Tag Archive for: Summit Success

100% Summit Success on Vinson!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive.

It comes with great pleasure to share that all members of the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition team reached the roof of Antarctica today! Under blue skies and with excellent views of the surrounding Antarctic expanse, our team walked together up the final ridge on their way towards the top. Coming together on the summit, all nine climbers embraced with hugs, high-fives, and a birthday celebration for one of our team members, Alina! Now safely back in high camp, the team will get some rest before packing up and heading back down to base camp tomorrow. Awesome work, team! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Mount Vinson high camp:

Hello! This is Garrett and Benny calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) team.

We are back in high camp (3536m/11,600ft) after a successful summit today on January 8th, 100 % success! Everyone in our team of seven climbers, two guides made the summit. It was awesome! We had great weather, epic views, and a big celebration on the top. One of our members, Alina had a birthday today, so we sang her a happy birthday on the summit! We took lots of photos and videos and got back down here in high camp.

Winds are picking up, it’s storming a little bit. It’s supposed to storm more tomorrow, so we are going to pack up and head down first thing tomorrow and get down to base camp (2140m/7,020ft). So everyone is doing well and we will check in soon!

# Name Country
1 Garrett Madison United States
2 Benjamin “Benny” Lieber United States
3 Matthew Newton Australia
4 Alina Pekova Russia
5 Asad Memon Pakistan
6 Justin Barron United States
7 Putri Handayani Indonesia
8 Bart Heijermans Netherlands
9 Famke Heijermans Netherlands

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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All boots on the summit!

The team on the summit of Mount Vinson!

We are excited to share that the Madison Mountaineering Mount Vinson expedition has safely and successfully reached the summit of Antarctica’s highest peak! All boots landed on the summit over the weekend under clear skies and with much excitement, embraced with hugs and high-fives at the roof of one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet. Now back in Union Glacier Camp after a swift descent and scenic plane flight, the team will enjoy a few last days on the ice before boarding the plane back to Punta Arenas, Chile and then on to their home countries. Nice work, everyone! What a great way to start the season in Antarctica. Expedition leader, Benny Lieber checks in with this dispatch from Union Glacier Camp:

We made it to the summit of Mount Vinson (4892m/16,050ft) on December 14. The highest peak sticking up amongst the most frozen landscape on Planet Earth at 16,050ft. And positioned at 78°S in Antarctica.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and as we climbed up the last few hours we covered our faces and hands to stay warm in an Antarctic wind. On the top the wind faded to nearly nothing. We smiled and hugged and looked out at the endless ice in every direction. A surreal view unlike any other in the world.

I’m so proud of our team for their hard work and commitment to standing on the top together- which is a memory that will stay with us all forever.

Clear Antarctic skies!

Clear Antarctic skies!

Descending down the mountain with Mount Shinn behind.

Descending down the mountain with Mount Shinn behind.

Mount Vinson's summit ridge.

Mount Vinson’s summit ridge.

The team on their way up with the expansive Antarctic landscape stretching as far as the eye can see!

The team on their way up with the expansive Antarctic landscape stretching as far as the eye can see!

Ascending fixed lines on the way up the mountain!

Ascending fixed lines on the way up the mountain!

Ascending fixed lines toward high camp!

Ascending fixed lines toward high camp!

Dinner time!

Dinner time!

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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Good to be back on Carstensz Pyramid!

The team together with Carstensz Pyramid in the background!

We are thrilled to have been back on Carstensz Pyramid after a five-year hiatus due to the mountains closure! The Madison Mountaineering Carstensz Pyramid expedition team successfully reached the summit on October 27th at 9:00 AM local time with all members reaching the top. It was the perfect way to return to the mountain and we look forward to coming back again this February! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Carstensz Pyramid (4884m/16,024ft) expedition team. We are back in Timika on the island of Papua, Western Papua New Guinea after a great Carstensz Pyramid expedition! Our team flew up from Timika to the Yellow Valley base camp on Carstensz Pyramid October 26th. The weather was good, so the next day we departed base camp around 3:00 AM and climbed up to the summit reaching the top around 8:30 – 9:00 AM. Beautiful day, we spent some time up there celebrating, taking a few photos, and congratulating one of our climbers who finished the last of his 7 summits, and then descended back down to base camp.

The following day it rained and there were no helicopter flights, so we waited until the 29th. It was a beautiful day and we were able to helicopter back down to Timika and we’re looking forward to catching our flights back to Bali later today and relaxing a few days in Bali before heading on home.

It was a wonderful expedition, 100% success! Madison Mountaineering is happy to be back on Carstensz Pyramid after a five-year hiatus during the mountains closure. We look forward to returning again with some of our climbers in February!

Signing off for Carstensz Pyramid.

The team on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

The team on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

Expedition leader, Garrett and climber, Laura during the climb.

Expedition leader, Garrett and climber, Laura during the climb.

Descending back down the mountain.

Descending back down the mountain.

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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Check in from the Ama Dablam team!

The team on the summit of Ama Dablam with Everest and Lhotse in the background! From left: Guide Terray Sylvester, our climber, Joe, and Sirdar and Guide, Aang Phurba Sherpa. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Safely back in base camp, the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team spent the day re-introducing themselves to the luxuries of life off of the mountain! After a great day successfully reaching the summit on the day prior, the team relaxed, celebrated, and began getting prepared to make their way back down the valley. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Ama Dablam base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the autumn 2024 Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) expedition – today is November 8th. Today, we had a rest day here in base camp (4600m/15,100ft) after our successful summit push. Yesterday, we topped out on Ama Dablam at about 7:30 AM in the morning, and then we descended all the way back down to base camp and had a nice dinner here and got a good nights sleep.

So, we spent today taking showers and getting packed and prepared for our trek back down the valley to Lukla (2860m/9,383ft). Our plan is to leave for Namche Bazaar (3440m/11,290ft) tomorrow morning and then finish off the trek the following day.

All in all, we had a fantastic summit push! Two days ago, or three days ago on November 5th, we moved up to Camp 1 (5791m/19,000ft). The following day, we moved to Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft), rested most of the day, and then that evening at about 11:00 PM we started our summit climb and topped out at about 7:30 AM in the morning! The climbing conditions were perfect – zero wind and perfectly clear skies, which meant we had great views of the peaks around us and before the sun came up, excellent views of a brilliant, starry sky over the Himalayas!

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

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Joe, stepping onto the summit! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Approaching Camp 2. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

Celebratory cake back in base camp the evening after our team summited!

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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Ama Dablam Summits!

It comes with great excitement to share that at 7:36 AM local time on November 7, the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team successfully reached the summit! The team left their tents at Camp 2 and climbed through the night, navigating technical terrain under starry skies. In the morning hours, the sun began to come up revealing excellent views of many surrounding peaks and the route below. It was near perfect weather and route conditions for our summit day! After taking the final few steps onto the summit, the team shared hugs and high-fives in celebration before reporting the good news to our other teams in the Khumbu region. The team is now safely back in base camp and will begin to pack their bags and start their departure from the Himalaya soon! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Ama Dablam:

Hello from base camp! This morning we summited Ama Dablam (6812m/22,349ft) from Camp 2 (5980m/19,619ft) in excellent weather. We left Camp 2 at about 11 p.m. and stepped onto the summit not long after sunrise in perfectly clear skies without a breath of wind. After soaking up the views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Makalu (8463m/27,766ft), Kanchenjunga (8586m/28,169ft) and other peaks, we descended all the way here to base camp (4600m/15,100ft). We just wrapped up dinner and we’re looking forward to some well-earned sleep!

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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Cho Oyu Summit Success!

Summit photo on the top of Cho Oyu!

After several years off the mountain, it comes with great pleasure to share that 100% of our 2024 Cho Oyu expedition team has successfully reached the summit of the world’s sixth-highest peak! We are so proud of the team for their hard work and determination after a challenging season weather-wise. A HUGE shoutout and thank you goes out to our Sherpa team – these feats would not be possible without you. We’ve returned safely to base camp and will begin our departure home soon! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Cho Oyu base camp:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu (8188m/26,864ft) expedition team!

We are back down in base camp today and yesterday, October 7th, we summited Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world. All team members made it – 100% success! (I) couldn’t be more proud of our team. Everyone did awesome! We were so lucky with the weather. We had a beautiful, bluebird day, views in all directions (with) great views of Everest (8848m/29,032ft), Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft), Nuptse (7861m/25,791ft), Makalu (8485m/27,838ft), Shishapangma (8027m/26,335ft). Just so happy that this climb worked out! It was a little tenuous there last week with the big storm, all the snow, and the season being delayed about a week here in Tibet. But, all is well!

We’re packing up base camp today. We’re going to start trekking out tomorrow, Jeeps down to Tingri (4348m/14,268ft), and onwards to Lhasa (3,656m/11,995ft). There’s no land border crossings back into Nepal open at this point after the massive flooding, they’re all washed out. So, we are going to be flying back from Lhasa! So, very excited about that.

It’s a beautiful day here in base camp! We’re doing well, and happy, and looking forward to getting home soon.

High Camp with otherworldly views of the surrounding Himalayas!

High Camp with otherworldly views of the surrounding Himalayas!

Views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from high on the mountain!

Views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from high on the mountain!

Evening light high in the alpine.

Morning light high in the alpine.

The team on our summit rotation under blue skies!

The team on our summit rotation under blue skies!

Climbing up on the summit rotation!

Climbing up on the summit rotation!

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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2024 Manaslu expedition conclusion!

From left: Tenzi Sherpa and Temba Sherpa with our climber Chie Takeshita and Guide Terray Sylvester on the summit of Manaslu at 4:44 a.m. on September 25.

The Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has safely descended off of the mountain after successfully reaching the summit of the world’s eighth-highest peak! The team was welcomed back to camp by our rockstar base camp staff with a celebratory meal and cake, which we enjoyed while reflecting on the accomplishment from the day prior. The team has now begun to head their separate ways after saying their goodbyes with memories that won’t soon be forgotten from this hugely successful expedition! Awesome work, team. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this final dispatch from Manaslu base camp:

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

Today we descended from Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft) back down to base camp (4859m/15,944ft). We spent last night at Camp 2 after our successful summit on the 25th! We aimed for the 25th as our summit date because the forecast was good for the 25th, but the forecast was predicting significant precipitation for today. Fortunately, that precipitation held off until the afternoon, so we had very pleasant conditions when we woke up in Camp 2 this morning and really nice weather for most of our descent back here to base camp.

It’s great to be here and to reunite with our excellent base camp staff, Khamba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh, and with our whole Sherpa crew! So as of now, we are completely off of Manaslu! We’ve cleaned out all of our gear and taken down all of our trash, and anything else we brought up there from the mountain from all of the camps we used. All of our Sherpa crew and of course, all of our climbers are safely off of the mountain!

So, that concludes the climbing portion of the expedition. We had a really successful climb, it was just excellent! Tomorrow we plan to descend down to Sama village. We’ll spend one night there before beginning to make our way back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft).

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

Our climbers, James and Sara, with Ming Dorchi Sherpa at the summit of Manaslu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climbers, James and Sara, with Ming Dorchi Sherpa at the summit of Manaslu! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our guests celebrating with a “summit cake” and our excellent base camp staff. From left: Khumba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh.

Our guests celebrating with a “summit cake” and our excellent base camp staff. From left: Khamba, Ram Kumar, and Dipesh.

Our climbers Sara, James, and Chie with Expedition Leader Terray Sylvester.

Our climbers Sara, James, and Chie with Expedition Leader 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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100% Summit Success on Manaslu!

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

We are thrilled to announce that the entire Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition team has successfully reached the summit of the world’s eighth-highest peak! Standing at 8156m / 26,759ft, the team ascended the northeast ridge route which culminates in a peak that towers steeply above its surrounding landscape, and is a dominant feature when viewed from afar. The team enjoyed a beautiful morning on the summit, taking in the views and sharing a special moment together from the top. The team has safely descended all the way down to Camp 2 and will continue their descent down to base camp tomorrow. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Camp 2:

100% success on Manaslu (8156m/26,759ft)! This morning just before 5 a.m. our entire team touched the top of the eighth highest peak. That includes our three guests, four climbing Sherpas, and myself. We left Camp 4 (7450m/24,445ft) around midnight and were one of the first teams to summit today. That was important because the narrow route to Manaslu’s true summit — a high point on a knife edge ridge — can be crowded. The weather was excellent: we left Camp 4 in light snowfall but emerged from the clouds at about 7,800m. At the top we were treated to clear, starry skies and, importantly, completely still air with zero wind. In the distance to the south we could see lighting flickering in the clouds over the Himalayan foothills. At dawn, we could make out the Annapurna (8091m/26,545ft) and Dhaulagiri (8167m/26,795ft) massifs off to the west. After a short break at Camp 4, we descended to Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft) in good form. We’re going to enjoy some well-earned rest here tonight, then drop back to base camp (4859m/15,944ft) tomorrow. Here’s the complete summit list:

# Name Country
1 Chie Takeshita Japan
2 Sara Myers USA
3 James Morris USA
4 Siddhi Tamang Nepal
5 Temba Sherpa Nepal
6 Ming Dorchi Sherpa Nepal
7 Tenzi Sherpa Nepal
8 Terray Sylvester USA

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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Back in Base Camp!

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

It’s time to celebrate! The Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team has all arrived safely back in base camp after successfully reaching the summit of the world’s second-highest peak on the day prior. A big ‘congratulations’ goes out again to the whole team – climbers, guides Sherpa team, Pakistani high altitude porters, and base camp staff. Every member is an important piece to the puzzle and this climb wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of everyone involved! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this brief dispatch from K2 base camp:

All members are back in base camp (4968m/16,300ft) now!

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 K2!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive.

We are thrilled to announce that the Madison Mountaineering K2 expedition team has reached the summit of the world’s second-highest peak, putting all boots on top for those who left base camp on the summit rotation! We are so proud of our entire team for all of their hard work. It’s been a challenging season with tough weather that all came together for a beautiful summit day with epic views all around as far as the eye can see. The team gathered at the summit together and shared hugs and high-fives, taking in the moment and the huge feeling of accomplishment. Now back in Camp 3, the team will get some well-deserved rest before continuing their descent down the mountain tomorrow. Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this celebratory dispatch from Camp 3:

100% summits success on K2 (8611m/28,251ft)! All team back in camp 3 (7250m/23,800ft) now, heading back to base camp (4968m/16,300ft) tomorrow. 6 clients, 3 western guides, 8 Nepal Sherpas, 1 Pakistan HAP.

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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