October 3, 2018
Yup that’s a fanny pack! (Andy Polloczek)
These guys clean up real nice! As you can see they’re all shined up and ready for their flight to the Serengeti. No word from Andy this afternoon, but it’s a pretty safe bet they had a heck of a day on their afternoon game drive before heading to our wilderness camp for showers and a nice dinner. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sat around a campfire under the stars. Sounds pretty nice!
Tye Chapman
—–Original Message—–
From: Nathan Berry
Sent: Wednesday, October 3, 2018 3:46 AM
To: Tye Chapman
Subject: Gokyo to Thagnak
Tye,
We had an easy day today, taking 2.5 hours to cross the longest glacier in the Himalaya, the Ngozumpa Glacier. We arrived in Thagnak for lunch and plan to get an early start tomorrow, having breakfast by 5:30am.
The team is looking forward to the challenge of climbing up and over Cho La (17,485ft) and getting to Dzongla.
Nate
October 3, 2018
If you’ve climbed Rainier with IMG over the years there’s a good chance you’ve climbed with either Mike Haft or Kim Haft… or possibly both! Even if you haven’t climbed with Mike or Kim, we’re sure you’ll join us in congratulating them on the new addition to their family! Cassidy Picket Haft was born on September 21st at 12:16am. He weighed in at 8lbs 8oz and was 20.5 inches long. Mike, Kim and their pup Darwin are head over heels in love with the little guy.
We’re a family here at IMG, anytime we get a new addition to the family is a time to celebrate!
Congratulations to Kim, Mike and Darwin!
Tye Chapman
October 2, 2018
IMG Guide Nate Berry checked in from Gokyo this morning reporting that he and his team had an absolutely perfect day climbing Gokyo Ri (17,570ft.). The views of Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Everest and the surrounding glaciers took their collective breaths away!
Next up for this team is a move to Thagnak before the big push up and over Cho La Pass (17,485ft.) to Dzongla.
This team is having a blast!
Tye Chapman
October 2, 2018
IMG Senior Guide Andy Polloczek checked in today from the hotel in Moshi. He and the team had already showered up and were toasting to a great climb of Kilimanjaro. The festivities continued into the night with their celebration dinner…The 3+ days of rain are now a distant, though vivid, memory. The feeling of standing on top of Kilimanjaro in near perfect conditions will surly prevail as the memory of choice for this team.
Up next is the well-earned safari! They’ll be picked up at their hotel at 8am and whisked away to the small domestic airport in Arusha. From there they’ll fly in a small airplane to a dirt runway in the Serengeti. It’s a surreal feeling to get in a plane and an hour later you’re surrounded by zebras, elephants, giraffes and of course the big cats!
Needless to say this team will continue celebrating for a few more days. They’ve earned it.
Tye Chapman
October 2, 2018
A great view of Foraker from high on Denali (Mike Haft)
As we mentioned in May, IMG Denali, LLC was awarded a 10-year contract to guide in Denali National Park. Since this announcement we’ve been hard at work planning and organizing our 2019 climbs and we’re ready to announce our dates and get things rolling for 2019! We expect these programs to sell out quickly, so if Denali has been on your radar, now is the time to jump onboard an expedition to The Great One.
Each of our four departures will be led by world-class guides at a 2:1 ratio. Take a look at the dates below, block off your calendar and get ready for an expedition of a lifetime. Questions? Send Denali Program Director Luke Reilly an email!
2019 Denali Expeditions
May 12-June 2, 2019
May 19-June 9, 2019
May 26-June 16, 2019
June 16-July 7, 2019
October 1, 2018
Our Island + Mera Peak Private Team is enjoying all that the Gokyo Region has to offer. On Saturday they left Phortse and moved up to Machermo, Sunday they trekked from Machermo to Gokyo where they spent some time exploring. They trekked up to 5th Lake to for views of 8201m Cho Oyu, the 6th tallest mountain in the world. Tomorrow they may climb 5357m Gokyo Ri for views of Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Everest… or they might just kick back and relax. Either way they’re having a blast!
As a sidenote, if you’re planning on trekking to Everest Base Camp, give some thought to climbing over Cho La Pass and exploring the Gokyo Region. If the calendar and the wallet allow, it’s well worth the effort. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the photos!
Tye Chapman
October 1, 2018
A team effort! (Thomas Joseph)
We’ve never missed on Kilimanjaro, but that doesn’t mean take summit day for granted! Just the opposite in fact, a big part of our our success is due to the respect we give the mountain. Our current climb is a great example, they toughed out 3 days of rain, stayed healthy and focused. Their reward was a perfect summit day. Crystal clear, relatively warm and almost no wind.
They’re all safely back in camp with full bellies, tucked in and dreaming of their upcoming Safari!
Tomorrow they’ll make their way down to the Mweka Gate where they’ll sign-out of the national park then head to Moshi for lunch, a cold beer or two, and a hot shower. They’ll cap off the day with a celebration dinner!
Tye Chapman
September 30, 2018
On the way to High Camp with Kilimanjaro as the backdrop (Andy Polloczek)
Andy checked in this morning (his afternoon) reporting that the team had a great climb up to High Camp on Kilimanjaro. Once in camp they had lunch, did some summit-night packing, and generally did their best to relax and prepare for their big night/day ahead of them.
They plan is to wake up at 11pm (yes 11pm) and have a snack and some coffee before setting off for their summit attempt. If all goes as planned they’ll be on the summit around 8am, and back down to High Camp for lunch. It’s a long, cold summit day, but this team is ready!
Tye Chapman
September 29, 2018
Kili from Karanga Camp (Dustini Balderach)
Andy checked in this afternoon (his time) reporting that all is well at Karanga Camp (13,000ft.) on Kilimanjaro. The team enjoyed a much drier day today on their climb up the Barranco Wall, and trek to camp. The climb from Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp isn’t an overly long day, but it’s another important step in the team’s acclimatization process. Tomorrow they’ll have another relatively short day on their climb from Karanga Camp up to Barafu Camp (15,000ft), aka High Camp.
All is well on Kilimanjaro.
Tye Chapman
