Training at Ama Dablam base camp

Today, team member Jenn D. provides the expedition dispatch with an overview of the training at Ama Dablam base camp:

Hello, this is Jenn calling in for Madison Mountaineering’s Ama Dablam expedition team.  We had a great day today!

After breakfast, we gave our crampons, ice axes, and mountaineering boots to the sherpas to carry up to camp as they departed today to set up Camp 1 and start working on the fixed lines.  We spent the morning working on technical skills, getting comfortable with the fixed lines ourselves, the ascenders, and rappelling.  We got back to base camp, we ate lunch, and then everybody rested a bit.  I washed my hair and stoled the generator for an hour because, apparently, hair blowdryers take up a lot of power.  The crew kind of self-entertained until dinner, where we got another meal fit for royalty.  The heater in the tent ran out of fuel, so we were quickly brought back to reality.

We are living in tents, peeing in a dirt hole in the ground, and sleeping with water bottles to stay warm.  The team is doing great, ready for one more rest day, which is Garrett‘s birthday, before we head to Camp 1.

Blessed to be out here living in a mountain wonderland.

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:

• @MadisonMtng
• @GarrettMadison1