Exciting news from the Madison MountaineeringAconcagua expedition team: the team topped out at the highest point in all the Americas yesterday! Waking up for their alpine start, the team emerged from their tents, scarfed down some food, shouldered their packs and set off for the summit. Step by step up the route, the team pushed on moving strongly and swiftly with the top coming more and more into sight with every step. Upon reaching the top at around 2pm local time, the team slapped high-fives, snapped some photographs, and took in their incredible achievement. Now on their way back to base camp, the team looks forward to continuing the celebration in Mendoza and then on to their home countries. Strong work and a huge congratulations goes out to the team! Expedition leader, Cacho Beiza checked in with this brief update from Aconcagua:
We summit (6961m/22,837ft) yesterday around 2:00pm, sleep again in Camp 3 (5989m/19,650ft). All the team is in good condition!
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The Madison MountaineeringCarstensz Pyramid expedition team wrapped up another successful climb on Oceania’s highest peak over the weekend with 100% summit success! This marks the end of another perfect season with all of our climbers topping out. The team moved swiftly and efficiently while climbing the route, making good time to the top and being rewarded with excellent views upon reaching the summit! Now the team is all off of the mountain and making their way home safe and sound. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid:
Today we left base camp on our summit push at about 2:45 a.m. and we stepped onto the summit of Carstensz Peak just a little over four hours later! We had a great climb. As we left base camp, there was some stars in the sky, but some fog came in as we approached the first and second terraces – the big ledges on the way up the route, the Heinrich Harrer route, which is the normal route here on Carstensz Pyramid. And then, as we got to the summit ridge, it was just overcast, cloudy skies. But as we stepped onto the summit, the sun came out and gave us some great views of the highlands around us, really magnificent limestone landscape. And over toward the Freeport Mine, which is an amazing feature of a Carstensz Pyramid climb – one of the largest open pit gold mines in the world, just a couple of miles from the summit of Carstensz Pyramid. We could also see down into the lush forests of New Guinea.
We came back down to base camp, had a good lunch, and now we’re relaxing before dinner. We’re hoping to fly out tomorrow, weather permitting, and then continue our way back to Bali.
So, yeah, it was a great, great climb, 100% success, really successful, wonderful day here on Carstensz Pyramid! We’ll be in touch tomorrow.
Summit photo atop Carstensz Pyramid!
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https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/PHOTO-2025-11-14-20-29-54.jpg1024768Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2025-11-15 06:07:202025-11-17 18:13:37Another perfect season on Carstensz Pyramid!
The Madison MountaineeringGokyo Ri, Lobuche East and Island Peak environmental restoration expedition team has concluded their time in the Khumbu! After a beautiful trek out of the valley and one final celebratory dinner together, the team said their goodbyes and began the journey back to their home countries. It was a hugely successful trip to the Khumbu Valley made possible by an awesome team of climbers, Sherpa’s, porters and guides. The team put boots on the summit of both Lobuche East and Island Peak, as well as Gokyo Ri and removed around 76 kilos of trash while doing so! Awesome work to the team. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this closing dispatch from this post-monsoon season in Nepal:
Today, we flew back from Luka (2860m/9,383ft) to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). Over the last several days, we enjoyed a really beautiful hike back down the Khumbu Valley from Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft). The weather was excellent – clear blue skies and beautiful fall colors on the hillsides.
And then, yeah, since we’ve arrived back in Kathmandu, we’ve been getting sorted out, taking showers, getting repacked. We just finished up our final dinner at Le Sherpa restaurant here in Kathmandu. And then early tomorrow morning, our first guests will start to depart for their home countries.
So, all in all, it was a really great trip! Successful summits on the Lobuche East (6119m/20,075ft) and Island Peak, as well as Gokyo Ri (4750m, 15,583ft.) And we cleaned up a total of about 76 kilos of trash, which is a good amount! That was mostly from Gokyo Ri and Lobuche East. But then the heavy snow put a stop to our cleanup efforts for this trip. However, we will continue to look for cleanup opportunities this fall, and of course, in future climbing seasons.
So all is well here! It was an excellent expedition. And looking forward to coming back to Nepal 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:
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https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/PHOTO-2025-11-06-08-26-26.jpg11991600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2025-11-06 15:26:332025-11-10 18:09:40Cleanup expedition complete in the Khumbu!
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:
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:
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.“
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/162408010015.jpg10371565Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2025-11-02 14:00:292025-11-04 17:50:23Summit success on Island Peak!
Back to back to back! The Madison MountaineeringCarstensz Pyramid expedition team successfully reached the summit on three straight days. Each member of the team topped out on the highest peak in Oceania, one of the famed seven summits! Challenging logistics caused the team to have to climb on different occasions, but couldn’t stop them from having a great time, reaching the summit, and coming home safely! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this final dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid:
Today is October 22nd and we have concluded our climbs. All six climbers made the summit, along with myself and some of our local guide friends. Over the course of three days, we climbed over three days because of the helicopter schedules and acclimatization, so three different summit days. Everyone made the summit between the three days! A special congrats to Art Muir, who became the oldest person to climb Carstensz Pyramid and finish the seven summits at age 79 and a half. Way to go Art!
So now we’re just waiting for helicopters here at Carstensz Pyramid Base Camp (4285m/14,050ft). Hopefully we’ll get to fly down to Timika (31m/103ft) soon and back to Bali and homeward bound. Fingers crossed!
The team back together in the Yellow Valley Base Camp.
Crossing the airy Tyrolean Traverse high on Carstensz.
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https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PHOTO-2025-10-22-03-36-25.jpg16001200Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2025-10-22 13:34:592025-10-26 00:22:54Successful summits of Carstensz Pyramid on three straight days!
It comes with great excitement to share that another Madison Mountaineering team has successfully reached the summit of Carstensz Pyramid – the second team in two days! This time, the team included expedition leader, Garrett Madison along with climbers, Art Muir and Kristin Harila. It’s been a memorable expedition so far, and we’re not done yet! With good weather ahead, a third team plans to go for the summit tomorrow. More updates to come from the highest peak in Oceania! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid:
Today is October 21st and we had our second group of summiteers on Carstensz Pyramid with myself, it was Art Muir who became the oldest we believe to summit Carstensz Pyramid at age 79 and a half and to complete the seven summits – congratulations, Art! Also Kristin Harila of 14 8,000-meter peaks speed record fame. So, a wonderful climb today along with local Indonesian guide [Pexi?]. Great views from the top and looking forward to another climb tonight with Kevin Walsh and Kevin Downs! So, fingers crossed for good weather.
We’re having a good season so far here on Carstensz Pyramid and we’ll check in soon!
Clear skies and a beautiful sunrise while climbing Carstensz Pyramid!
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Exciting news from Papua New Guinea! The Madison MountaineeringCarstensz Pyramid expedition team successfully reached the summit of the highest peak on the continent and have safely returned back down to their base camp. More members of our team will fly into camp shortly, and with good weather, will be making their summit attempt soon! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this celebratory dispatch from the Yellow Valley Base Camp at the foot of Carstensz Pyramid:
Today, October 20th, our first team summited! Myself with David Concannon and Chris Lind, along with local guide, Viri summited Carstensz Pyramid at 7:00 AM. We were the only ones up there, beautiful, sunny weather! We’re back in base camp (4285m/14,050ft) here with some of our other members. Hopefully, our last two members will fly in tomorrow by helicopter and the second wave of our team can go for the summit in a few days time! Fingers crossed for bluebird skies.
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It comes with much excitement to share that the Madison Mountaineering expedition team has reached the sixth-highest summit on Earth of Cho Oyu! Starting in the dark, the team emerged from their tents under clear, starry skies and started up the route. With our amazing Sherpa team leading the way having to break trail and help fix lines to the summit, the team moved strongly as they moved up the route. After reaching the top, the team embraced with hugs, high-fives, and a short celebration before snapping some photographs and turning back the way that they came. A huge congratulations goes out to the team! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checked in with this dispatch from Camp 2 on Cho Oyu:
Well, today is October 13th, and we finally made the summit of Cho Oyu! Glorious day, beautiful views all around, good climbing conditions. I’m very proud of our team, myself, along with our three climbers who continued on, Denisa, Nicole, and Serge, along with our amazing Sherpa team, Dawa Tenji, Siddhi, Ming Dorchi, Temba, and Lhakpa Wongchu. Just an amazing crew!
Great team work. We stuck it out over a week past the end of our expedition end date to wait out the storm, the high winds. Our Sherpa team led the way up the route today and broke trail and help fix lines to make it climbable for us.
So, fantastic day here! We’re heading down. We’re at Camp 2 making our way down, and just admiring the beautiful views here. It’s been a wonderful expedition here on Cho Oyu in Tibet!
On fixed-lines climbing up towards the summit.
Looking out at the surrounding Himalaya while climbing up the route.
Some of the team on the summit!
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https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PHOTO-2025-10-12-23-39-55-2.jpg12001600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2025-10-13 06:42:082025-10-13 13:30:14Madison Mountaineering team tops out on Cho Oyu!
The Madison MountaineeringMakalu expedition team has safely returned to their base camp after topping out on the world’s fifth-highest peak! Just in time for dinner, the team descended into their camp, concluding another chapter of this challenging expedition. The team climbed under the moon and stars from Camp 3, gaining Makalu’s summit ridge as the sunrise began to light-up the surrounding peaks – a welcome sight after climbing in the dark for so long! With Alex in our hearts, our team stepped onto the summit and embraced, taking in the moment as this dream was realized before turning back and heading down. We’re so proud of this team! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Makalu Base Camp:
Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison MountaineeringMakalu (8463m/27,766ft) expedition – today is May the 12th. It’s a beautiful morning here in base camp, sunny and warm, and we are relaxing after our successful summit yesterday morning! We stood on top of the fifth-highest peak on the planet yesterday, about 6:00 AM.
It was a great summit day! We left Camp 3 at about 9:30 PM on May 10th, climbed through the night under a mostly full moon and arrived on Makalu’s summit ridge just before sunrise, which meant we got to watch as the morning sun illuminated the Kangshung Face of Everest (8848m/29,032ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), right next door. We could see headlamps of climbers way up on Everest on the southeast ridge, just below the summit. So yeah, it was a really great summit day and then we descended all the way back down to base camp yesterday evening and arrived in time for dinner at our normal time, 6:00.
It was a great climb and I think the best possible way to wrap up what has been a really difficult time here at Makalu for the whole Madison Mountaineering team after our teammate and friend, Alex Pancoe passed away so suddenly at Camp 2 during our acclimatization rotation. That event just left us all reeling, but we talked it over and it was clear to us that Alex brought, he brought so much stoke to the mountains. He loved being here so much and we were sure that he would have wanted us to keep climbing. So, on the 8th, we realized that we had just enough time to get to the summit in good weather before jet stream winds returned to the top of the mountain, so we went for it.
We will spend the rest of today packing up, wrapping up the expedition and then we are going to start making our way back down to lower elevations! We’ll be in touch.
Morning light on Lhotse and Everest (photo by Terray Sylvester)
Final steps to Makalu’s summit ridge (photo by Terray Sylvester)
Traversing Makalu’s summit ridge (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:
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.“
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PHOTO-2025-05-11-22-06-51-2.jpg10671600Garretthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgGarrett2025-05-12 05:28:482025-05-12 13:49:50Back in base camp after the summit!
The morning of May 11th brought uplifting news to our Everest–Lhotse expedition team: our Makalu team had successfully reached the summit! After a deeply emotional beginning to the journey with the loss of our dear teammate, Alex Pancoe, the entire team came together on the top, sharing heartfelt hugs and high-fives. We couldn’t be prouder of this incredible achievement — and we know Alex would be, too. As they awaited updates from the world’s fifth-highest peak, our Everest–Lhotse team rejoiced in the news, drawing inspiration as they prepare for their own summit rotation. Expedition leader Garrett Madison shares this latest dispatch from Everest Base Camp:
We’ve got some good news to report – our Makalu (8463m/27,766ft) team led by Terray Sylvester, along with climbers Kristin and Aga, and five of our stellar Nepal Sherpas all summited Makalu today! They reported great weather conditions and had a wonderful summit. Now, they’re making their way down to Camp 3 and Camp 2.
So, we’re very happy for our Makalu team! It’s been a great end to their season, despite losing one of the team members, Alex Pancoe, to a likely cardiac arrest in Camp 2 earlier in the season. So, wonderful conclusion to the Makalu expedition!
The Everest team here, most of us are down in Namche (3440m/11,290ft) actually resting and recuperating, getting ready for the final summit rotation. A couple members are up here in base camp (5364m/17,598ft) hanging out with myself and guides, Conan and Cacho, Aang Phurba’s up at Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft) managing the Sherpa team at the moment.
So, all is well here on Mount Everest! We’re just watching the forecast and the rope fixing is in, so waiting for the winds to drop a bit and our members to be 100% before we embark on our final summit push!
So, all is well here in Nepal on Everest! 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:
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.“
