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.”  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

September 6, 2018

All is well with the Cho Oyu Trekking and Climbing Team in Tibet.  Dallas and the team had a great hike up to 16,075 feet outside the town of Tingri.  The team was rewarded with a few brief views of Mount Everest between the high clouds.

Everyone is packing up and will be ready to head out after breakfast for Base Camp.  With the new road, the team should arrive to Base Camp for brunch.  This team is doing a great job acclimatizing.  It can be hard to take it slow at the beginning of the trip, but the payoff is huge!  Taking it slow and staying healthy at the beginning of the trip puts “money in the bank” for later in the trip.

Up at Base Camp, Phunuru and our advance Sherpa team are making good progress moving gear towards ABC.

Nice work everybody!

Greg Vernovage