MOUNT EVEREST BASE CAMP ― Apa Sherpa just broke his own world’s record by summiting Mount Everest for the 20th time at 8:34 a.m. Saturday.
Apa’s goal in climbing this year was to help efforts to increase educational opportunities in the Khumbu Region, which includes the areas around Mount Everest.
In a statement he prepared in anticipation [...]
While Apa was getting ready to climb Mount Everest, a group of South Asian countries were meeting to discuss important matters like climate change. During said meeting, Apa was named the new Goodwill Ambassador for Climate Change. I knew about this a week or so ago, but Apa got the official letter today. (I’ve attached [...]
Today Apa is resting at Camp 2 while the rest of the team went up to Camp 3. Tomorrow Apa will catch up to them at Camp 4, where they will all rest for a few hours before heading for the summit. Apa is doing very well in Camp 2, however, the rest of the [...]
By Marshall Thompson
While we were waiting for the weather to clear up this week, Apa participated in the Eco Everest clean-up of human bodies on and around Mount Everest. In total, they respectfully removed three bodies from the lower part of the Khumbu Ice Fall and from the glacier. This happened, a few days ago, [...]
First off, I am a forty seven year old mother who likes to read. I happened upon this web site by chance after reading a book by some fellow left for dead while climbing Everest. I have been following every entry ever since then. Can you explain the addiction to climbing Everest that you have, [...]
You may not be aware of this, but it gets cold at night at 17,500 feet and above. Thankfully, one of Apa’s sponsors is Hot Chillys. They make some of the best insulating layers you can get. When Apa is heading for his 20th Everest summit, he’ll be wearing Hot Chillys underneath.
I have a couple [...]
By Marshall Thompson
As I pored over weather reports with our expedition leader, Dawa Steven, searching uneasily for a window of good weather during which the climbers could make an attempt at the summit, I asked him if it was always this hard to decide.
“Every year,” he said.
Choosing the correct summit window is a life or [...]
By Marshall Thompson
As of today, I have spent nearly a full month living on a glacier at Mount Everest Base Camp. Over his Everest climbing career, Apa has spent almost three full years living on the glacier beneath the Khumbu Ice Fall. Glacial living is interesting at best. To help you at home understand, I’ve [...]
You know it’s good because it alliterates. Within the next week, the weather should open up and provide a nice window for summitting Mount Everest. Apa has finished all his acclimatization rotations and is simply waiting for the opportunity to make a summit push. Before he goes up for his historic 20th attempt, he will [...]
This week our camp got a little bigger. Adam and Corey from the Extreme Ice Survey are staying with us while they install time lapse cameras and do repeat photography of the Khumbu Ice Fall and other glaciers and peaks in the area. The tag line for the EIS is “seeing is believing” and that [...]
Q: It got pretty snowy while you were in camp 2. Were you worried?
A: The weather was bad. I was a little worried for the clients. I don’t have to worry myself because I was only going to spend two nights there. But the weather wasn’t normal so I waited there. It’s very important that [...]
By Marshall Thompson
The weather has been very unpredictable lately and our team has spent far too many days at Camp 2 waiting for an opportunity to go to Camp 3 and acclimatize. This morning was sunny with no wind, but Apa and the team made the tough decision to come down anyway. It was a [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Today we woke up to a winter wonderland. Well, not exactly. It has snowed about five inches during the night and base camp was, in fact, covered with a downy blanket of pure white snow that made hands itch to throw a snowball. I worked my way down to the communications tent where [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Apa is leaving this morning for his final rotation before pushing for the summit. If successful, it will be his 20th time on top of Everest and a new world record. This is one of his last chances to get acclimatized and physically prepared for the summit push. Unfortunately, he has been plagued [...]
Q: What do you do to prepare when you go up for a rotation?
A: Most of the stuff I’ve already packed. I don’t need that much right now. I have to get in a good mindset because the icefall is very dangerous. This is not a casual thing.
Q: What’s your biggest concern right now with [...]
Q: How is the expedition going?
A: So far it’s OK. They’re fixing the route fast, which is good. So far it’s good, except one person, but she just got here so I hope she will be Ok. Otherwise, everyone is strong.
Q: You had a bit of a cough earlier. How is it going?
A: My cough [...]
By Marshall Thompson
The other night we had a visit from Three Finns and it was a night to remember. The Three Finns came to our camp to visit with Mika and Timo, the two Finns who are climbing with the Eco Everest Expedition. Mika and Timo are very serious, polite and pleasant people. The Three [...]
By Marshall Thompson
I sat down yesterday and did an interview with Apa and Carina Raiha, who is attempting to be the first Finnish woman to climb Mount Everest. They are both ambassadors for the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate 4 Life campaign (http://www.climate4life.org) that is working to raise awareness about the effects of global warming on [...]
By Marshall Thompson
This is an apolitical entry about one of the most controversial figures in world politics today: Pres. Barack Obama. I’m the only American at the Asian Trekking base camp, and I’ve only met one other American since I’ve been here. People often ask me what I think of Obama. I return the question, [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Now that the puja ceremony is over, the real climbing can begin. At 5 a.m. this morning, four climbers – Mika, Mumta, Arjun and Meagan – headed up the ice falls. Mumta has been ill for the past few days so she will return tonight to sleep at base camp. The others will [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Today we held our puja ceremony to ask forgiveness and permission for climbing on Mount Everest, which is the abode and person of a Sherpa goddess. It was an elaborate ceremony with a lama chanting prayers in front of an altar for nearly an hour and a half straight. Then the Sherpa raised [...]
By Marshall Thompson
My first night in base camp I woke up to what I thought was a jet flying overheard. Upon short reflection I realized this would be impossible since jets don’t generally fly over Mount Everest. That was my first experience with an avalanche at base camp. Since then, I’ve become use to the [...]
As I’ve mentioned before, Apa was running all over the Khumbu Region of Nepal before he could make it up to the Mount Everest Base Camp on April 18. He covered a massive amount of territory meeting family, getting blessings, posing for photographs and meeting with the Himalayan Trust.
“Every time we go (up Mount Everest) [...]
By Marshall Thompson
The Eco Everest Expedition is holding its annual weigh and pay program at Everest Base Camp in an effort to keep the tallest mountain in the world free from trash. At the end of each day, everyone brings in all the trash they could find and weigh it. On the spot they get [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Yesterday two members of the Eco Everest Expedition started the long hike out of the Khumbu Region. They will not be climbing Mount Everest this year. After making the journey to base camp, they both decided that it was too dangerous and there were more important things in their lives. Michel, one of [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Today there was a meeting with all the Mount Everest expedition leaders and the leadership of the Sargamatha Pollution Control Committee. They discussed a number of things, but the most interesting subject was all about poop. What do you do with it? Hundreds of people are going up and down Everest each year [...]
By Marshall Thompson
We got up to base camp today. Apa will arrive on April 18, just in time to participate in the puja ceremony on April 19. Apa went back to Thame to get more blessings from his hometown lama. The puja ceremony is incredibly important. The Sherpa believe that Everest is a goddess named [...]
By Marshall Thompson
We had the honor yesterday to be blessed by the Lama Geshe, one of the more learned lamas in the Khumbu, who has a particular understanding of the religious significance of the Himalayas. He was a delightful older gentleman who entered and sat in a sunny corner of his home and explained to [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Today we arrived in Tangbouche, the home of the most important monastery in the Khumbu Region of Nepal. We arrived in time to attend
the evening prayers. After removing our shoes and filing into an ornate prayer room, the monks began to chant. The chants are very rhythmic and dissident resulting in an almost [...]
By Marshall Thompson
I took this photo from Namche today as I hiked in around 3:30 p.m. What you can’t see is that there are giant snowcapped mountains in the background. The reason why you can see them is the air is full of smoke. Yesterday, as I was hiking up to a monastery I heard [...]
–We received these posts late, they are presented in the correct order, but the timestamps from the blog are not necessary accurate–
By Marshall Thompson
Yesterday we were in Thame, Nepal, Apa’s hometown. He said he was excited to be there and see his family again. Apa was busy the whole time calling friends and relatives and [...]
By Marshall Thompson
A question keeps bothering me while I’m here: Why do Sherpa guides get paid less than Western guides? Since the price people will pay to climb Mount Everest is governed by the free market, there’s no easy answer. However, Dawa Steven, our guide who is half Sherpa and half Belgian, speaks five languages [...]
By Marshall Thompson
Sorry to use capital letters, but it was absolutely necessary. Today we hiked from Phakding to Namche, with an elevation change of about 2,400 feet. Just imagine climbing a ladder that goes straight up for nearly half a mile. You probably couldn’t do it. Just remember that and don’t be judgmental as I [...]
Before we left Kathmandu, I rode around the city with Apa as he took care of last minute things and met with journalists. We often took taxis, and it was a lot of fun. In this short video I wanted to share with you a little bit of what it’s like to ride a taxi [...]