November 3, 2015

The Team moved through Phortse and stopped to check out all of the construction along the way.  Things are doing great!

Another fantastic day on the trail, they stopped to see many of our IMG Sherpa along the way.  The Team is in Namche for the night and off to Lukla tomorrow morning.

Greg Vernovage

November 2, 2015

When you trek through Phortse, you are basically walking into the who is who of the IMG Sherpa Guide world. Many Sherpa from of our Team live in the village of Phortse and the hospitality is amazing when we come through.

Craig and our trekking team pulled into Phortse for lunch after a beautiful trek down the Na Valley. They visited the monastery as well as a number of the houses that have been rebuilt after the earthquake. “The village looks amazing and everyone is eager to show off all of the work that has been done.”

Thank you once again to everyone who pitched in to help our Sherpa families, our team of trekkers said the place looks amazing!

Greg Vernovage

November 1, 2015

It was a nice day in the Khumbu Valley for our team.  Our team heading downhill made it into Lukla in good time.  Sometimes people forget that they need to hike uphill to go from Phakding back up to Lukla!  Just need to take it slow and steady, and enjoy the great photo opportunities during the last day on the trail.  The team is scheduled to KTM tomorrow morning.

Craig John and his group trekked over Cho La (5355m; 17,580ft) today and have settled in at Thagnak (or Dragnag) at 4700m /15,400ft.  The name of this stop varies depending on which map you look at.  This part of the trek is very spectacular.  When you get through this pass (Cho La) you enter a different part of the Khumbu Valley.  It is less traveled than the main route to EBC and offers amazing views.  With a fresh layer of snow on the ground, I am sure the team will get great photos of Cho Oyu, Cholatse and Taboche peaks.  What a beautiful place!

Greg Vernovage

October 31, 2015

Everyone has checked in from the Khumbu Valley and are doing well. IMG assistant guide Cedric Gamble reports that the downhill team had a great day on the trail today and are tucked into Namche for the night. Tomorrow they will finish off the trek into Lukla.

IMG guide Craig John and some of the climbers stayed back at Lobuche Base Camp to take another try at the summit. However, additional snowfall has now shut down their second attempt. They gave it a good shot and have now decided to move on, and take in the landscape in another part of the Khumbu on their descent. They will evaluate the trail conditions and make a decision on what freshly coated area of the valley to visit for the next few days as they make their way back towards Lukla.

Eric Simonson

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