September 12, 2018
The team at the hotel this morning before heading ot the trailhead. (Andy Polloczek)
IMG Guide Andy Polloczek checked in from Machame Camp (10,000ft) on Kilimanjaro reporting all is well. The team enjoyed a nice rain free hike through the jungle, always a win on the first day. Once at camp they settled in and enjoyed a bite to eat. The team did well on the trail and are already looking forward to making the move to Shira Camp tomorrow.
All is well on Kilimanjaro!
Tye Chapman
September 12, 2018
The Cho Oyu Team is settling in at Advanced Base Camp on Cho Oyu. The Team is becoming familiar with their new surroundings, their gear, getting settled into tents, eating, drinking and working with Dallas and Phunuru on plans for the days to come. Getting settled in at ABC allows the team to relax and refocus energy on the next goal. This team has done a great job taking it slow and steady and most importantly acclimatizing. They have arrived at ABC healthy and strong.
Tomorrow is Puja Day! The team will gather after breakfast and have the Puja ceremony where they ask permission to climb the mountain. After the Puja, it will be lunch time, followed by some reorganizing and most likely some harness rigging and light training. Our Sherpa Team will be communicating with other teams about the upper mountain and will start carrying gear to Camp 1 for the team’s first rotation.
All is well on Cho Oyu!
Greg Vernovage
September 11, 2018
Andy and the crew having lunch at the hotel. (Andy Polloczek)
Andy checked in today reporting that things went just as planned today. The team met at 9am this morning to get to know each other a bit and talk about their upcoming climb. Afterwards Andy met with the team members individually to do gear checks. Once all the business was out of the way, they went into Moshi to run a couple errands and explore a little bit.
Still a little jet lagged, they returned to the hotel in the afternoon to finish packing, have dinner and generally rest up. They’ve got some big days ahead of them, but from the looks of this team, they’ll do just fine!
The plan for tomorrow is an early breakfast, check out of the hotel and in the van by 8:00am. They’ll have about an hour to the trailhead where they’ll check in with Kilimanjaro National Park, and hit the trail.
All is well in Moshi!
Tye Chapman
September 11, 2018
IMG Guides Dallas Glass and Phunuru Sherpa checked in from ABC overnight. The team had a great day trekking to ABC (18,500 ft). Dallas said the team woke up to a perfect day, clear skies and perfect temperatures. The team did very well on the trek to ABC. From Gyaplung (Intermediate Camp) the team heads uphill for a short stretch before heading out onto the moraine. Once on the moraine, the route travels up and down and twists and turns for a few hours before the team pops out at Advanced Base Camp. The views along the way are fantastic and most of the time is spent looking at the famous Nangpa la. Nangpa la is one of the oldest trade routes connecting Tibet to Nepal.
The team has earned a well-deserved rest day or two and will spend the time get settled into their new home. Our Sherpa Team has done an amazing job setting up ABC! A ‘job well done’ to Phinjo Dorgee, Chhewang Lendu and Sonam Tashi for all their hard work!
All is well on Cho Oyu!
Greg Vernovage
September 10, 2018
View of Kilimanjaro from our hotel in Moshi (Dustin Balderach)
IMG Guide Andy Polloczek checked in from Moshi, Tanzania this afternoon reporting that all team members have arrived. They’re short 1 duffel bag, but that’s not a big worry, the bag will almost certainly arrive on tomorrow’s KLM flight.
For now it’s rest up, adjust to the time zone and get on the hydration. Things kickoff tomorrow morning at 9am with a team meeting followed by gear checks, a trip into Moshi to run some errands and a visit to the market.
All is well in Tanzania!
Tye Chapman
September 10, 2018
It happens more often than you think. You see a trip on the website that you would like to join but it doesn’t quite fit into your busy work schedule or you have different needs and wants during a trip or you would rather just do it on your own with our amazing guide team. We can help!
A great example is going on in Tibet right now. We put together a Tibet Trek for Mitch & Leslie, long-time friends of IMG, and just fantastic people. Mitch and Leslie have visited Annapurna Base Camp as well as Everest Base Camp on the South Side. Since then have been wanting to see Everest from the North Side, so they called on IMG Senior Trekking Guide, Lopsang Sherpa about another adventure, the stars aligned and they were off to Tibet!
We received a few photos over the weekend and some text messages from Mitch. “We are crushing it over here in Tibet!†The team visited the Potala Palace, ate dinner with our friend living in Tibet, and are touring Lhasa for some acclimatization. Over the weekend, they visited Norbulingka, The Dalai Lama’s summer home, and Sera Monastery, where the monks debate. Today they set off for Shigatse and will spend a couple days trekking and sightseeing.
Arranging a private trek in Tibet is not as difficult as it may sound, even with the extra paperwork and Chinese visas that need to be squared away beforehand. So, if you can’t visit Tibet with our Cho Oyu Team, or would like to head over with your own small group, we can help arrange your trip. Tibet would also be a great “add on†after the Everest Base Camp Trek in the Spring. Head to EBC on the South Side, go back to Kathmandu acclimatized and fly into Lhasa. What a great way to spend your Spring!
Greg Vernovage
September 10, 2018
Chinese Base Camp (16,000 feet) on Cho Oyu is an interesting camp. As you see in the first photo, the road goes straight through the camp, so despite the temptation of the road, it is a good acclimatization stopping point after leaving Tingri (14,300 feet). After Chinese Base Camp, the team uses what’s called Intermediate Camp (IC), also referred to as Gyaplung (17,800 feet), before making the move to Advanced Base Camp (ABC), which is at roughly 18,500 feet. So, for those of you wondering why we don’t just load up the jeeps and drive to IC, well the trekking is great for acclimatization & staying healthy, and the scenery is fantastic. Plus, what’s the hurry?
Today, Dallas and the Cho Oyu Team had a great trek to Gyaplung. The team is feeling great and the weather was good for the trek. As the team pulled into IC, they were greeted by our Sherpa Team with hot drinks and Ra-Ra noodle soup. This is one of my favorite meals in the mountains! It is warm, easy to eat, and has plenty of salt in it, which hits the spot after a good day of trekking.
The plan for the morning is to head to ABC where our advanced Sherpa Team is hard at work building camp. More on the trek to ABC in tomorrow’s blog.
All is well with the Cho Oyu Team!
Greg Vernovage
September 9, 2018
Dallas checked in after another great day of hiking and acclimatizing at Chinese Base Camp (16,000ft). The team is doing a great job of taking it slow and working on their acclimatization. Phunuru and Dallas are very happy with the team’s progress. The plan for tomorrow morning is to pack up and move up to Intermediate Camp (17,200 ft).
All is well at Chinese Base Camp in Tibet!
Greg Vernovage
September 8, 2018
The IMG Team had an ideal day. Dallas reported clear skies, mild temperatures and beautiful views. The Team woke up to a little frost on the tents which quickly disappeared when the sun hit. A beautiful morning at Chinese Base Camp. After coffee and breakfast, it was time to stretch the legs. The Cho Oyu Climbing and Trekking Team hiked up the road for a little while before heading into the hills, getting to 17,200 feet for the day. They are doing a great job acclimatizing on this trip!
The Sherpa Team was up early and making more loads headed to Gyaplung by truck and then to ABC on Yaks. This is a lot of work for the Sherpa Team. Gear needs to be repacked, weighed and then loaded onto the truck. IMG Senior Guide and climbing Sirdar, Phunuru Sherpa is a very busy man. He started by weighing and loading gear with our Sherpa Team at BC. From Base Camp, Phunuru jumped into the truck with the gear and headed for Gyaplung. Once at Gyaplung, Phunuru along with our advanced Sherpa Team of Chhewang Lendu, Sonam Tashi and Phinjo Dorgee transferred loads from the truck to the yaks and made their way to ABC. Chhewang Lendu is planning on heading up to Camp 1 to look at the route and assess conditions at Camp 1.
Great day on Cho Oyu!
Greg Vernovage
September 7, 2018
The Cho Oyu Climbing and Tibet Trekking Team has pulled into Chinese Base Camp (16,000’). The team was up early, and everything went according to plan. With the road up to Base Camp now paved, the team made great time and arrived by mid-morning, “just in time for brunch.â€Â Dallas sent back a report to let us know that while the food in Tingri was good, the team was very excited to get to Base Camp and Kaji’s home cooking! Kaji did not disappoint. For dinner, the team had Kaji’s famous sizzle plate. Kaji’s sizzle plate a smoking hot cast-iron dish filled with chicken or beef along with some veggies and potatoes. The true professionals then cover everything with hot gravy!
The team was also “blown away†by the set up of the IMG Base Camp. Phunuru and the Sherpa Team did a great job setting up Base Camp. The Eureka tents set up in a row and the dining tent put together in classic Kaji fashion, with plenty of water and snacks on the table.
Our advanced Sherpa Team is making good progress. They’ve moved from Intermediate Camp (17,200’) up to Advanced Base Camp (18,500’).
The plan for the next few days will be to drink, eat, acclimatize and rest.
All is well; nice job everyone!
Greg Vernovage
