April 3, 2022

Team 1 and Team 2 checked in to let us know that everyone is doing well and have moved up today.  Team 2 was up and on the trail early with excellent trekking weather for the climb up Namche Hill.  The team made great time and will now spend a some time acclimatizing and touring the famous village.  There is plenty to do including the museums, shops, Everest View Hotel, the Hillary School in Khumjung and of course, a stop at one of the local bakeries.

Team 2 also had a great day trekking to Phortse.  This is one of the best days on the trail…everyday on the trail is great but on this day, the team heads up and out of Namche, traversing the valley and getting more looks at many of the great peaks.  Leaving the main trail they head up to Mong for lunch before going back down to the river crossing and moving their way through the trees and into the village of Phortse.  It just does not get any better than walking into Phortse where many of our Lead Guides live.  It is also the home of the Khumbu Climbing Center where many of the top Guides on Mount Everest train and learn important skills necessary to climb.

Great days in the Khumbu!

April 2, 2022

It was a pretty nice day to be in the Khumbu Valley and what made it an even better day is when Ang Jangbu checked in to let us know that all of Team 2 had arrived to Lukla!  Team 1 had a great acclimatization day, hiking up to Everest View Hotel where they were not let down and given great views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Everest among other great peaks in the Khumbu.  The team is doing great and getting along extremely well.  They are excited to get up tomorrow and see what is around the corner.

Team 2 arrived in Lukla, met the trekking team ed by Ang Tshering and made their way to Phakding.  The team pulled in at 3:00, just in time for afternoon tea time.  Very nice weather and it feels good to be on the trail to stretch the legs. That first night in the Khumbu at Pangboche is just special, you have cool, clean air along with the sound of the river to help get everyone through that last night of jetlag. Tomorrow, they have breakfast at 7 am and will be on the trail by 8:00, heading to the Sagarmatha National Park entrance and up the hill to Namche.

All is well in the Khumbu Valley!

April 1, 2022

IMG Everest Team 2 Group Photo (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

Let’s start in Kathmandu where Ang Jangbu and Porter McMichael had a great day with Team 2.  It started after breakfast with the trip briefing.  The Team is now packed, prepped and ready to head out tomorrow morning for the heli fights to Lukla.  Joining the briefing is our Custom Manaslu Trek who will be flying out in the morning as well.  After the briefing, the team had the day to visit some local sights including Swayambunath and Thamel. Wake up calls are scheduled for 5am and departure at 5:30.

Team 1 made great time in perfect trekking weather up to Namche.  They had plenty of good views of Mount Everest and enjoyed the high suspension bridge; this is a trip highlight!  Once in Namche, they had lunch and then visited the Friday afternoon Bazaar.  the team is getting along great and will take a hike to the Everest View Hotel for acclimatization in the morning.

Further up the valley in Pangboche, IMG Senior Guides Lopsang and Thunang pulled into Pangboche with our team and will visit the monastery and enjoy beautiful views of Ama Dablam.  They will also say hello to Head Chef Kaji Sherpa who flew in with more gear, fresh food and Base Camp duffel bags.

Our Advanced Sherpa Team is still hammering away at EBC and have made great progress.  Some of the team has descended to Lobuche Base Camp to begin setting up for the teams arrival.  The Icefall Doctors are also making great progress and Phunuru said they have reached just above the Football Field area of the route.  Rumor has it that there are just three ladders to the Football field at this time.

March 31, 2022

Team 1 departing Lukla (Phunuru Sherpa)

Phakding (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

All of Team 2 has now arrived to Kathmandu with their gear! The team navigated the flights and requirements of international travel and are happy to be at the hotel.  IMG Guide Porter McMichael handled all of the gear checks and will have the team briefing in the morning along with Ang Jangbu.

Suspension bridge crossing on the way to Monjo (Phunuru Sherpa)

Team 1 had a nice day of trekking in the Khumbu Valley, making it to Monjo and the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park.  The team was up and out the door early this morning and reported cloudy skies with a small amount of precipitation before it started clearing up in the evening.  They are beginning to get some views and are looking forward to the hike up to Namche in the morning where they will take the opportunity to visit the Namche Market. IMG Expedition Leader, Andy Polloczek said “the team is doing great, everyone is getting along very well and almost done with the jetlag.  The clean mountain air feels great!”

All is well in Nepal!

March 29, 2022

IMG 2022 Everest Team 1 (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

Team 1 met for a briefing led by Andy Polloczek and Ang Jangbu Sherpa this morning.  This briefing is a great opportunity to get the entire team together and go over details for the coming days ahead.  Highlights of the briefing include patience and flexibility.  Our team has worked a long time to get to this point and they are now ready to head up the valley towards Everest Base Camp.  Staying healthy and taking their time during the trek is an important key!

After the briefing, the team was free to explore Kathmandu, take care of any last minute details, prepare for tomorrow morning and probably take a few naps to continue getting over jet lag!  The day ended with the Welcome Dinner celebrating the start of their trip.  Tomorrow will come fast s the team will be up early to head to the airport for the helicopter flight to Lukla!

All is well in Kathmandu!

March 27, 2022

The Polloczek Family arrives to Kathmandu (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

Climbers, Guides and Trekkers are all arriving to Kathmandu now and it is getting busy and exciting!  IMG Expedition Leader Andy Polloczek and Senior Guide Justin Merle went to the Department of Tourism for the Ministry briefing today.  With permits in hand, we are now ready to start making preparations to head up the Khumbu Valley.  We are also very excited to welcome the entire Polloczek family to Kathmandu and have them join us on the trek to Everest Base Camp!

The Team is arriving to Kathmandu!