Maggie Eshbaugh's Posts

We caught up with IFMGA guide/professional nomad Ray Hughes right before he heads out to climb Alpamayo! Today, Ray leaves our world headquarters in Squaw Valley and departs for Lima, Peru. He will be guiding 1:1 on a private expedition. We asked him a couple questions about the upcoming trip, check it out:

Q: Hey Ray, can you give us a quick rundown of the climb? What is your route? 

Ray: It’s a 2-day trek up the Santa Cruz Valley from Cashapampa to our base camp at 14,000ft. We then shuttle a load to…

In case you missed our #RoadtoEverest series last week, here’s the full rundown:

Everest summit on May 22, 2019 by Lightning Ascent team Roxanne, guide Lydia Bradey, Dorji Sherpa, and Mingma Sherpa.

1. While it feels like the Alpenglow Expeditions’ Everest 2019 teams wrapped up just last week,  Alpenglow is already thinking about Everest 2020. At Alpenglow, we spend nearly the entire year building our Mt. Everest team for the spring season. Many of our discussions with climbers will focus around whether they are “ready” for Mt. Everest. These conversations are really important. …

#ROADTOEVEREST

As part of our #roadtoeverest series, we have updated and relaunched this blog from our archives. The original post was written by Adrian Ballinger in 2012 and has been updated to be current.

Topo Mena, year after year, is the most psyched climber on the entire mountain.

Yesterday I wrote about what you should expect from your Mt. Everest guide service. Today’s blog is about you and what you can do to be ready to join an Everest expedition. Of course, there are many different ways to acquire…

As part of our #roadtoeverest series, we have updated and relaunched this blog from our archives. The original post was written by Adrian Ballinger in 2012 and has been updated to be current.

While it feels like the Alpenglow Expeditions’ Everest 2019 teams wrapped up only days ago, Alpenglow is already thinking about Everest 2020. At Alpenglow, we spend nearly the entire year building our Mt. Everest team for the spring season. Many of my discussions with climbers will focus around whether they are “ready”…

Mount Everest: 29,035 feet/8,850 meters

“Alone, high above the world, responsible for myself and my teammates, and they responsible for me.”

There is a lot of hype in the mainstream news about overcrowding and dangerously inexperienced climbers on Everest this season. There is some truth to these narratives and the recent deaths are an undeniable tragedy, but there is also more to the story. The recent post by Adrian {below} addresses some of the current issues and solutions on Everest.

“As I and my teammates sit for interview after interview about the…

Lydia and Roxanne on the summit of Everest on May 22

Sherpa Pasang and Mingma

It’s been a long season on Everest. Jet stream winds that have lingered just north of the mountain have kept most teams on both the north and south side of the mountain hunkered down, patiently waiting for winds to subside so they can safely push for the summit. That window of relatively calm winds is upon us now and our teams have made their push to the summit and back.

All Sherpa and all members from all Alpenglow…

How does one couple balance their two distinct climbing careers? We asked Emily how she and Adrian manage to make it work and how their new YouTube series, DangerStik TV, plays into the mix.

Q: You and Adrian are both working on some pretty big projects. Can you give us a rundown of what you are both working towards?

“Adrian has guided Everest every spring for the past 12 seasons. He’s there now, as an expedition leader for 40 people- basically a small village. His personal goal is to climb K2 this summer without supplemental…

Nobody blew away… but some tents at North Col Camp sure did!

As of yesterday morning (US time), all of Alpenglow’s 2019 Everest Expeditions completed their North Col rotation, despite challenging weather. Currently, we have 19 climbers on the mountain in Tibet. Our solo Lightning Ascent team member Roxanne, whose objective is to climb Everest in 14 days door-to-door from the United States, is waiting patiently in the states for a clear weather window. All teams are eagerly watching the winds and keeping an eye out for a shift in weather. With gale force winds in the…

The experience of climbing Ama Dablam, considered by many to be the most beautiful mountain on the planet, is as visually spectacular as it is physically challenging. From the trek through the lush Khumbu Valley all the way to the icy summit, climbers travel through several distinct ecological zones.

After exploring for a few days in Kathmandu, the trek begins in Namche Bazaar. Over the course of 2 days, the team works their way through tea houses and beautiful meadows capped by stunning peaks. They travel up the Khumbu Valley towards Ama Dablam’s Base Camp.

Once the climbers reach…

“Just another roadside view across the Tibetan Plateau. Mellow. @ladzinski on the drone with @erichroepke@estebantopomena @roam en route to Everest.”

When @coryrichards in on your team, you can count on seeing some gorgeous photos and videos of the expedition!

Thousands of pounds of duffle bags packed and ready to go!

On Saturday, the Alpenglow #Everest2019 team loaded thousands of pounds of gear in trucks and began a 300+ mile procession across the Tibetan Plateau towards Everest Base Camp. Over the course of 3 days, they are traveling from Lhasa to Tingri, the last stop before base camp.…