trekking Archives

Ama Dablam 2021

Acclimatizing Above Base Camp

Our Ama Dablam team enjoyed views from their acclimatization hike today above base camp. Our expedition leader, Garrett Madison provides today’s expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Ama Dablam team update. Today is Thursday, October 28th and another great day here in base camp. We woke up, had breakfast, and then went for an acclimatization hike up above base camp. We had some great views and got about 2,000 feet of elevation gain before coming back down to base camp for lunch.

We organized our gear and getting ready for our first rotation on the mountain. We’re going to head up tomorrow to camp 1 for a couple of nights, so looking forward to getting up high on the mountain and hopefully some great views up there. And some fun technical climbing on the way from camp 1 to camp 2.

Everyone is doing great and we’re having an awesome time here and looking forward to another great day!

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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/ama-dablam-2021/

October 28, 2021/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2021

Training Day

Views from Ama Dablam base camp. (📸: Ted Hesser)

The Ama Dablam team had a training day near base camp. Garrett Madison, expedition leader, recaps the day:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Ama Dablam expedition team. Today we did some training here, nearby base camp. We put on our harnesses and rigged up our ascenders, safety carabiners, and repel devices and we practiced going up vertical fixed lines and repeling down fixed lines. It was good to review all the necessary techniques for the upper mountain.

Then we came back, had a nice lunch, and organized some gear this afternoon and had a lovely dinner. So, a beautiful day here, great views, everyone’s feeling strong and healthy. We are really happy to be up here at base camp. It’s just very beautiful and relaxing.

So, we’re all doing well and looking forward to a good day tomorrow. 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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/ama-dablam-2021/

October 27, 2021/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2021

Ama Dablam Base Camp!

Our Ama Dablam expedition team is settling into their home away from home at base camp. After a scenic trek into base camp and dinner, Garrett Madison, expedition leader, recaps the day:

Hello this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team. Today is Tuesday, October 26th and today we hiked from the village of Pangboche in the Khumbu Valley up to Ama Dablam base camp. We rolled into our base camp midday and had a nice lunch and then settled into our personal tents and explored the camp a little bit getting things dialed in. We just had a nice dinner here, first dinner in base camp tonight.

Nice to be up here at about 15,000 feet in the mountains and we’re looking forward to a good day tomorrow. We’re going to do some training and be here at least a couple of days before heading up to do our first rotation on the route.

Everyone is doing great here. It has been such a wonderful trek in so far, over the last five days coming in from Lukla up through Namche, Deboche and Pangboche, staying with the Sherpa families that we see year after year and reconnecting with all of the Nepalese people that are so important to us and help us make this all possible.

Everyone is having a great time. We’re feeling healthy and we’re just soaking up all this fresh air and clear mountain views and snow-capped peaks. So, all is well here at Ama Dablam base camp and we’ll check in soon. Thanks

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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/ama-dablam-2021/

October 26, 2021/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2021

First Views of Ama Dablam

The 2021 Ama Dablam team receives blessings as they depart Namche and the Panorama Lodge

The first views of Ama Dablam were had today as the team took an acclimatization hike from the Panorama Lodge in Namche Bazaar up to the Everest View Hotel (3962m/13,000ft). Garrett recaps the day:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition 2021.

We had a great hike up to the Everest View Hotel and had amazing views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, as well as other peaks. We enjoyed some tea there and had a beautiful clear day. We came back down to Nachme for lunch and then had a relaxing afternoon, a nice dinner here in the Panorama Lodge, and we’re going to head off towards Deboche.

We are looking forward to heading up the valley and passing through the Tengboche Monastery and then down into the rhododendron forest to the Rivendell Lodge tonight.

Everyone’s doing well, we’re so happy to be here, and enjoying this beautiful mountain valley of Nepal.

We’ll check in soon! Thanks.

View of Ama Dablam

Ama Dablam team at the Everest View Hotel

View of peaks from Everest View Hotel (courtesy of Dawa Steven Sherpa)

Climber J.B. Waterman poses with local Sherpa woman above Namche

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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/ama-dablam-2021/

October 24, 2021/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2021

Ama Dablam team treks to Namche Bazaar

Today our Ama Dablam team continued their trek to base camp by reaching the Khumbu capital of Namche Bazaar. Here’s expedition leader, Garrett Madison, with a recap of the day:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition team. Today’s Friday October 22nd and today we trekked up the Khumbu Valley over suspension bridges, crossing river gorges along raging rivers, and passing waterfalls up to village of Namche Bazaar, the iconic capital of Khumbu.

We rolled into Namche this afternoon, had a coffee, and explored the town a little bit. We are getting ready for dinner here in the lodge. We’re really happy to be back here with our good friends and are looking forward to a nice day tomorrow to do an acclimization hike. Everyone’s doing well and we’re so happy to be here in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal and enjoying some nice weather, good views, and fresh air.

We’ll check in soon!

One of the many suspension bridges on the route to Ama Dablam base camp

Stupas dotting the trail to Ama Dablam 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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/ama-dablam-2021/

October 22, 2021/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2021

Our 2021 Ama Dablam expedition kicked off yesterday with the team arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal. This morning they flew to the mountain village of Lukla to begin the trek to base camp. Here’s expedition leader Garrett Madison with the details:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ama Dablam expedition. Today is October 21st and we arrived in Lukla, Nepal after a flight from Kathmandu this morning. It was a beautiful flight up, clear skies, saw a lot of mountains. And now we are trekking up the Khumbu to our first village, Phakding. Tonight we’re going to stay and then tomorrow work our way up to Namche. Everyone’s doing well on the team, we’re excited to be up here in the mountains with some fresh air and some clear mountain views.

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 daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/ama-dablam-2021/

October 21, 2021/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2020

Ama Dablam Base Camp (4581m)!

Today the Ama Dablam team made the hike of the final hill to base camp. Garrett reports “all good here!” Tomorrow they will start dialing in the camp including getting communications set up. Hopefully, there will be some Wi-Fi so more photos can be shared.

The day’s hike from Pangboche to base camp was just about 3 hours and gained 700m of elevation. Now it’s time to climb! After a couple of acclimatization rotations up the mountain, they are targeting November 10 as a possible summit day. Stay tuned!

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

October 31, 2020/0 Comments/by Kurt

Ama Dablam 2020

The Trek to Base Camp – Pangboche (4000m)

Another beautiful day for trekking in the Khumbu where our Ama Dablam team has moved to just one day away from reaching base camp. From the village of Pangboche, expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides today’s audio dispatch recapping the day:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Ama Dablam expedition. We’re in Pangboche now at the base of Ama Dablam and we’re staying in the Namaste Lodge.

We arrived this afternoon after a wonderful trek from Deboche, up along the river to Pangboche. We had lunch here and then went for a walk this afternoon and visited the chief Lama in Pangboche up on the hillside above the village here and had a blessing with him. Tomorrow our plan is another blessing at the Pangboche Monastery and then we’ll head up to base camp! Great weather here and we’re enjoying our time here in the Khumbu.

It’s great to be reacquanted with some of our local friends and families who live here.

The 2020 Ama Dablam Team

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

October 30, 2020/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ama Dablam 2020

The Trek to Base Camp – Debuche (3730m)

Departing the Panorama Lodge in Namche with blessings

Leaving Namche Bazaar today, the Ama Dablam team was blessed by our friends at the Panorama Lodge and started making their way towards Tengboche. Before reaching the lunch stop at the village of Phunki Tenga, they said farewell to the Gokyo trekking team as the trail split and the Gokyo trekkers headed north into the Gokyo Valley and the village of Mong. After lunch on the riverside terrace overlooking the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Imja Khola rivers, the Ama Dablam team crossed the big footbridge and made their way up to the hill to the Tengboche Monastery and the always awesome Cafe Tengboche for some well earned Khumbu apple pie at 3855m / 12,648 ft.!

From there it was just a bit further on, downhill, to the Rivendell Lodge in Deboche for the evening.

[ UPDATE: Apparently the cafes in Phunki Tenga and Tengboche were closed due to the coronavirus so no apple pie! 🙁 ]

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 Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

October 29, 2020/0 Comments/by Kurt

Ama Dablam 2020

First views of Ama Dablam!

During today’s active rest day, the teams did an acclimatization hike up to the Everest View Hotel and caught their first views of Ama Dablam, Everest, and Lhotse. It was a beautiful, crystal clear blue sky day and the scenery was simply eye-popping.

Tomorrow the Ama Dablam team will head out of Namche and traverse the magnificent valley towards Tengboche. Along the way, they will say farewell to the Gokyo trek teams as they head north into the Gokyo Valley.