Chopicalqui Expedition Update

July 19, 2017

: Lunchtime! (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Obligatory group photo. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Huascaran National Park sign. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

IMG lead guide Betsy Dain-Owens reports that the second training day out of Huaraz went well. Finally with the entire crew present! Here is what she had to say:

“For our 2nd hike, we headed up toward Laguna Ahuac, starting at approx 11,400ft and got to just under 14,000ft before it was time to turn around and meet our ride back to town. Approx 9km round trip. Didn’t quite make it to the lake, but got the time and elevation in on the trail that we needed. Next stop Pisco base camp!”

– Betsy

Chopicalqui Expedition Arrives In Huaraz

July 19, 2018

: Soaking it all in. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Most the the team. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Acclimatization hike in the Cordillera Negra. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

IMG Lead Guide Betsy Dain-Owens reports she greeted the team upon their arrival in Lima on July 16 with local guide Michel Henostroza and private van. All except for one member, who’s flight was delayed and will arrive a day late. No matter, Michel will wait for the delayed teammate and will travel with him to Huaraz.

The last team member arrived in time for dinner, and now the team is complete.

George Dunn

Huayhuash Trek Ends In Success

July 19, 2017

: A beautiful day on the trail. (Besty Dain-Owens)

: The group in front of Laguna Carhuacocha, with Siula Grande in the background. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Camp at Laguna Carhuacocha. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Enjoying the sunset outside the dining tent at Gashpapampa. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

IMG lead guide Betsy Dain-Owens reports that the Huayhuash Trek members were all escorted safely back to Lima for the end of their trek on July 16. All members of the team successfully completed the entire trek and two members were able to complete the optional ascent of Diablo Mudo with local guide Michel Henostroza, a 17,459 foot peak along the route.

The Huayhuash Trek is one of the great treks in the world, and our trekking crew brings back home with them memories to last a lifetime.

Betsy remains in Peru to head-up the Chopicalqui Expedition July 15-30!

George Dunn

IMG Is Officially In Mongolia

July 18, 2017

: Welcome to Mongolia (Greg Vernovage)

: Chinggis Khaan International Airport (Greg Vernovage)

: Genghis Khan Statue (Greg Vernovage)

: Welcome dinner in Ulaanbaatar. (Greg Vernovage)

Fellow guide Charlotte Austin, myself and all other members of the inaugural Mongolia/Mt. Khuiten Expedition arrived in Ulaanbaatar with their luggage!Â It never gets old to have everyone arrive with their gear at the beginning of an expedition like this.

After a few gear checks and a several naps, the Team kicked off the trip with a Welcome dinner.Â For many of the Team, it was a reunion from a number of different past IMG trips.Â A few met on the Dolpo Trek while others met during a Patagonia Trek.Â As we got together in the lobby before dinner I could instantly tell that this Team is going to have a ton of fun and enjoy everything about Mongolia.Â Dinner started off with a bowl of delicious pumpkin soup followed by beef skewers.Â A touch of wine ensured a good night sleep.Â We are all excited for the city tour tomorrow to learn more about the history of Ulaanbaatar. First impression of Ulaanbaatar is it is an old Soviet-era city that is undergoing changes to make it more modern.

We are off and running for our Mongolia trip!

Greg Vernovage

P.S. This program is in development. Stay tuned for details, links, etc.!

Matterhorn program starts off with success!

July 16, 2017

: All smiles on the Riffelhorn

: Training on the Riffelhorn

: Look at that View! Summiting Dri Hornli

: Summiting Dri Hornli

IMG Guides Miles Smart, Aaron Mainer and Andy Polloczek report that everyone is doing well and enjoying the climbing around Zermatt. The first day (July 14) the group rode the Gornergrat cograil train up to the Rifflehorn for some practice rock climbing and a summit of the Rifflehorn. The next day the group headed over to the Almageller Hut to spend a night and do some additional rock climbs for acclimatization and practice. Today they ascended the Dri Hornli and tomorrow they will be climbing the Weismeiss. They will then return back to Zermatt for showers and a good bed rest before starting their rotations on the Matterhorn. All signs look good so far for success on the Matterhorn!

George Dunn

Huayhuash Trekkers In Gashpapampa

July 12, 2017

IMG guide Betsy Dain-Owens has been regularly reporting in with news from the Huayhuash trekking team each day. All is well as the team makes steady progress along the route. Yesterday they crossed the highest pass of the trip, San Antonio Pass, at 16,662 feet of elevation!

Today the group is hiking over Punta Tapush, at 15,645 feet, and then descending to camp at Gashpapampa (14,432′). Tonight those who elect to make the ascent of the peak, Diablo Mudo, (17,459′) will pack up and prepare to get an early start, climbing up one side of the mountain and down the other, while the rest of the team hikes along with the mules and staff around the mountain to the next campsite where they will join up with the climbers for a well-deserved rest! Weâ€™ll look forward to a report from the team tomorrow evening, after all are rejoined at Camp and able to share the adventures they experienced during their separate adventures.

George Dunn

Fall Climbs & Treks In The Himalayas

July 7, 2017

Ama Dablam (Patrick Mauro)

The dust hasnâ€™t quite settled on the 2017 Everest Expedition. Â Ang Jangbu reports that the weather in the Khumbu recently improved enough to retrieve the remaining gear which we needed to bring back to Kathmandu.Â The gear went by helicopter from Shyangboche down to Phaplu, and from there was driven by truck to Kathmandu. Â Â Items returned included broken tents for repair,Â empty oxygen cylinders Â (so we can get the garbage deposit back), and some gear for the autumn Putha Hiunchuli expedition. Â Â The rest of the Everest gear is safely put away for the season up in our Gorakshep storeroom.

While the dust continues to settle on Everest 2017, we canâ€™t help but turn our focus on the fantastic fall we have shaping up. Â We have great interest in our first expedition to very remote Putha Hiunchuli, located in the Dhaulagiri Himal region of Nepal. At 7246m, Putha Hiunchuli, is a great climb for anybody with 8000m aspirations. For climbers with eyes on Everest or Cho Oyu, weâ€™ll be using oxygen on summit day to give you the added experience, and confidence, on future big climbs. The icing on the cake is Himalayan Veteran Guide Mike Hamill, and some of our senior most Sherpas, will be leading this expedition.

In addition to Putha Hiunchuli, our Ama Dablam Expedition is â€œa goâ€ as is our Mera Peak Express (read helicopter!) Program. We also have a 2 Peaks 2 Passes EBC Trek with Lobuche climb, as well as a 3 Peaks 3 Passes Trek lined up for the fall. If thatâ€™s not enough weâ€™ve got a great Everest Base Camp Trek scheduled for November! Itâ€™s going to be a busy autumn for us in the Himalayas, just the way we like it.

Spots are at a premium on these programs so if youâ€™re on the fence, itâ€™s time to make a decision! Drop us a note and letâ€™s get the plane tickets booked and that passport stamped!

Tye Chapman

Final Safari Days in Tanzania

July 7, 2017

: Zebras old and young (Dustin Balderach)

: Wildlife galore in Ngorongoro Crater (Dustin Balderach)

: Luxury Safari Lodge (Dustin Balderach)

IMG senior guide, CJ, just called us from the sat phone to check in from our luxury safari lodge. The team had another amazing day on safari. They woke up early for another game drive as they made their way out of Serengeti National Park. They stopped at Oldupai Gorge for lunch. Oldupai is the location where some of the very first human bones where found. Its full of history and is a great place to stop to break up the drive. Then, the icing on the cake for this whole safari has to be their final stop of the day – Ngorongoro Crater. Hard to do this place justice with words, so Iâ€™ll let the pictures tell the story. After several hours trying to contemplate the amount of animals they were seeing, they made their way out of the crater and to the small town of Karatu, just outside the conservation area. Here they checked into their final nightâ€™s accommodation. The wilderness camps on the Serengeti are very plush, but this is truly a luxury safari lodge. This is where CJ has just given us this update from. The Team is about to sit down to their final dinner and, man, the stories they are going to share tonight are going to be fun!

This Team has had an incredible experience over in Tanzania. They were able to stand together as a team on the Roof of Africa. Then they had another amazing experience – this one without nearly the effort! The Serengeti is certainly a unique and special place and everyone should visit at least once. I hope youâ€™ll be able to join us in Tanzania for a Kilimanjaro climb and Serengeti safari in the near future. Weâ€™ll be following our early fall Kilimanjaro trips right here starting in early September.

Dustin Balderach

Serengeti National Park

July 6, 2017

: A â€˜tent’ at our wilderness camp (Dustin Balderach)

: Herd of elephants on the Serengeti (Dustin Balderach)

: Giraffes a plenty (Dustin Balderach)

We just heard from IMG senior guide, CJ, over in the Serengeti and all is well. After 100% of the clients stood on the summit of Kilimanjaro just a few days ago, the group has been rewarded with tons of wildlife viewing on the Serengeti. This really is the dessert of this trip and people are always amazed by what they see. The group has now made it back to their extremely comfortable wilderness camp for the night after a full day of game viewing. Yesterday they saw a leopard, which is typically the hardest of the â€œBig 5â€ animals to get a glimpse of. Lions, buffaloes, and elephants – 3 more of the Big 5 – will easily be seen, along with numerous other creatures, from big to small. What you see out here is always different and always exciting!

Tomorrow, the group will make their way out of Serengeti National Park and over to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is basically a huge crater in the ground filled with a very high concentration of animals. This is also their best chance to see the last of the Big 5 – the rhino. The Team could not be having more fun than they are right now! They are right in the middle of their safari – right in the heart of the Serengeti. After dinner, theyâ€™ll probably sit around the camp fire for a bit swapping stories before heading back to their â€˜tentsâ€™ for the night. I use the term â€˜tentâ€™ loosely here as the tents have full beds and bathrooms attached. They are hardly roughing it. Theyâ€™ll have another big day tomorrow watching wildlife before spending their final night in our luxury safari lodge.

Dustin Balderach

Huayhuash Trekkers Getting Acclimatized

July 5, 2017

: Just another day in Peru! (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: Hike to Lake Churup. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: A great hike to get the legs and lungs firing. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

: The team. (Betsy Dain-Owens)

IMG Lead guide Betsy Dain-Owens sent in a report from yesterday’s training hike out of Huaraz. She reports the team is all doing well and they are ready to start their Huayhuash Trek tomorrow! Her full report is below.

George Dunn
——————————————————–
From: Betsy Dain-Owens
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2017 9:21 PM
To: George Dunn; Jason Edwards
Subject: Update

Hi George & Jason,

Another great day in Peru!Â Left the hotel at 9:15am this morning, and drove up to Pitec, at 3850m and the entry into Huascaran National Park.Â Started hiking at 10:15am, beautiful sunny day with some clouds.Â Longer hike today, and at higher elevation, but everyone was moving well and enjoying the views. Had a mellow afternoon/evening, doing last minute gear organizing etc.

Dinner at the hotel, to bed early for an earlier morning tomorrow.Â Planning on meeting Michel at 8am at the hotel to drive into the Huayhuash!

Betsy Dain-Owens