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Written by Robert Kyte

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alpenglow has been forced to cease operations on the North Side of Everest due to China’s strict zero-covid border policy. Alpenglow is one of a small number of companies operating exclusively on Everest’s North Side. This means we have not climbed the world’s tallest mountain since our last North Side expedition in 2019. We miss it! And while we remain unable to say with certainty whether or not we will return to Tibet next year, we are receiving a number of positive indicators from our partners that the…

Words by Alpenglow CEO & Founder, Adrian Ballinger

Alpenglow has confidence that Tibet will open for our Everest North Side 2022 expedition next April. We’re having good communications with our local partners in Tibet and they’re hopeful that they will begin normal tourism by the end of 2021, which should set us up well for Everest expeditions in the spring of 2022, a few months after Tibet has re-opened. They’ve been working with us to consider different potential requirements like vaccinations and COVID testing. Tibet and CTMA (Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association)…

The highest mountain in the world just increased the margin of its lead by an additional 2.8 feet (.86 meters). China and Nepal presented a new official figure of 8,848.86 meters (29,031.69 feet) above sea level.

Everest stands on the border between China and Nepal and is climbed by parties from both sides. Previously, China and Nepal had disagreed on how to measure the mountain- should the highpoint be measured to the highest point of rock OR should it be measured all the way through the layer of snow that sits on top of that rock? Up until the…

With a heavy heart, we are announcing the cancelation of our Everest 2020 expedition. Today China announced that it has shut down the Tibet side of Mt. Everest due to fears of Coronavirus hitting base camps, one of the most remote and inhospitable environments in the world.

Adrian Ballinger reports, “While I am saddened for all the hard work our members, guides, Sherpa, local staff, partners and office have put in, and that they and we won’t get to test ourselves on the highest playground in the world this year, I am…

On paper, an expedition to the north side of Everest comprises of just 35 days on the Alpenglow Expeditions climbing calendar. That said, the reality for our team is that it’s actually a year-round endeavor. Preparations begin as soon as the last tent is removed from the mountain in the early summer. It takes half a year of logistics planning before boots can even set foot on the flanks of the mountain. Plus, every month of the year we’re training and climbing with clients on peaks across the world while they…

Approaching the summit from the northside of Everest

We’ve always done things a bit differently than most other guide services, and it all starts with Adrian Ballinger’s visionary Rapid Ascent™ approach to pre-acclimatizing for mountains across the world. Read on to see how our Mount Everest Rapid Ascent Expedition is different than other international mountain guide services.

While nearly all other mountain guide services continue to approach mountains the same way as has been done for decades, Adrian Ballinger knew there was another way. His main goal was to reduce the…

Mountain guides may be the most shoe-obsessed people on the planet. From rock shoes to 8,000m boots, every shoe has an ultra-specific purpose. In this interview, Adrian walks us through his favorite La Sportiva footwear for each climbing discipline. Have you ever wanted to take a peek inside Adrian’s closet? This is your chance!

“There are two reasons I really like this shoe for the 

The Everest Lightning Ascent: Two Weeks to the Top and Back with Alpenglow Expeditions – words by Roxanne Vogel

Moving up from base camp on the north side of Mt Everest

When I nervously called Adrian Ballinger in the autumn of 2017, I had no idea I’d eventually be working with his company, Alpenglow Expeditions, on the first ever 14-day summit of Mount Everest. Long before the whirlwind trip that occurred in May of this year, I had reached out to him about a different rapid ascent, a climb of the world’s highest volcano—…

As soon as Adrian returned from his successful #K2no02 mission, we caught up with him for an interview. We asked him all about pre-acclimatizing with Hypoxico and how the Rapid Ascent program plays into his climbing career.

Adrian: “The Hypoxico system allows us to pre-acclimatize at home which is an essential part of our Rapid Ascent and Lightning Ascent systems for climbing big mountains faster than we used to be able to.

Essentially you’re in a tent and the system takes oxygen out of the air and replaces…

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. …