Having just passed through a rather porous security check, we stood on the tarmac of Lukla Airport and awaited our flight. It was the first clear morning in three days, and the planes which were reported to have departed Kathmandu, were headed our way. Eager for their arrival, we listened. They were our way home. Approaching planes can’t be seen from anywhere in or adjacent to the terminal. Instead, passengers...
The tree is up. After skiing Saturday morning, we grabbed our $10 US Forest Service tree tag, and with saw in hand, headed out to hunt for our trophy. We knew just where to go. Our secret spot outside the town of Redstone has provided our tree for the past two years, and it would again today. A few hours later it was lighting up our living room. Though not a big deal, I was slightly disappointed when my goal for a repeat of...
The Little Nell, yesterday. (the Little Nell, yesterday) Resembling a scene out of the early season playbook from upstate New York’s Hunter Mountain, a.k.a. “The Snowmaking Capitol of the World”, the recent low temperatures have allowed the still primitive-by-east-coast-standards snowmaking system of Aspen Mountain to crank out the fake stuff. An anonymous Aspen Ski Company insider, identified only as ‘M. Blakeslee’, confirmed that, if temperatures stay low and snowmaking continues, top-to-bottom...
Dirk, Christy and I agreed- if we didn’t see a sleeping bag for a few weeks, we’d be just fine. I say that because when you consider the different camps on the mountain, and their varying levels of comfort (or lack thereof), well, it’s just great to be home. Having a toilet is nice, too. Let’s review. Basecamp ~15,000 ft. Pros- Flat, grassy and dry with direct sun from 7:30am to 5:30pm....
As part of getting all caught up after our trip, we’ve been chipping away at the Himalayan-like pile of mail that awaited us at home. That means flipping through a glossy ski or climbing magazine faster than Christy can cover a fluffy fashion mag while waiting to check out at the supermarket. So we almost missed the ad. Last June, Art Burrows asked if we’d be interested in taking part...
It was October 18th, nine days after arriving to Nepal, that we finished our trek and made it to basecamp. What a spot. The looming west face of the mountain frames the backdrop for the camp and the huge hanging snowfield just below the summit, known as the ‘dablam’ (loosely translated- pendant or charm box), accents it further. As we made our way to our tents, passing through other expeditions...
As we suffer alongside the pool at the Hyatt Resort/Hotel in Kathmandu, waiting to fly home later today, we can’t help but think about how lucky we’ve been. Be it our health, the weather, the ever changing route conditions or Adrian and the sherpas efforts, it seems everything was going right for us. Well let’s add one more thing to the list of good fortunes, our quick escape from Lukla....
Though it has been five days since we’ve summited, there’s still quite a lot happening. We left basecamp yesterday after nearly three weeks there, and will be in Lukla tonight. If the weather holds we should be back at the hotel in Kathmandu tomorrow. We can’t wait to get into a new set of clothes. Once we get home and get a chance to sort through the 1000+ photos we’ve...
“Now we wait.” That begins a prepared update from Ted via sat phone to Aspen at 9:34 p.m. Monday. “Nine days ago, we arrived to Ama Dablam base camp with near perfect weather. We made three trips with loads of gear and food to Camp 1, at 19,000 feet. After spending two uncomfortable nights there, we climbed up to Camp 2, familiarizing ourselves with all of the technical rock pitches, including...
From Dingboche ~14,200 feet- So far, so good. Actually, it’s better than that. It has been a perfect start to the trip. With ideal weather, great food and comfy tea house accommodations, everyone is healthy and having fun. In an effort to acclimatize, we went up Chukking Ri this morning. It took us four hours to reach the snow free summit, above 18,000 feet, with awesome views of the Lhotse Face,...
We met in Aspen in 2000 and have been happily stuck in the rockies ever since, getting out in the mountains every day we can, in every season and by all means possible. Read More
