to base camp before lunch time.  We are incredibly proud of all our climbers and can’t wait to have the entire team back down to base camp safe and sound.

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Looking up from Camp 4 toward the summit of Everest

safe descent

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Mount Everest 2017 summit success!!

Amazing news from Nepal, Mount Everest 2017 summit success!! This morning our entire climbing team reached the summit with clear conditions and light wind at 8848 meters. After snapping a few pictures our team is now making their descent back down to Camp 4. Congratulations to the following:

Guides: Garrett Madison, Conan Bliss, Billy Nugent

Climbers: JohnK, AlinaZ, AllanM, IngvildS, DrewM, EllenG

Sherpa: Ang Phurba, Lakpa Dendi, Nurbu Sherpa, Pasang Dawa, Pemba Sherpa, K.B. Thapa, Tsherine Bhote, Ming Dorjee, Shere Thapa, Chhombi Sherpa, Shamgbu Bhote, Kam Dorjee, Phurba Bhote

Once the team arrives back to Camp 4, a few will evaluate their conditions and make a decision on climbing Lhotse tonight with guides Garrett and Sid Pattison. Guide Geoff Schellens and JohnS successfully summited Lhotse this morning!! The conditions were beautiful today with clear skies and 360 views!

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