Kilimanjaro Update

July 29, 2019

: Sunrise high on Kilimanjaro (Phunuru)

: Team on Top (Phunuru)

Always nice to start off the week with a phone call from Africa saying that we had another 100% successful ascent of Kilimanjaro this morning. Congratulations, team! Phunuru called and was pretty pleased to let us know the team did well, everyone shook hands on the summit and that they were back down to Millennium Camp. That leaves just a few hours hike tomorrow and this climb is a wrap! We couldnâ€™t be more pleased.

Phil Ershler

Bolivia Team Preparing for Alpamayo

July 28, 2019

Harry just checked in to let us know the weather continues to be beautiful, and the team had a good day of training on the glacier this morning. The team is back at Base Camp, will have an early dinner and then to bed in preparation for their climb of Pequeno Alpamayo in the morning.

: Training on Pequeno Alpamayo (Roberto Gomez)

: Base Camp at Pequeno Alpamayo (Roberto Gomez)

The weather forecast is in their favor, and the team is excited to get climbing!

All is well in Bolivia!

Greg Vernovage

Kilimanjaro Team in Barafu Camp

July 28, 2019

Team is in the batterâ€™s box, ready to take a â€˜swingâ€™ at the summit.

: Last stretch before camp (Phunuru Sherpa)

: Barafu Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)

Weather is perfect and team is pretty much perfect. Phunuru is planning for a 1am departure. Itâ€™s a big day, and it can be quite cold early in the morning. Weâ€™ll be wishing them luck, but I think theyâ€™re more than up to the task. Regardless, a little luck never hurt. The excitement makes it hard to sleep, but theyâ€™re pretty much running on adrenaline right now.

Phil Ershler

Huayhuash Peru Trek: Final Wrap-up

July 27, 2019

: Views from camp! (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Outstanding views in the Huayhuash (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Taking a break on the final day (Besty Dain-Owens)

: Tired but content (Betsy Dain-Owens)

Last weekend, our Huayhuash trek finished up their trek and made they way back home. Congrats to the trekkers for completingÂ the trek in such great style! It’s not only a spectacular experience, it’s a fun challenge that led the team over numerous passes over 15,000 feet during the course of their 10 days on the trek.

Again, well done to our 7 trekkers on this year’s trip!

We’ve set the dates for our 2020 trek: July 4-19, 2020. This trek is becoming one of our more popular treks, so early sign-up is recommended. We hope you can join us!

Jason Edwards

Pico Austria Summits in Bolivia!

July 27, 2019

Summit of Pico Austria looking at Pequeno Alpamayo (Greg Vernovage)

The Bolivia Team had a great day climbing Pico Austria today.Â IMG Guide Harry Hamlin said there was snow from Base Camp all the way to the summit but not enough to stop them from standing on top of Pico Austria (17,480â€™).Â This is not a technical climb but does a great job giving the team more of an opportunity to acclimatize. The team is now back at Base Camp and will head to the steep tongue of the glacier on Pequeno Alpamayo for training in the morning.

All is well in Bolivia!

Greg Vernovage

Diablo Mudo Climb

July 27, 2019

: Moderate rock section leading to summit of Diablo Mudo (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Approaching the summit of Diablo Mudo (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Happy climbers on the summit of Diablo Mudo (Betsty Dain-Owens)

: Descent of the peak, heading down to the next camp (Betsy Dain-Owens)

A couple of days before the end of our spectacular Huayhuash trek, a contingent of 4 trekkers and 3 of our guides climbed to theÂ inspiring summit of Diablo Mudo, standing at 17,805′. It’s a full traverse of the mountain, that includes an approach up one valley, some moderate rock scrambling, and then some rolling snow and ice slopes that lead to the pinnacle of the mountain. After some time enjoying the summit and taking a few pics, the team descended the mountain via a different route, following a different valley, and then reunited with the other trekkers at the next camp.

Congratulations to the climbers and guides!

Jason Edwards

Kili Team At Karanga Camp

July 27, 2019

On the top of the Barranco Wall (Phunuru Sherpa)

The IMG Kilimanjaro Team just wrapped up a fantastic day on their way to Karanga Camp. This is often the favorite part of the whole approach as the route climbs the famous Barranco Wall. The wall can appear intimidating for some when looking up from below, and it does require a bit of scrambling in places, but overall it’s a couple hours of pure fun.

: Climbing ‘the wall’ (Phunuru Sherpa)

: At Karanga Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)

The team will head to Barafu next where they’ll rest a bit and prep for their summit attempt.

Stay tuned!

Phil Ershler

The Puffin Boat Tour In Iceland

July 26, 2019

: Puffin Bird (Wikipedia)

The Iceland Team wrapped up a great trip with a Puffin Boat Tour today followed by a walk around town and last dinner in the city of Reykjavik.

: Puffin Birds on the rocks (Craig John)

: Foliage in Iceland (Craig John)

The team will have one last night in the city before heading home. Â This has been a great trip and we will look forward to getting back to Iceland again in the future!

Greg Vernovage

Pequeno Alpamayo Base Camp

July 26, 2019

: Condoriri also visible during the trek to Base Camp (Greg Vernovage)

: Llamas hauling gear to Base Camp (Greg Vernovage)

: First look at Pequeno Alpamayo (Greg Vernovage)

The Bolivia Team has moved up to Pequeno Alpamayo Base Camp (15,500â€™).Â Harry Hamlin checked in to let us know it is another perfect day in the Cordillera Real Mountain Range.Â The team is getting moved into their tents and will do some harness rigging and light training around Base Camp this afternoon.Â Tomorrow, the plan is to trek to the summit of Pico Austria and the following day, trekking to the tongue of the glacier for additional training.Â The weather forecast is in their favor and we will be looking forward to hearing about the views from on top of Pico Austria.

All is well in Bolivia!

Greg Vernovage

Elbrus team enjoys dinner in Moscow

July 26, 2019

: Waiting for flight to Moscow (Jonathan Schrock)

: Dinner in Moscow (Jonathan Schrock)

The team beat the rain and got down to Mineralnye Vody and out to Moscow. After getting checked into the hotel there, it was off for an afternoon of sightseeing and then dinner in town near Old Arbot Street. Fun day. They’ll have another morning of sightseeing tomorrow and then it’s time to start working their way home.

All good in Russia and Team 2 of the season is heading to St. Petersburg tomorrow. Â Jonathan and Igor will be waiting for them.

Phil Ershler