IMG Guide Training Over The Weekend

May 10, 2011

: Guide Training Day 1

Over the weekend close to 30 of our guides came together here in Ashford for one of our annual guide training weekends.Â The guides spent day in the classroom (lectures by IFMGA Guides John Race and Jeff Ward) and one day in the field.

These training days give us a chance to get everybody up to speed on any changes in protocol as well address any new systems being put in place. It also gives the guides a chance to catch up on any new guiding techniques being developed in the industy. All in all it’s two days very well spent!

Tye Chapman

Rope-fixing Sherpas Summit Everest from Camp 2

May 6, 2011

Everest. (Photo by Larry Alleva)

Yesterday the IMG sherpas Phu Tshering and Karma Gyalzen, and the rest of the fixing team reached the summit! They started at 1am at Camp 2, climbed to the Col in time for breakfast, fixed to the Balcony in 4 hours, and decided to keep going! The conditions up high were perfect, and they reached the summit at 4pm (May 6 Nepal time) and got safely back down on the Col at 5:50pm

Read the full dispatch and keep up with our Everest Coverage here.

Another Busy May Here At HQ

May 4, 2011

IMG HQ

Let the games begin!

May 2-6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Work Week/Spring Cleaning
May 7 & 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Guide training & BBQ
May 9-11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â New Guide training
May 12 & 13Â Â Muir Set-up
May 13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Guide/NPS Evening Training
May 14 & 15Â Â WFR Refresher Course
May 16Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â First climb of the season

Tye Chapman

Machu Picchu Trek Wraps Up

May 2, 2011

The Machu Picchu group finished their trek yesterday with a tour of Machu Picchu and then descended to the town of Aguas Calientes for a well deserved check-in to their hotel after four days on the Inca Trail.

They report the trek was harder than they had expected, but all kept up well and did better than some of the â€œtwenty somethingsâ€ they saw on the trail. They journey back to Cusco today with their local guide and then fly to Lima and on home tomorrow.

Nice job, team!

George Dunn

Lightning Strikes Lobuche Base Camp

April 29, 2011

Ok so it’s not actual lightning, but pretty cool nonetheless!

The lack of oxygen and length of an Everest Expedition will get to anybody. (photo by and of IMG Guide Eben Reckord).

Machu Picchu Team Doing Well

April 29, 2011

On the trail to Machu Picchu.

We got a call from our Machu Picchu team down in Peru yesterday afternoon. They reported that they had a tough day yesterday trekking from the trailhead (7872ft.) up to their camp at Llullchapampa (11,808ft.). The rain didn’t help with the trekking but it sure cooled things down in the evening.

They hit the trail at about 7am this morning to get a jump start on what will be another tough day. Out of camp they’ll make their way upwards beyond Llupachayoc, from there the ascent becomes increasingly steep and the terrain increasingly rugged as they close in on the first pass, the Abra de Huarmihuanusca (â€œDead Woman’s Passâ€) at 13,769ft.. This will be their toughest day on the trail earning them a second Pisco Sour.

More to come…

Tye Chapman

Denali Seminar Is Getting All Of Mt. Rainier

April 28, 2011

Camp Muir Telemetry 4/28/11

IMG Guide Austin Shannon called from Camp Muir this morning to report that all is well – albeit cold and windy!

The wind speeds overnight were a consistent 50mph with gusts up to 85mph! Needless to say they were happy to have the hut to sleep in.

The current forecast has the weather improving over the next few days which will allow them some great training opportunities. Today they’ll cover some snow anchor systems as well asÂ snow science & avalanche information.

All is well on Mt. Rainier!

Tye Chapman

Final Denali Seminar At Camp Muir

April 27th, 2011

: A bit of snow overnight at C1.

: Hey look over there. Camp 1.

Yesterday our final Denali Prep Seminar of the season made their way to Camp Muir from Camp 1 (pictured above) through a perfectly timed weather window.Â Not a perfect day but as they say… a bad day in the mountains beats a great day in the office.

After enjoying a late breakfast of pancakes and bacon this morning they spent most of today developing some mountain skills (ice axe arrest, rope travel, cramponing, etc.).Â They’ll get a little deeper into their training tomorrow as weather permits. The current forecast calls for a couple of cold days and some snow;Â great training weather in-between hot drinks!

We’ll check in with these guys tomorrow.

Tye Chapman

Mountaineering Legend Passes Away

April 25, 2011

: Phil and Gombu discussing the finer points of climbing while Gombu hosted the IMG Sikkim trekking team to lunch at his home in Darjeeling.

Easter morning, I received an email from Yangdu Gombu, daughter of famed mountaineer, Nawang Gombu, letting me know that her father had passed away.Â Many stories will be written about Gombu and they will all be true.Â Jim Whittaker was Gombuâ€™s partner when they climbed Everest together in 1963.Â Gombu returned in 1965 with an Indian expedition, becoming the first man to summit Everest TWICE.

I first met Gombu in the summer of 1971 while I was a young apprentice guide.Â My partners, George Dunn and Eric Simonson, and I had the great privilege of sharing days with Gombu on Rainier, Denali, Everest and Kanchenjunga â€“ doing our best to learn and just to try absorb a bit of his spirit, humility and grace.

Funeral services will be held in Darjeeling on April 28^th.

Those who knew him will remember a kind spirit, a powerful mountain climber and simply a great friend.Â The mountaineering world has lost a true icon.

Phil Ershler

Chainsaws & Lawnmowers – The Sounds Of Spring

April 22, 2011

We have to take advantage of any sunny day in the spring around here…and unfortunately we’re not talking about spring skiing! There’s work to be done before the 2011 Rainier season officially gets underway and Steven and Larry are checking a couple items off the to do list today.

3 weeks until we kick off the season. Can’t wait!

: Not a wild animal…that’s Larry taking care of some suspect trees.

: HQ is shaping up.

Tye Chapman