Mount Kilimanjaro Cybercasts

Hello Everyone,

Today we spent most of the day resting at Camp 1 but then went for a couple hour hike through a little icefall section heading towards camp 2.  This is great for our acclimatization and will help us sleep much better tonight.  Tomorrow morning we will head up to Camp 2 at 20,700ft.  The weather has been pretty good up here and looking forward to more days of drier weather.  The team is doing great!

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

We have finally left Basecamp to start climbing the mountain today! We had several great days in Basecamp but feels good to start climbing. We left BC after lunch and climbed to Camp 1 in 4 hours and ending at an elevation of ~18,800ft. We left in a little misty rain but by the time we arrived to Camp 1 the rain and snow stopped and it’s a nice quiet evening in camp 1. We just finished up dinner and are heading off to a long sleep. Tomorrow we will head up towards Camp 2 but return to Camp 1 and sleep for a second night here.

I will check back in tomorrow. The team is doing great!

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday we had our Puja (blessing) ceremony in Basecamp with our team.  The purpose of this is to ask for safe passage on the mountain and although serious it’s always a fun day with our whole team together.  It was raining just a little at the beginning but towards the end of the Puja the clouds broke and it was very nice weather for several hours.  We took that as a great sign of the Puja!

Today we are getting all of our gear organized and ready to head up to Camp 1 (18,800ft) tomorrow.  We will spend a couple nights at C1 and then move up to C2 (20,700ft) for a couple nights.  From there we will see how the team is doing, the weather, and see if the fixed lines to the summit are in, and we may continue on up the mountain for the summit.  But if we need to take a little rest or the weather isn’t looking good then we will return to Basecamp for a couple days before heading back up the mountain for the summit push.  I will update you here

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

All is well here in Manaslu Basecamp.  We have been resting and getting our gear organized and today took a hike up to the start of the glacier towards camp 1. The weather is now very nice, some sun, and clouds but no rain:-).  Tomorrow we will have our Puja blessing ceremony in camp and enjoy some time with our entire crew.  Then tentatively we will be heading up on the mountain to Camp 1 on the 14th or 15th.  Everyone is feeling great and excited to start climbing.

Thanks for following along,

Ben Jones

Hello climbers,

The summer climbing season is almost wrapped up, and the weather is making a shift in the mountains.  This upcoming weekend looks like light precipitation with the freezing levels hovering around 7000-8000 ft, so the tops of some peaks should get a light dusting of snow.  Following the weekend some late summer sunshine looks to take over for the week.  Paired with higher freezing levels, it will be a great time to squeeze in some end of summer climbing objectives.

Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
Last week we finished guiding operations on Mount Rainier for the season. The upper mountain received new snow making climbing conditions a bit difficult. The final teams did not make a summit attempt because of conditions, so no new information is available for the upper mountain. The Muir Route was completely stripped of all climbing aids (ladders, handlines, and wands) by guide services, so if heading up to make an attempt, understand that route finding could be a challenge.

Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)
Conditions are still holding up well on the Easton Glacier.  The final scheduled 3-day summit programs ended last week, but the route was still in fantastic shape for this time of the year. Climbers should expect straightforward glacier climbing towards the crater with easily navigable crevasses. The Roman Headwall is still a well-developed path taking climbers to the summit plateau. It’s still a good time to head up Baker before to much snow starts to hide the crevasses.

Across the Cascades
As volcano season wraps up, climbers have been out enjoying various peaks throughout the Cascades. The Fisher Chimneys on Mt Shuksan is still climbing like mid summer shape, but expect things to start changing on the summit pyramid as temperatures and precipitation roll in this weekend. Climbers founds a snow free approach to access the Cat Scratch Gullies on their way up the West Ridge of Forbidden peak this week, also noting perfect climbing conditions on the ridge itself.  Finally, as the smoke has cleared teams have been out enjoying the late summer climbing at Washington Pass and Mazama. It’s a perfect time of the year to get in a late rock objective in that location with daytime temperatures being prime for granite climbing.

Happy climbing, and we’ll see you next season!

Hello Everyone,

Today we had a nice relaxing and restful day today in Basecamp.  It was a good day to eat good food and unpack and get organized in our tents.  After breakfast we had showers enjoyed a rainy day in the dining tent.  The weather clearing up now and we are getting some nice views of the surrounding peaks.  Tomorrow we will get our technical gear ready and maybe go on a short hike around Basecamp.  The team is feeling great and happy to be here in Basecamp!

Thanks for following along,

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

Today we arrived to Basecamp!  The team is doing great and we are excited to be here at 15,900ft.  I will update again tomorrow but are having some connectivity issues. (Photos from our hike yesterday above Samdo).

Ben Jones