How Much Does it Cost to Climb Mount Everest? – 2019 Edition
This is my sixth year to blog “How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest?” and I firmly believe we are about to see the biggest changes in Everest, inc. that we have seen since Nepal went from one team permit per year to anything goes back in the early 1990s. The key drivers […]
China Clamps Down on Everest Climbs
Over the past few years, I’ve been predicting two things will change dramatically about climbing Everest: 1) It will get more expensive and 2) China will make it more difficult to climb from their side. A recent announcement by Chinese Mountaineering Association and Mountaineering Association of Tibet aka CTMA has shown both to be true. […]
2018/19 Winter K2, Nanga Parbat but No Everest
As the winter of 2018/19 begins, we are seeing another set of attempts on the world’s second highest peak K2 however the winter Everest commercial expedition has been cancelled. K2 remains the only 8,000-meter mountain not summited in winter and Everest has only a few. Also there will be a winter attempt by a new […]
Gifts for the 2018 Climber in your Life
Looking for that perfect gift for your climber (or yourself) ? Hopefully this update for Holiday 2018 season’s annual post will give you some ideas based on my own personal experience. You don’t have to spend a lot to make your climber happy! I always try to buy local to keep the sales tax in […]
Island Peak 2018: A Push to the Top and the End
My throat was so tight, I couldn’t swallow. My chest felt like it was exploding from the inside out. And with every step I took higher, the pain level increased. So, why in the world would I take another step towards the summit of Imja Tse aka Island Peak this Saturday in October 2018? The […]
Island Peak: Summit and $25,000++ for Alzheimer’s!
What a short journey this has been!! Kami and I summited Island Peak around 10 am on October 21, 2018 but what I will remember more is that YOU donated over $25,000 to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I often say that you never know which donation will fund the […]
Island Peak 2018:Time to Climb
Well time has come to stop posting and to start climbing! First I wish all a happy Dashain. Kami and I leave Tomorrow 19 Oct for Island Peak. The summit is on the ridge far behind the face as shown in the pictures. Today we did our final acclimatization hike to Chungkung Ri, about 17,700’ […]
Island Peak 2018: 3 Degrees of Separation with Kami Sherpa
Traveling with Kami Sherpa in the Khumbu is like being with Kevin Bacon except it’s not Six Degrees of Separation it’s more like three! For the past 11 days everywhere we go Kami says “oh, that’s my ____” fill in the blank with cousin, uncle, sister, friend … This guy is a rock star!!!!! Seriously, […]
Island Peak 2018: Alan, Do you have Alzheimer’s?
As Kami and I arrived in Dingboche this morning, we were treated with a perfect view of Imja Tse aka Island Peak, only seven miles away. I stopped in my tracks to study our objective. Even though I have seen this view many times before, my eye had always focused on the 8000er Lhotse looming […]
Island Peak 2018: Crossing the Cho La
Today was a big step on our way to Island Peak. We crossed the 17,782-foot/5,420-meter pass, the Cho La. We made the crossing from west to east from the village of Dzongla at 4,830-metres/15,850-feet to Thagnak at 4,700-metres/15,400-feet. We had hiked from Goyko the previous day. Kami and I were awakened by another group in the teahouse at 3:00am who […]