April 19, 2013
…but when we do, we go big!
Ang Jangbu Sherpa shot this little video of the crew singing Happy Birthday to IMG Guide Jenni Fogle in the dining tent at Everest Base Camp! Click here for more on the 2013 Everest Expedition.
Happy Birthday Jenni!
Tye Chapman
April 16, 2013
On the move to Muir (Scott Bjorlo)
Lead guide Chris Meder called in this morning at 8:45 a.m. The team was hiking up Panorama Point at around 7,000 feet in elevation, already on their way to Camp Muir at 10,000 feet. They will likely reach Muir by 3pm.
The team spent yesterday training out of a campsite near 6,500 feet and planned to move up today to take advantage of a very good weather day for travel.  Upon their arrival at Muir, they’ll spend the next two days training, based out of the Muir hut, and make a day trip higher up the mountain if conditions permit. The group will descend back to Paradise on Friday. What a great expedition training environment. Mt. Rainier in the spring is excellent training for high, cold weather expeditions like Denali and Aconcagua.
George Dunn
April 12, 2013
For most guided climbs you don’t need to know how to tie any knots, but as you progress as a climber this will change. Plus, if you enjoy climbing you’re probably a bit of a geek about this stuff like we are.
Animated Knots By Grog provides some great step by step instructions for a lot of the classic climbing knots.
Grab a 6 foot section of rope and get started with some of the more common knots used in the mountains like the Figure 8 (follow-through and on a bight), the butterfly, the clove hitch, the prussik, the double fisherman’s, the overhand, etc.
Have fun!
April 10, 2013
Emily at Tiger's Nest Monastery
As an ER doc (and IMG Senior Guide), I had the opportunity last fall to help train Bhutanese doctors in Emergency Medicine. I actually spent the month of November in Thimpu, Bhutan’s capital and location of their largest hospital. Phil was just finishing up a trek in Bhutan and we literally missed each other by about an hour. He’s been running trips to this tiny, mysterious, democratic, Buddhist, Himalayan kingdom for about a decade. We shared a quick phone conversation rather than a face to face but he told me that he’d be leading a trek to Sikkim in October 2013 and wanted to know if I had any interest in going back to Bhutan to lead IMG’s October2013 trip.  Are you kidding?  I can’t wait to get back!
My month in Bhutan last fall was spent largely meeting as many people as possible, making some incredible friends and working with the dedicated physicians and care givers at the Thimpu Hospital. However, there simply wasn’t enough time to explore the mountains of this kingdom known for its incredible natural beauty and commitment to “Gross National Happinessâ€.
I did meet IMG’s partner in Bhutan, Dendup, and Phil’s lead Bhutanese guide, Ugyen. They’ll be great hosts when we return this October. There’s still time to be part of the team. And for those who still need more inspiration, check out this amazing blog from Mark Ursino, longtime IMG climber, who was with Phil last year. The photos alone should provide inspiration enough.
Join me as we visit with old friends, explore Bhutan’s alpine terrain along the Tibetan border and take in the unique culture of this truly one-of-a-kind country.
Emily
April 2, 2013
By Jenni Fogle
Jenni Fogle
Last year I spent 57 days at “home,” making me wonder where my home really is. I’m in Africa as I write this and will be in Myanmar later this month (Note: Jenni is in Nepal right now). A client on Kilimanjaro recently said to me, “Usually I think this sounds too cliche, but you truly are a citizen of the world.” I take it as a compliment. Home is where I hang my backpack. I can’t donate blood, because I have spent so much time in Europe that I am considered high-risk for mad cow disease. This is despite the fact that I haven’t eaten any red meat since I was 12 years old.
What I’m trying to say is that I suppose I am qualified to give the following tips about international travel and hope that at least one of these tips will make your next trip more enjoyable. I’m going to assume that you all know basic TSA requirements. Put your multi-tool in your checked bag and dump out your water bottle.
Tip # 1 – Pack what you need and leave what you don’t. Research the weather conditions for your destination and bring appropriate clothing. If you’re going somewhere you’ve never been, talk to someone who’s been there. Many items can be found worldwide, but how much time do you want to spend shopping at your destination? I went on a climbing trip to Ecuador in the fall. My climbing partner and I had a tight schedule planned and brought enough food to get us through the first climb so that we could head straight for the mountain less than 8 hours after our arrival. We resupplied for the second climb on the rest day.
Tip #2 – Find out what type of adapter plug you will need at your destination. Small, universal battery packs can be convenient so can solar chargers if you will have enough sun and time to recharge with the sun.
Tip # 3 – Select your seat on long flights. I can’t stand being trapped in a middle or window seat on long flights, and I’m only 5’6″. You usually don’t have anyone to blame but yourself if you’re trapped between two people you would normally never sit next to. If you prefer a window or an aisle, you can usually select your seat easily on line. If that’s not possible, a phone call to the airline should do the trick. There are rare occasions when seats cannot be preselected, but even then you can express your preference when you check in.
Tip # 4 – Flexibility key. Water, electricity and Wi-Fi are much more reliable in the United States than most places in the world. I hope you don’t lose all three at once, but don’t freak out if you do. Try to remember way back when we only had landlines, even for the Internet. Relax and appreciate where you are rather than being caught up in staying in constant contact with home.
Tip # 5 – Before you leave home be sure to jot down important local names, addresses, email addresses, websites, phone numbers, etc. These can prove invaluable.
Tip # 6 – Just like on the trail – communicate your plans (be specific) to a family member or close friend who is not going on the trip with you… then be sure keep them updated to any changes to your itinerary.
The list goes on forever, but hopefully these few tips come in handy on your next adventure.
Bon Voyage!
-Jenni
PS – Oh, and don’t lose your passport!
March 27, 2013
By Chris Meder
Chris Meder
Packing is one of those unsung skills of all successful climbers. Do it well and you will save time, energy, hassle… and be ready to go before everyone else. Here are a few things to help you improve your packing game.
1. Pack only what you need, leave the rest behind.
Less gear means a lighter pack, which makes it far easier and more enjoyable to climb. We all know this intuitively, but it’s easy to lose sight of when thinking about creature comforts.  Pare down your gear to only what is on the gear list, and you’ll be well on your way to a better climb. Most climbs are relatively short in the grand scheme of things, so it’s easy to go without some of those supposed “necessities†for three or four days. You will thank yourself every time you pick up your pack.
2. Be balanced and compact.
An ideal packing job should give you a compact and balanced pack that won’t be cumbersome while climbing. Here are some guidelines to help you get there:
3. Big things in the big pocket, small things in the small pocket.
If you’re buying new, choose a simple pack with one large compartment, and a small pocket better known as the lid of the pack on top. That’s really all you need. This might sound limiting, especially when considering all the bells and whistles on most packs on the market these days. But, the more pockets available, the more places to lose things. Keep the pack simple; this helps keep the job of packing it simple.
4. Do a trial run.
Lay out your gear, clothing and food for the climb on the living room floor. Now divide the gear into two piles:
Now pack the pack from the two piles; big things go in the big pocket, small things go in the small pocket. Simple enough, right? Think about it – if I put my camera or sunscreen in the middle of the big compartment amongst a bunch of clothes and other bulky items, I’ll never find it when I need it. And thinking about an item being buried makes me less likely to actually look for it. Translation – sunburn and no photos.
5. Same item, same place, every time.
“Where are those batteries?†“I know I packed that shirt somewhere.â€Â We hear things like this a lot, and it’s just due to a lack of routine. So here’s how to avoid this. Pack and unpack your gear a bunch of times before a trip. Develop a system that works for you so that everything fits, and you know where everything is located. Do this enough so that you put each item in the same general place every time. This helps a lot when you’re looking for something or scrambling to pack quickly in the mountains. Everything has its place, and you’ll always know where each item lives. Then you’ll have time for a drink or a photo while someone else is looking for their batteries.
So there it is. Only pack what you need, in a simple pack, in a balanced and well organized manner and you’ll be well ahead of those who haven’t yet mastered the packing game.
March 25, 2013
Summit day
George’s Mt. Whitney team made it safely down the mountain after a successful summit, and they are now on their way home. Team #4 just checked in from the summit today with 100% on top!
Everyone is looking forward to their celebration dinner tomorrow night after they descend.
March 23, 2013
George just called in from the summit of Mt. Whitney…
Heading up towards the notch. (Tye Chapman)
“Pretty cold and windy, we almost turned at the notch. Probably blowing 40mph, but we kept on moving. We’re on top now and heading down in a few.”
That’s all for now.
Tye Chapman
March 22, 2013
Mt. Whitney Benchmark
All continues to go well on Mt. Whitney.
George called in from High Camp to report more good weather and another good forecast for their summit day tomorrow.
They’ll get up around 2:00am and get going shortly there after.
I’ll get another quick call from George tomorrow – hopefully with a summit report.
That’s all for now – enjoy your weekend!
Tye Chapman
March 22, 2013
Yup, it snowed. (Photo by Jeremy Hilligoss)
After enduring 5 days (and nights) in the midst of several “Winter Weather Advisories” on Mt. Rainier, our latest Denali Prep Seminar came downhill yesterday afternoon. Not knowing what today was going to bring, coming down a day early was the safe decision.
So, today they put the harnesses on and did some crevasse rescue work here at IMG HQ,which in all honesty is a better place to practice some of the skills necessary to climb Denali.
They’ll officially wrap up things up this afternoon.
Some more photos from the seminar can be found on IMG’s Facebook page here.
Tye Chapman
