IMG Team Holding at Camp 2

May 18, 2021

Lenticular over Mount Everest 5-18-21 (Jonathan Schrock)

Cyclone and Weather over Everest

The Team is holding at Camp 2 so they can continue to monitor the weather, as the cyclone in the Arabian Sea is now coming on land and is heading North towards China.Â As it moves North, it is losing power but will still create a presence on Mount Everest, with some uncertainty for another day or two for winds and snow accumulation.Â Our Team is doing great and continuing to rest at Camp 2 and will be in great position for when the weather begins to clear.

Hanging tight and eager to climb on Mount Everest!

Greg Vernovage

In Position at Camp 2

May 17, 2021

High Clouds over Mount Everest (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

The Team is now at Camp 2 and will have a rest day tomorrow.Â Everyone is doing well and in a great position to watch for the right time to head up to Camp 3.Â The weather always grabs our attention during this time of year and the magnifying glasses come out.Â This year is no different.

What we are watching is a Typhoon off the West Coast of India that is helping push some moisture into our forecast for tonight and tomorrow.Â After the precipitation, we are watching the wind speeds and direction.Â Our Sherpa Team is ready to head up to Camp 3 and the South Col to set up camp when we see a break however there is no reason to set up camp if it is just going to get blown away or put our team at risk.

With a rest day tomorrow, we will wait and see what the mountain allows us do!

Greg Vernovage

IMG Denali Team #1 on the way to Kahiltna Base Camp

May 16, 2021

Team 1 waiting for the flight

After two years of waiting, we are proud to report that IMG Denali is back on The Great One.Â Â The weather didnâ€™t look so good this morning for the team, Â but sure enough it improved a bit and they got the green light from the pilots at Talkeetena Air Taxi to get loaded up.Â Now IMG guides Andy Polloczek, Nicole Sims, and Anna Hicks are on the way with their team to the 7000 ft Kahiltna Base Camp. Â They have a big adventure ahead on them!

Weâ€™ll look forward to following their progress, and our Denali teams, over the coming weeks.

Eric Simonson

Second Team starting tonight

May 16, 2021

Lho La with Everest in the distant right (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

Expedition Leader Jonathan Schrock checked in from Everest Base Camp to let us know the second group of IMG climbers are ready to move up. The team filled up on pizza and chicken before heading to bed early, with their plan to be walking out of EBC at 1am to begin the climb of the Khumbu Icefall.Â Meanwhile our first team of climbers are moving up to Camp 2 tomorrow.Â Â Both teams will be reevaluating the weather at Camp 2, before moving up to Camp 3.

Oxygen practice before the summit bid (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

The Sherpa climbers that will be supporting the summit bids are also all be ready to go.Â Today they distributed oxygen masks and regulators and did a final practice session with the cylinders.Â They will move up as a group, and will meet the climbers at Camp 2.Â Â We are all hoping that the forecasted drop in the high altitude wind speed over the next few days comes true.

We are moving in position to summit Mount Everest!

Greg Vernovage

Prepped and Ready to Go on Everest

May 14, 2021

Everest from Pumori Camp 1 (Ang Jangbu Sherpa)

Purna prepping dinner (Jonathan Schrock)

Expedition Leader Jonathan Schrock checked in from EBC to let us know that we are prepped and ready to begin the summit rotations.Â The IMG climbers have packed their food, done their final practice with the oxygen masks, and had their final meetings about the plans.Â Â The weather reports are improving in a few days, and the team is now looking forward to getting up the mountain and putting themselves in position for the summit bids.

Fitting the O2 bottle and regulator to a backpack (Jonathan Schrock)

It is always nice to fill up on good food before heading up the mountain, and this evening head cook Kaji and assistant cook Purna prepared a special steak and gravy dinner with all the trimmings for the departing climbers.Â Â Our first group of climbers will be leaving Base Camp in the early morning hours tomorrow for their climb up the Icefall to Camp 1, and then up to Camp 2 the following day. Â The second group will be leaving the following day.

It is getting exciting for the IMG Team on Mount Everest!

Greg Vernovage

Gear in place and watching the weather forecast

May 13, 2021

IMG Sherpa Team (Greg Vernovage)

Ang Jangbu reports that the upper mountain is stocked and ready for our team to head to the summit.Â Great work by all of our Sherpa and a huge thank you!

IMG Expedition Leader Jonathan Schrock is watching the weather and has the team ready to go when we see an opening.Â Forecasting the weather is a big challenge and we are anticipating a weather window in the next week or so; time will tell and we are ready to go!

All is well on Mount Everest!

Greg Vernovage

Sherpas moving Oxygen and Gear on Mount Everest

May 12, 2021

Oxygen Cylinders at Camp 2 (Harry Hamlin)

The IMG Sherpa Team has been working hard on the upper mountain and Ang Jangbu reports that we have only a few more loads to stock at the South Col before we are ready to summit.Â The weather looks good for the Sherpa Team to get this done tomorrow.

The Â IMG Climbers at Everest Base Camp continue to recover and prepare.Â They are watching the weather closely for their opportunity to begin the summit rotation.Â In order to stay sharp, they will be taking some day hikes to the â€œlookoutâ€ above Base Camp, and also to Pumori Camp 1.

All is well on Mount Everest!

Greg Vernovage

IMG Rainier Team Summits

After a stormy period on Mount Rainier, IMG is happy to report that lead guide Nickel Wood and his team took advantage of recent better weather to climb to the summit.Â It was IMGâ€™s first summit of the season; the guides are proud of having taken 100% of their team to the top.

With nice weather in the forecast weâ€™re looking forward to continued successful climbs.Â The guides are excited to be back in the mountains!

Resting, Weather and Prepping for the Summit Rotation

May 11, 2021

From high on Lhotse looking down the Western Cwm with Shishapangma and Cho Oyu (Thunang Lomi Sherpa)

Expedition Leader Jonathan Schrock checked in to let us know the Team is now resting at EBC and will wait for the weather to give us the green light for heading up on our summit rotation.Â While the team rests, they will go over the oxygen system again and make sure they have it dialed.Â Kaji made his famous Momo Dinner for everyone today.Â A Momo is a chopped meat and vegetables wrapped in dough and then steamed, similar to a pot sticker.Â They are delicious!Â The team is now settling in to watch Terminator 3 on the projector.

: Looking up the Lhotse Face (Rawan Dakik)

: IMG Guide Andy Politz drying his socks at Camp 2 (Rawan Dakik)

Currently the Jet Stream is to the South of Mount Everest.Â Over the next week, it is showing signs of moving over the summit and then to the North.Â Once the Jet Stream moves away from the summit, we will put ourselves in position to head to the summit!

Everest Base Camp with low level clouds (Jonathan Schrock)

All is well on Mount Everest!

Greg Vernovage

Lhotse Summit Fixed; Climbers continue to do Camp 3 Rotation

May 10, 2021

Descending a section of the Khumbu Icefall (Kevin Kayl)

Expedition Leader Jonathan Schrock checked in to let us know that 6 Sherpa have now fixed to the summit of Lhotse!Â This means that both Everest and Lhotse routes are in and ready for climbers to go when the weather allows.

The Icefall labyrinth (Kevin Kayl)

Our Team is doing great with climbers at both Camp 2 and EBC.Â The remainder of the Team will be back to EBC in the morning and will then take time to rest and prepare for their summit rotations.Â The Camp 3 rotation is challenging for everyone and by completing it, climbers have put themselves in position to head up for the summit rotation.

IMG Senior Guide Phunuru Sherpa (Kevin Kayl)

The current forecast has the Jet Stream to the South of Mount Everest and slowly working its way back to the North.Â We will rest at EBC and wait for the Jet Stream to move across the summit.Â This is a typical pattern for this time of year and we are looking forward to getting a little rest while we wait!

Allâ€™s well for IMG on Mt Everest.

Greg Vernovage