October 30, 2015

It has been a hard fought couple of days on Lobuche.  The team woke up to a snowstorm on their first night at High Camp but had enough supplies and energy to hang tight and look at trying again the following night.

With wintery route conditions, the team set out for the summit of Lobuche early this morning.  Moving slow over the ice and snow covered rocks, Craig evaluated the route with every step and upon arriving at one of the steeper rock slabs made the decision with the team that this was far enough.  The conditions were rock slab with a thick layer of ice and about 6-8 inches of snow covering it all.

After descending to Lobuche Base Camp, some of the team has decided to head down valley towards Lukla and a few other members of the team have elected to give Lobuche one more shot tomorrow.  We will keep you posted on the team’s progress up and down the valley.

Greg Vernovage

October 29, 2015

Ama Dablam from Khongma La (Tye Chapman)

Our Team is holding tight at Lobuche High Camp and all is well.  Craig checked in to let us know that the team is sitting tight and waiting out some snow.  “There is not a ton of accumulation but it was a little tough to see.”  With that information, they kept checking for a break in the weather and are poised to take a shot at it again tonight.

So the team has been rolling along on this trip until last night.  I would call this a small speed bump, just slowing us down.  On the high side, the Team had more opportunity to rest and get strong for the climb and we have plenty of food and fuel to hang for a little while.  Having a little snow on the route down low is not necessarily a bad thing either.  We have had snow in the past on this route and it can make travel over the rocks more manageable in some places.

So what do we do while we wait?  Drink some tea and laugh with some friends!

We will see what the mountain lets us do tonight!

Greg Vernovage

October 28, 2015

All is well from High Camp on Lobuche.  The team arrived at High Camp (17, 200 ft) in good time and got an early dinner.  The summit dinner at High Camp on Lobuche is Sherpa Stew.  Called Shakpa, this is a delicious, warm and filling meal, perfect for the summit night dinner.

An early bedtime, the team is planning on waking up in the middle of the night and walking by 2:30 am.  This will be just after lunch if you are the West Coast in the USA or a little later on the East Coast.  The route is in great shape by all reports and the Team is excited to put their crampons to work and get climbing!

Greg Vernovage

October 27, 2015

The 3 x 3 Team had a great day of training at Lobuche Base Camp (15,500 ft) today!  After a few days of great trekking, it is nice to have a casual morning to sort through gear and prepare for the climb.

On the agenda for the active rest day, pulling out the climbing equipment and rigging the harnesses.  Lobuche Base Camp is a great place to spread out your gear.  Once the harnesses are rigged, the team will do a refresher course on the fixed line.

Tomorrow, the team will take a short hike up to High Camp, get an early dinner and climb into their sleeping bags for a bit…an early wake-up call will surly be in order!

Greg Vernovage

October 26, 2015

Our Lobuche Climb is right around the corner now!  The team climbed Kala Pattar and headed around the corner to Lobuche Base Camp today.  The views from the top of Kala Pattar are fantastic.  After trekking and visiting Everest Base Camp, the Team was rewarded with more views of the Khumbu Glacier, the Icefall and Mount Everest.

Panorama of Kala Patar (Tye Chapman)

After taking a few photos, it is time to trek around to Lobuche Base Camp.  This is one of my favorite parts of the trek and one of the best camps in the Khumbu Valley.  Our team wraps around the foothill of Lobuche and settles in the protective meadow of Lobuche.  A nice, home cooked meal some quality sleep is in order and deserved for this team.

Tomorrow is an active rest day involving some training for the climb, organizing gear and rest.  Get ready to climb Lobuche everyone!

Greg Vernovage

October 25, 2015

This was a perfect day to visit Everest Base Camp. The team is really performing well with the high altitude. They made great time to Gorakshep (16,900 ft) had a little lunch and got their rooms in the teahouse and then took off for Everest Base Camp (17,500 ft).

Craig shared the history of Everest with the team and in Craig’s words, “We could have stayed for much much longer and I (Craig) was one of the main culprits.” Craig has been thinking about the South Side of Everest for about 40 years and to arrive there is a special moment for everyone.

The views and the history of Everest Base Camp are amazing and tomorrow, Kala Pattar!

Greg Vernovage

October 24, 2015

Craig checked in with a happy and slightly tired team from Lobuche Village. This is a challenging day on the trail. The team treks through Khongma La at 18,320 ft and then travels across the lower Khumbu glacier navigating their way around cracks and boulders. After 9.5 hours, the team is psyched to pull into Lobuche Village at 16,100 ft. A fifteen minute snow flurry made things truly feel like the Khumbu and then clearing up again.

Plenty of reason to celebrate tonight in Lobuche and then off to bed early, tomorrow is some more uphill towards Gorakshep. Great days in the Khumbu Valley!

Greg Vernovage

October 22, 2015

Craig and Cedric checked in this morning from Chukkung after a great day hiking up Chukkung Ri.  Perfect weather and clear skies for the climb today made for even more spectacular views of Lhotse, Nuptse and part of the Great Horseshoe (the ridge that connects Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.)

The Team did great!  They climbed together and got the chance to take a Team photo and send it back to share with us.  I might add that one of our young Sherpa, Fura Gyalzen is becoming a pretty good photographer!

Greg Vernovage