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Everest 2019: Interview with Garrett Madison – A Leader on Everest

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Mar 282019
 
Everest 2019: Interview with Garrett Madison - A Leader on Everest

What attributes would you look for in an Everest guide? Number of summits, zero climber deaths, years in the business, experience? Well, if these are on your list, Garrett Madison, founder and owner of Madison Mountaineering might be your person. Up front, full disclosure, I summited K2 with Garrett in 2014 and was with him on Everest at Camp 2 when the earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, so I kind of like this guy! On K2, my first time climbing with Garrett, he personified the characteristics of a professional mountain guide – calm, in-control, thoughtful and never had a hair continue reading

Everest 2019: New Route Attempt on Everest

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Mar 042019
 
Everest 2019: New Route Attempt on Everest

This spring Everest season, something rare will take place – an attempt on a new route. According to Everest historian, Jochen Hemmleb, the last time a new route was successfully completed was the Korean line on the left side of the Southwest Face (Southwest Face to West Ridge) in 2009, 10 years ago. And for the statistics, the following year Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was the first to climb the North Col from the West and continue all the way to the summit. Two well known and seasoned climbers, Cory Richards and Esteban “Topo” Mena, will join forces to attempt a natural line continue reading

Everest 2019: Interview with Adrian Ballinger on China’s New Rules

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Feb 252019
 
Everest 2019: Interview with Adrian Ballinger on China's New Rules

With lots of buzz about the new rules from China and banning tourists from going Everest Base Camp on the Tibet side, I reached out to Adrian Ballinger, founder of Alpenglow, for his thoughts. Adrian has been running Everest expeditions only from the Tibet side for several years now. He left the Nepal side after the 2014 serac crash that killed 16 Sherpa in the Khumbu Icefall. He strongly believes it is immoral and unethical to put his staff and clients at risk by climbing on the Nepal side and has become a strong advocate of only climbing from the continue reading

Everest 2018: Interview with Matt Moniz – Extraordinary Youth

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Apr 192018
 
Everest 2018: Interview with Matt Moniz - Extraordinary Youth

This interview with Matt Moniz is one of an ongoing series I do each season with Everest climbers. Not the famous, sponsored ones who get plenty of publicity but the regular people, who often have full-time jobs, full time families and climb for the love of the climb. Most climbers are already at base camp so this may be the last interview for 2018 but I welcome suggestions for anyone I should interview. I met Matt and his family years ago here in Colorado. I knew the moment that I shook his hand that he was “different” 🙂 Polite, mature, continue reading

Everest 2018: Interview with Kuntal Joisher – Integrity in Motion

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Apr 022018
 
Everest 2018: Interview with Kuntal Joisher - Integrity in Motion

This interview with Kuntal Joisher is one of an ongoing series I do each season with Everest climbers. Not the famous, sponsored ones who get plenty of publicity but the regular people, who often have full time jobs, full time families and climb for the love of the climb. I welcome suggestions for anyone climbing in 2018 I should interview. My first interaction with Kuntal was in 2010 with an email that started “What attracted me to your website is a very important term in both our lives “Dementia”. Your mother passed away because of Alzheimers (most common form of Dementia), and my dad was continue reading

Everest 2018: Interview with Ricky Munday, focused on the Summit

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Mar 262018
 
Everest 2018: Interview with Ricky Munday, focused on the Summit

This interview with Ricky Munday is one of an ongoing series I do each season with Everest climbers. Not the famous, sponsored ones who get plenty of publicity but the regular people, who often have full time jobs, full time families and climb for the love of the climb. I welcome suggestions for anyone climbing in 2018 I should interview. Ricky is strong, determined and dedicated. Watching his twin uncles, Patrick at age 58  and Michael at 69 taken by cancer set Ricky on a path that would change his life. Through climbing, he has found a way to give back. He has continue reading

Everest 2018: Interview with IMG’s Greg Vernovage

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Mar 212018
 
Everest 2018: Interview with IMG's Greg Vernovage

This interview is one of an ongoing series I do each season with Everest climbers and guides. I welcome suggestions for anyone climbing in 2018 that I should interview. My last interview was with climber Patrick McKnight. This is with Greg Vernovage, International Mountain Guide‘s (IMG) Associate Program Director & Everest Expedition Leader. If you have been to Everest on the Nepal side since 2010, you most certainly felt Greg’s presence. He along with IMG’s Ang Jangbu Sherpa not only operate IMG’s Everest expeditions with precision, they also help coordinate all the activity on the mountain from rope fixing to rescues. They have helped 141 members summit continue reading

Everest 2018: Interview with Patrick McKnight

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Mar 192018
 
Everest 2018: Interview with Patrick McKnight

This interview with Patrick McKnight is one of an ongoing series I do each season with Everest climbers. Not the famous, sponsored ones who get plenty of publicity but the regular people, who often have full time jobs, full time families and climb for the love of the climb. I welcome suggestions for anyone climbing in 2018 I should interview. Sometimes our public profiles on social media tell more than we wanted. Patrick’s on Google+ reveals “Associate Professor at George Mason University.  Sailor, skier, data analyst, climber, father, chef, wine drinker, mountaineer, swimmer, dreamer, builder, football fan, researcher, survivor.  Words I live continue reading

Everest 2018: Mike Hamill Breaks out to Start his Own Company

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Feb 122018
 
Everest 2018: Mike Hamill Breaks out to Start his Own Company

Starting any new business is expensive and the chance of success is low. Apply that to the mountain guiding industry and double the expenses and half the success rate. So why would Mike Hamill, already a very successful mountain guide, give up his current job and start his own company in a crowded field? Mike’s new company Climbing the Seven Summits (CTSS) has just begun. The website is fresh and Mike is gathering members for peaks from Orizaba in Mexico to Everest and Lhotse in Nepal this Spring. I caught up with him just before he left for New Zealand for continue reading

Everest 2018: Another Everest Guide Leaves Nepal for China: Altitude Junkies

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Jan 082018
 
Everest 2018: Another Everest Guide Leaves Nepal for China: Altitude Junkies

Phil Crampton’s Altitude Junkies has run Everest climbs from both Nepal and Tibet for 10 years and for 2018 he is making a radical change, returning to his roots. Phil began climbing Everest in 2001 thus is in a unique position to comment on the changing business of Everest plus the impact of recent crowds, government policies, and strategies used by other outfits to attract a wide range of climbers. Phil’s switch is the third guide company to leave Nepal for Tibet over the last several years. Is this the beginning of a movement indicating problems in Nepal or just continue reading

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