Our 2017 Everest Expedition is hard at work organizing supplies and acclimatizing to the thin air of Everest Base Camp, at 17,600′.  An integral part of every Everest expedition (at least from the south side) is the puja ceremony. This is a way in which the local Sherpa culture expresses reverence to Chomolungma, “The Goddess Mother of Mountains.”  Our team held their puja today, which involved prayers to the mountain, the flying of prayer flags, incense being burned, dancing and revelry.

The team will practise their ice climbing and steep snow skills tomorrow, in preparation for their first rotation up through the Khumbu Icefall in just a few days.  This is a fun day of top roping on seracs (huge chunks of ice) and walking across ladders.  Teams use ladders to negotiate large crevasses in the icefall and to ascend steep seracs, en route to Camp 1.

Here are a couple of pictures Jacob sent from Base Camp of the team and of our indispensable Sherpa crew!