Our first team of the year has arrived at CTSS’ luxury Everest Base Camp, which means a massive congratulations goes out to our Rugged Luxury team one for successfully completing the trek from Lukla to the foot of Mount Everest. Our second team will be arriving at Everest Base Camp in two days, but today, they will be tagging Lobuche High Camp for one of the best views of the Khumbu Valley.

A quote from trekker Nicole Porto captures the energy of making the journey to Everest Base Camp: 

“The trail was steep, or flat, or rolling, or insane, but always beautiful, and the people we met along the way were so, so kind. This is for sure a physical accomplishment, but also a mental one. I still can’t believe I really did it.”

Thank you to Nicole for sharing these photos:

Our 3 Peaks and Western Guided teams are taking a rest day in Pheriche with private climber Marlene. This crew will visit the Himalayan Rescue Association, which supports climbers and trekkers in the Khumbu Valley suffering from Acute Mountain Sickness or other mountain ailments. We’re incredibly grateful for this high mountain clinic; it’s a beacon of aid and safety in an otherwise rural landscape.

A little further down the Khumbu, our Lobuche team, along with private Everest climbers, are in Tengboche, also taking a rest day. This team will visit the Tengboche Monastery, one of the most famous in Nepal and an important cultural center for the Sherpa community.

Our remaining teams, the Kirby family, Camp 3 climber Doug, and Everest Base Camp trekkers, are all in Namache, enjoying some of their first glimpses of Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and Nuptse. They are also on a rest day today, and tomorrow, they will move to Tengboche.

Here are two shots from CTSS guides Nani and Abiral.

As our teams continue to move up the mountain, it’s a great time to share some sage advice from our co-owner, Caroline Pemberton, with all of you following along at home. “I try to live by the adage of ‘no news is good news,’ which, in very real terms, is true in the mountains. If you don’t hear from your loved one, they are most likely fully engaged and focused on their climb. If they aren’t calling or texting you, they are moving, or eating, or sleeping, which are all the things they need to be doing to stay safe and be successful.”