Nepal & Bhutan - a successful fall season!

Ama Dablam in all its glory. Seth Hobby photo

An exciting season in Nepal! We've had some great climbs and treks take place in the Himalayas this year. We brought clients to Ama Dablam, Island Peak, Mera Peak, Everest Base Camp, and Bhutan. Many of you also followed Mark Gunlogson's adventure on Mera Peak, an exciting new climb we will now be offering climbers looking for new destinations in the Himalayas! Here is a recap of the season. We hope you can join us in 2011.

Bhutan:

A group of six joined Mountain Madness and guide Deana Zabaldo in Bhutan this October for an adventurous 16 day trek through the Kingdom. Our group did their best to contribute to the "Gross Domestic Happiniess" as they visited monasteries, visited locals, and enjoyed the spectacular mountain scenery. Trekkers also visited a mask festival - check out this video!

Tiger's Nest. Deana Zabaldo photo

Mask Festival. Deana Zabaldo photo

Everest Base Camp:

A client favorite, our Everest Base Camp Trek took seven clients through this beautiful Himalayan region. The weather was beautiful through the majority of the trip until a fog rolled in from Phortse near the end and delayed the group for three days. The dynamic, engaged group of trekkers had a great time exploring the Himalayas. Two clients broke off from the group part way through to take a shot at Island Peak and Ama Dablam.

Blessing in Kathmandu before the trek. Deana Zabaldo photo

Jumping for joy at base camp! Deana Zabaldo photo

"Deana was very organized, patient, and extremely knowledgeable about all facets of Nepal. It was perfect because she of course spoke excellent English and understood where we were coming from; yet spoke Nepali and had a bond with the Nepalese people. She arranged several extra encounters we wouldn't have had otherwise i.e. visits with Buddhist monks, the nuns, gambling on Tihar, visit at teatime with our Sherpas -- all of which made this trip special." ~ Nancy Anderson

Island Peak:

When traveling with Mountain Madness, why stop at one mountain?! Joaquim Oliveira joined us this season for a whirlwind tour of Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and Island Peak. His successful summit of Kilimanjaro boosted his confidence as he then traveled to Nepal to join the Everest Base Camp trekkers mentioned above. To top off his adventures, he successfully summited Island Peak, at 20,305 feet!

Final summit ridge on Island Peak. Mark Ryman photo

"After being in Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and Island Peak with MM, I just would like to register how impressed I was by MM's services at all levels, from the office administration assistance to Tulsi's epxerience at the top of Island Peak. I truly hope to have another trip with MM." ~ Joaquim Oliveira

Ama Dablam:

Descending Ama Dablam in good conditions. Seth Hobby photo

 
After some training climbs in the North Cascades and in the Alps with Mountain Madness, climber Ray Griffith was ready for what many consider the most beautiful mountain in the world. The steep southeast flank of Ama Dablam made a lasting impression on Ray this season once he broke off from the Everest Base Camp group. With Pemba Sherpa's guidance and supportive coaching, he and Ray pushed up the mountain side quickly, to stay one step ahead of the weather system moving in. Unfortunately, the weather caught up with them and by 6:30 am on summit day, visibility was poor and the strong wind and heavy snow presented some difficult conditions.

30 meters from the summit, with huge gusts of wind and snow blowing off the summit into their faces, Pemba and Ray decided to turn back. "As far as I'm concerned, 30 meters is close enough to the top to call it a successful climb!" Ray wrote to us later. We completely agree with him! The quick acclimatization and progress under nasty weather conditions was quite an accomplishment.

"The climb was fantastic! The rock and mountain were great and lived up to my expectations. The summit push was steeper than I had read about or anticipated. It was a little overwhelming at first, but Pemba got me over that with his professionalism and coaching. He was great!" ~ Ray Griffith

Mera Peak: 

On the summit of Mera framed by Everest on left and Makalu on the right. Mark Gunlogson photo

Summit day. Mark Gunlogson photo

For those of you who didn't get a chance to follow Mark Gunlogson's expedition to Mera Peak, here is a quick recap. Mark and four clients were delayed for their flight in to Lukla due to weather, but finally were able to pull some strings and charter a helicopter to take them to Lukla. As the team and porter staff made their way up the mountain, they forged great friendships and had some memorable laughs with lead Sherpa, Lapkha. All six climbers made it successfully to the 21,247 ft peak! Check out some of their photos from summit day here! This trip will be on the schedule for fall 2011- call for details.

"MM did a great job of taking care of all the logistics while we were on the trip. It makes the trip much more enjoyable when you have such a competent staff working with you to make sure your trip is everything you want it to be. Everyone from the office staff to the MM guide to the support team on the trail were all primarily concerned about the safety and enjoyment of all the clients. It was a great experience to use MM for our trip. Thanks!" ~ Mark Sargent

Stay tuned for the 2011 Season in Nepal. We have great trips lined up to bring you a memorable experience in the Himalayas. For those of you who have already joined us for the Everest Base Camp Trek or other climbs in Nepal, check out our new trips for 2011!

Success in Mexico and Ecuador! More trips confirmed.

Ecuador

Cototpaxi. MM photo

After several weeks of gnarly La Niña weather, Mountain Madness climbers were able to summit Cotopaxi! Guide Sebastian Carrasco led 5 clients on what he called "the best summit on Cotopaxi ever!!" Conditions on the mountain have turned many groups away so far this year, but Sebastian's group benefited from a clear, cold night before their summit attempt, giving them packed snow for easy travel and stunning views of the surrounding volcanoes.

Climbers on Illiniza Sur - objective of Antisana trip. Herrera photo

Illiniza Sur (l) and Norte - Nine day Cotopaxi trip includes Norte. Herrera photo

Lots of new snow has improved condittions on Chimborazo, with groups now reaching the summit.  Our season runs through February with the following trips still available:

Ecuador School
9-day Cotopaxi
Volcanoes Expedition
Cotopaxi Trek or Climb

Mexico Volcanoes

Looking into Orizaba crater. Mark Ryman photo

Summit day on Ixta. Mark Ryman photo

January 15 departure confirmed - only 9 days!

Great memories were forged on the summits of Iztaccihuatl and Orizaba this month. Guides Hector Ponce de Leon, Alejandro Cruz Rojas and Stephen Webber began the excursion in the ancient Aztec City of Teotihuacan, followed by a hike to the Altozomoni Hut to begin acclimatization. The group temporarily adopted the small black dog from the hut, who ended up following them to the summit of Ixta!

After a day of rest in Puebla, the group moved on to conquer Orizaba. They practiced rope technique, ice safety and basic skills at 14,000 feet and prepared for the coming ascent. Unfortunately, one of the climbers, David, could not join the group to the summit due to the increasing pain from his new boots. Another good climber thwarted from the curse of new boots! Each team made it to the summit with smiles on their faces! The descent back to the hut welcomed them with celebratory tacos and beer.

Don't miss your chance to climb these Latin American volcanoes! Call us to get your spot on our confirmed January trips! 800-328-5925.

Winter!

Mt. Baker in all her glory! J.Allyn photo

As I write this blog post a major winter storm is at our doorstep here in the Cascade Range of Washington State - thunder and lightening this morning, urban flooding on Seattle’s streets, and 3 feet of new snow forecasted for the next 48 hrs.  I’m contemplating which day to skip work to go ski touring…tomorrow?  Friday? I’m tracking the weather radar, the freezing levels, precipitation rates, scouring ski reports on the internet (some dubious, some valuable), thinking about what partners I want to go out with? Where to go?  How to go? What terrain to completely avoid? How are those wind slabs from Saturday going to react now they have a new snow load on top of them? Where’s the good skiing? Hmmm…maybe I should wait.  No…I really want to ski!  The trail breaking is going to be brutal.  On and on and on…

Ski Touring in the Central Cascades. J. Allyn photo

It’s hard to be a winter recreationist in this area. Our weather is incredibly finicky, often extreme, and we get a huge amount of snow. No matter what activity you chose – snowshoeing, ice climbing, ski mountaineering, mellow ski touring, even driving the mountain passes – all winter backcountry travel exposes oneself to avalanche risk at some point or another. What is risk? Exposure time vis-à-vis objective hazard? What is your personal risk acceptance level and does it match up with your partner? Can you carry out a companion rescue if someone in your party is caught in an avalanche? These are important questions if you travel in the mountains – especially in winter.

So, as we merge into the holiday season, and winter knocks heavily at our door, I urge you and yours to embrace these questions and continue to hone your decision making in whatever activity you choose. One excellent way to gain a solid foundation of skills and gain a greater proficiency in your decision making is to take an avalanche course or hire a professional ski guide.

Crispin Prahl taking off the climbing skins. J. Allyn photo

 
Mountain Madness offers a variety of course options and we are excited to join you this winter! Our avalanche courses are small and our instructors are among the best in the business. Over the years I’ve realized that the best avalanche instructors are the ones with the most diverse snow experience – ski patrol, mountain guiding, avalanche course instructing, forecasting. One can have a Ph.D in snow science but never felt moving snow under their skis. One can be a fully-certified mountain guide but lack good teaching skills.  I firmly believe that the “jack-of-all-trades” snow person makes the best avalanche instructor. Of course, you need to love snow, love teaching, and love the overall experience of sharing travel in the mountains. All of us at Mountain Madness definitely do! We hope to see you out there!

Monika Johnson in winter wonderland. J. Allyn photo

Cheers,
Jeremy Allyn
North America Program Director