September 29, 2018
Climber approaching the summit plateau on Cho Oyu (photo: Greg Vernovage)
12 climbers on IMG’s 2018 Cho Oyu team made the summit in good weather and are now spending the night at Camp 2 before descending further down the mountain.
Follow the rest of the team’s progress and see previous updates and photos in the full 2018 Cho Oyu Expedition Coverage.
September 28, 2018
Climbing the Barranco Wall. (Phunuru Sherpa)
Andy Polloczek checked in from Barranco Camp today (13,000ft.) reporting that all is wet and well. The team had another wet day on the trail today, but as Andy put it, this team is resilient! They kept a great attitude, enjoying each other’s company throughout the day. The rain started a little over an hour from the Lava Tower and continued on and off for the rest of the day. Once in camp they did their best to dry out, while sipping on some hot tea, before sitting down for a nice dinner. The good news is that there is some drier weather in the forecast!
Tomorrow the team will tackle the Barranco Wall, a 2 hour pseudo scramble. It looks intimidating from Barranco Camp, but it’s often one of the most enjoyable parts of the climb.
Despite the rain, all is well on Kilimanjaro!
Tye Chapman
September 28, 2018
IMG Guide Nate Berry checked in from Phortse (12,600ft) after a great acclimatization day. Our Island + Mera Peak private team enjoyed clear morning skies and spent the day visiting the Phortse Monastery, the Khumbu Climbing Center, the local school, and the Magic Yeti Library.
Tomorrow, the team will leave Phortse, cross the Dudh Koshi River and trek up to Machermo (14,600ft.), stopping in Dole for lunch. This team is enjoying every minute of their trek to their first big objective, Island Peak.
Tye Chapman
September 27, 2018
Our Private Mera + Island Peak Team had another great day! Today they trekked from Namche to Phortse, stopping Moong La for lunch, after lunch they crossed the Dudh Kosi River and trekked up the hill into Phortse. Once in Phortse the team spent some time at Palden Sherpa’s home, enjoying some tea, snacks and new friendships. Phortse is the home of many of the IMG Sherpas, so when we trek to Phortse, it’s like a bit of a homecoming.
The team will spend two nights in Phortse, enjoying an acclimatization hike tomorrow.
All is well in the Khumbu!
Tye Chapman
September 27, 2018
“A wet day on Kilimanjaro still beats any day in the office.” That’s what Andy’s team told him after climbing from Machame Camp (10,000ft) to Shira Camp (12,000ft) in a bit of rain. Once in camp they dried out, had some tea & and enjoyed a nice dinner.
The team is all smiles and looking forward to their climb up to the Lava Tower (14,500ft) for lunch tomorrow, before descending to Barranco Camp (13,000ft.) for the night.
All is well on Kilimanjaro!
Tye Chapman
**Prices for the Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari program will increase effective November 1, 2018. If you wish to schedule your Kilimanjaro adventure and take advantage of the current price, you must register and be confirmed on the program by October 31, 2018. Are you ready to take on one of the 7 Summits? Now’s the time!
September 26, 2018
The nice thing about a private trip in Nepal, is you can call a bit of an audible with your plans for the day. Our private Island + Mera Peak team did just that today. Instead of trekking over to Thame for the day, the team opted to keep it closer to home and visit the local museums in Namche.
The team has enjoyed their time in Namche but now it’s time to move on… Tomorrow the team is slated to head to Phortse, the home town of many of IMG Sherpa. This includes Phinjo & Palden Sherpa, two of the IMG Sherpa guides on this program. Safe to say that the team will be greeted warmly when they pull into the village of Phortse tomorrow afternoon.
All is well in the Khumbu!
Tye Chapman
September 26, 2018
The ‘before’ picture. (Thomas Joseph)
Andy checked in from 10,000ft on Kilimanjaro today reporting that all is well. The trek from the Machame Gate (6000ft.) to Machame Camp (10,000ft.) goes through the rain forest / jungle where it’s likely to rain a bit, today was no exception. Despite the rain, the team had a great hike and by the time they were settled into camp the rain had subsided.
They’re all tucked in now and looking forward to their hike up to Shira Camp (12,000ft.) tomorrow.
All is well on Kilimanjaro!
Tye Chapman
September 25, 2018
IMG Guides Phinjo Sherpa, Nate Berry and Palden Sherpa and their private team had a great day in and around Namche today. After breakfast they headed uphill to the Hotel Everest View for a cup of tea and to take in the views. From there they trekked over to the Hillary School in Khumjung and then over to Khunde for a tour of the hospital. Once back in Namche it was time to kick back and relax.
They’ve got another day based out of Namche tomorrow and the plan is to head over to Thame for lunch. These acclimatization hikes are setting the team up for success on their upcoming climbs of Island Peak and Mera Peak.
All is well in Namche!
Tye Chapman
September 25, 2018
The team stops for a photo at the market in Moshi. (Andy Polloczek)
IMG Senior Guide Andy Polloczek checked in from Moshi, Tanzania today reporting that his next team of Kilimanjaro climbers all arrived with their duffels, the best start to any expedition! Today was reserved for gear checks and an afternoon visit to Moshi to see the market and run a couple errands.
With all the ‘to dos’ done, the team is now back at the hotel having dinner and getting dialed in for their departure for the trailhead tomorrow morning. They’ll be in the van by 8am, and after getting checked with Kilimanjaro National Park, they should be on the trail by mid-morning. The trail tomorrow takes them through the jungle and up to Machame Camp, which sits at 10,000ft. This team is ready,
All is well in Moshi!
Tye Chapman
September 24, 2018
The autumn is trekking & climbing season in Nepal, and it’s finally here! Over the last few months we’ve been hard at work organizing all of our autumn programs, so we’re excited to kick off the season with our Private Island Peak + Mera Peak Program.
Late last Thursday the private team arrived into Kathmandu. They enjoyed a tour of the city on Friday and were were met by Ang Jangbu and IMG Guide Nate Berry on Saturday for a briefing and gear checks. Everything in order, the team flew to Lukla right on schedule on Sunday morning to begin their journey. They made good time to Phakding on Sunday, and enjoyed the trek to Namche on Monday.
The team has a couple days in Namche to explore and acclimatize for their upcoming climbs. This is a custom program that will take the team up to Chukkung for a climb of Chukkung Ri, followed by a climb of Island Peak, a trek up and over Amphu Laptsa Pass and down the Hinku Valley to climb Mera Peak. If you’re doing the math it’s a 5-6 week program. Settle in!
Tye Chapman
