July 15, 2019

Ang Jangbu checked in with more great photos of the city tour in Ulaanbaatar. All climbers and gear have now arrived, gear checks complete and another beautiful day for touring the city. The team visited the main square of the city before going to the impressive cultural museum. They also visited the Winter Palace and the Gandantegchinlen Monastery. The day finished up with the team taking in the Tamen Ehk Singing and dancing cultural event.

Another busy day of sightseeing in Ulaanbaatar! Tomorrow, the team will head to the airport to take their flight to Bayan Olgii and head to the mountains!

Greg Vernovage

July 13, 2019

Gheghis Khan Statue (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

We heard from Ang Jangbu overnight with more great photos of the team in Mongolia:

“We had a great day today. We had a leisurely breakfast this morning left 9 am to the Genghis Khan statue. The direct road was under construction and had to take a longer route. It was about 110 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar.

After the statue, we drove to Terelj National Park and stopped at one of the many yurt resorts for a great lunch. We then drove further into the park to see the Turtle rock and the Aryaval Monastery. Beautiful area. We then drove back to UB and went straight to the Mongolian buffet dinner just got back to the hotel. “

Greg Vernovage

 

July 12, 2019

Sukbaatar Square during the Naadam Festival (Ang Jangbu_Sherpa)

Ang Jangbu checked in after another great day at the Naadam Festival. The team started off the day by heading out to watch the horse race in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. Now, this horse race is not what we would typically envision when we read the text. This is a long distance horse race in the open area. Take it even further by this horse race being done mostly bareback and the riders are kids and is 13 miles in length! For anyone who had a dream of being a cowboy as a kid, this would be a dream come true!

After the horse race, our tour guide exposed the team to a traditional game with Ankle Bones. I had to look it up as well! After the Ankle Bone Games, the team had an opportunity to taste the fermented horse milk. This is an “interesting” tasting drink with a small amount of alcohol content. After all of the fun, the team returned back to the hotel and Ang Jangbu took a short walk down to the City Center wear there was live music and the Parliament Building was lit up in beautiful color. Jangbu said he thought “all of Ulaanbaatar was gathered to listen to music and enjoy the warm summer night.

Greg Vernovage

July 11, 2019

Panorama of the Central Stadium (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

Ang Jangbu checked in after a great day at the Naadam Festival in Mongolia.  The team spent the first day at the Central Stadium in Ulaanbaatar taking in some archery and walking around to see the traditional clothing people are wearing.  The day was finished with a great dinner and some dancing by some of the team members!

All is well in Mongolia!

Greg Vernovage

July 10, 2019

2019 Mongolia Team Arriving (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

IMG Lead Guide, Ang Jangbu Sherpa, checked in from Ulaanbaatar this morning to let us know the 2019 Mongolia Team is arriving with all of their bags. This year, our Mount Khuiten Expedition lands at the end of the Naadam Festival in Mongolia so a number of our climbers decided to join the 4 day extension at the beginning of the expedition to take in the festivities.

The festivities for the team start tomorrow morning and we will be looking forward to getting some great photos from Ang Jangbu!

Greg Vernovage