CTSS Team

...Everest 2019 Begins...

Welcome to the Everest 2019 Season! Our expedition officially starts today!

It’s a time full of anticipation and nervous excitement. (As well as a smidge of anxiety on behalf of family and friends eagerly awaiting news at home)

The CTSS team are arriving into Kathmandu and checking into the Yak + Yeti as I type. A few early arrivals have already had their gear checks completed and tomorrow they’ll have team meetings with Mike and their guides before flying into the Khumbu Valley. In their downtime, they’ll be checking out the city (a sensory overload experience) and grabbing any last minute gear, or anything forgotten in the shopping hub of Thamel which is walking distance from the hotel. I definitely suggest picking up a local SIM card for the trek in, although you won’t get cell service at Base Camp itself.

While the adventure is just beginning for our climbers and trekkers, it’s been well underway for the CTSS team for quite some time, not just in the office but on the mountain.

Our Sherpa team have been preparing base camp for nearly a month, carving out the glacier to make a perfect camp, with close to 20 tonnes of equipment transported in.

Everything from individual tents with 6inch mattresses, to the enormous double walled dining tents, an 800kg geo-dome hang out tent, a communications centre, a full catering kitchen, storage tents, shower tents, toilet facilities etc, not to mention our Everest Exec standing tents with heating and humidifiers! It’s an amazing feat when you think that every little thing from the tables, chairs, cutlery and toilet seats will be removed in just a few short months and packed away until the following season. It takes an army to put on an Everest expedition together and we feel lucky to be surrounded by the best troops in the business. Their dedication, attention to detail and level of care is extraordinary.

We shipped a total of 19 duffle bags in from the US filled with all sorts of goodies and necessities to supplement our local supplies and keep everyone in merry (and sugar-filled) contentment. (We certainly terrified the check-in staff at the airport in Seattle when we rocked up! I’m amazed they let us into the line!) In addition, we are expecting further postal shipments over the coming week or so.

One of the key differences at CTSS is our ability to customize our Everest offering, and as such we have a number of teams on the mountain this year so I’ll introduce them to you so you’ll know who we are referring to as the season goes on:

IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team: First up is the IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides qualified) Sherpa Guided Team, led by our incredibly strong, experienced and highly certified Sherpa. Having an IFMGA or UIAGM certification is a massive feat and the highest qualification in the world for leading people in the mountains.

Western & International Guide Team: Next up, we have our Western & International Guide Team headed up by consummate mountain professional, Casey Grom: This team climb suits climbers who are looking for a Western guidance style but are competent and confident and team orientated.

Private Climbs: Then we have our Private Climbers; These duos are made up of a mixture of clients who are working 1:1 with their choice of either an IFMGA Private Sherpa Guide or a Western or International guide. This gives them the flexibility of schedule and an ability to move very nimbly with an unparalleled level of personal attention.

Trekking Team: Finally we have our trekking team who will be led by Josh McDowell and will be moving alongside our climbers for an incredible trek into EBC culminating with a 2 day stay at Base Camp and an introductory climbing clinic in the lower part of the Khumbu glacier.

Together they make up the larger CTSS Everest 2019 team, with plenty of opportunities to socialize amongst each other and support each other in their bids to achieve their goals. We often find that people who experience Everest in all it’s forms together, bond and become friends for life. It’s one of the coolest outcomes that we witness year in year out.

A few notes about this blog; I’m really looking forward to sharing the news with you all as it all unfolds over the coming months so it’s worth mentioning a few golden things to keep in the back of your mind as we progress;

1) No news is good news - This is probably the most important words of comfort I can offer to those of us at home. Don’t worry if you don’t see an update for a day or two (or even three) that’s perfectly normal. The team often need downtime between rotations and are keeping themselves busy in preparation for the next stage of their climb. Sometimes the greater wifi network goes down or gets overloaded and then we use satellite communication to keep in touch. We’ll keep you as updated as possible, but if you don’t hear anything, don’t assume anything is wrong. It’s more than likely the opposite, the team are probably just sun baking in the early alpine sun with coffee in hand and rest on their minds, or climbing peacefully and taking in the mighty views of the Western Cwm.

2) Ugh Gossip -  We’d like to think of ourselves as a bigger family and as such, we respect the wishes of our individual members, their families and our greater community by not becoming unofficial reporters of gossip on the mountain. 2months in a high-pressure environment can lead to a well-oiled rumour mill and we’re not interested in proliferating, sharing or encouraging it. We hope you won’t be either. If there’s information you need to know it’ll either be here and if it’s personal, you can trust us to get in touch with you first hand to share it.

Furthermore, there are numerous teams and companies on the mountain and they’ll all have a slightly different strategy, interpretation on the weather, schedule etc, just because one team is on the move and our team are chilling and still acclimatizing, or our team is pushing up, when other companies aren’t, doesn’t mean anything. It’s not worth stressing over it, that’s why Mike is there. That’s his job and if I may say so, he’s damn good at figuring out when to move and take advantage of weather windows etc. We also invest in the very best weather forecasting and have eagle eyes on it and our ear to the ground all the time. Patience on Everest is important and it can make all the difference. Trust in his, and the guide's expertise.

3) Feel free to get in touch - If you haven’t already met me, either in person or over email, I’m Caroline, the GM of CTSS and together with Mike, we’ll be doing these updates for you.

Mike and I are your primary contacts at CTSS and we want you to feel super comfortable and welcome to reach out to us as your first point of contact on the mountain at any time. If you need to get in touch with a loved one or have any queries or concerns don’t hesitate.

This is Mike’s 11th season on the mountain and he’s seen it all having spent a total of two full years of his life on Everest! As a wife, little sister and friend of multiple climbers over the years, and having spent 2 seasons at Base Camp myself, I empathise with how it feels to be both on the hill amongst the excitement and the one at home waiting for news (yes I pressed refresh 10x a day on the blog page too) so please feel free to talk to me. I get it. I can be reached on: info[at]climbingthesevensummits.com

That’s all from me today, enjoy the excitement of the opening act. Here we go!

Cheers,
Caroline

by CTSS Team