K2 and Everest Winter Teams on the Move
The Polish K2 team is now in Pakistan and the Everest team in the Khumbu. It will be weeks before they begin actually climbing either peak. See this post for full background on both expeditions and the history of winter attempts on the highest two mountains on Earth. Winter K2 I received this update today […]
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
K2 and Everest Winter Climbs are on!
After months of speculation, Alex Txikon will return to attempt a winter, no supplemental oxygen summit of Everest. And the Polish K2 team will leave Poland on 29th December for their winter K2 attempt. UPDATE: The K2 team has left Poland. Winter Dates To claim a true winter ascent of a northern hemisphere peak, the summit […]
Looking for Alzheimer’s Signs over the Holidays
With Christmas just around the corner and other holiday celebrations in full swing, now is the time to raise our awareness of early signs that a loved one may have Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. Ida’s Story I have shared this before but in the department of “could of, would of, should of” […]
Everest by the Numbers: 2019 Edition
For those who follow Everest closely, the arrival of the official summit numbers is always a milestone. The Himalayan Database (HDB) updated the latest summit statistics on December 4, 2017. I’ve been digging into the stats the last few weeks and found some interesting trends and trivia. This post is a nice complement to my recent post […]
How Much Does it Cost to Climb Mount Everest? – 2018 Edition
“How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest?” The short answer is a car or at least $30,000 but most people pay about $45,000 and the price is going up. This 2018 update looks at the current prices, trends and how 2017 turned out what 2018 might bring. This annual update since 2013 has become […]
Nepal to Ban All Solo Climbers and those with Disabilities – a Political Move
I was hoping we could go into the Everest 2018 season without Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation announcing another plan to “make Everest safer” thru Byzantine rules that are not grounded in merit or even common sense. But alas they have once again met my low expectations. This time they are repeating […]
K2 Winter 2017: Final Preparations
After multiple attempts to summit K2 in winter, a Polish team is finalizing their plans to attempt the last 8000er not summited in winter. They will arrive in Pakistan after Christmas this year, 2017. K2 is the world’s 2th highest mountain at 28,251’/8611m. It is located in northwest Pakistan about 30 miles from the border […]
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa: A Story of Courage Needs Your Help
She had a dream – Pasang Lhamu Sherpa wanted to be the first Nepali woman to summit Everest and in 1993 she did it but paid the ultimate price. The documentary The Glass Ceiling tells her story but needs funding to bring it to market. Let me say on a personal note, that the more I […]
Death on Mexico’s Orizaba
Local officials report one death and multiple rescues on the 18,619’/5675m Mexican volcano, Pico de Orizaba, last week. The conditions had been reported as unusually icy on the moderate slopes leading to the summit. The deceased has been identified as American Jason Keith Wolfe, 41, of Denver Colorado. source Fell while Skiing Search and Rescue from Socorro Alpino […]