We have a few private climbers at Camp 1, including Eva S. with guide Papshe, Michael K. with guide Dorgee, and Varun R. with guide Thunang. As part of their first rotation, they will look to tag Camp 2 tomorrow.

Due to wind and snow, the Western Guided team, along with many private climbers, took another rest day at Everest Base Camp. They spent the day in the Big House, enjoying hot cappuccinos and playing the world’s highest game of bingo. They will head up early tomorrow for their rotations.

Here are a few photos from the CTSS archives, showcasing our famous Big House. Photos courtesy of Guy Williment. 

In the afternoon, the sun resurfaced and cast its warmth down on Base Camp. Everyone enjoyed an early dinner in preparation for tomorrow’s rotation. The team also enjoyed a final Puja ceremony held on an auspicious day. We’re thankful that all of our teams, including our 30-Day and 40-Day Speed Ascenders, as well as Ardavan F., our Lhotse climber, had the opportunity to take part in such a special Tibetan Buddhist tradition and blessing.

Our final team of Everest Base Camp trekkers has arrived back in Kathmandu after a quick flight from Lukla. Tonight they will celebrate their successes with a team farewell dinner. Massive congratulations to all our trekkers who made their way to Everest Base Camp this season.

Many people ask us what CTSS’s secret sauce is on Mount Everest. Of course, our incredibly strong Sherpa team and our international and Nepali guides are the backbone of our expedition. However, we wouldn’t have the program we do without the leadership and guidance of Big Tendi and Little Tendi and the behind-the-scenes magic from our partners, Sagar and Gobinda, in Kathmandu.

  • Big Tendi (right) has trained a generation of Nepalese mountain guides and led the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association forward as Technical Director for more than a decade. He oversees the logistics of Everest Base Camp and leads our entire Sherpa team every day.
  • Little Tendi (left) is the visionary behind Everest Base Camp, overseeing its construction, and is a force on the mountain, beyond being a legendary mountain guide. He leads our team both as a private guide and by overseeing upper mountain logistics.

Between Big Tendi, Little Tendi, and CTSS’s owner, Mike Hamill, this trio has over 55  Everest expeditions under their belts, plus nearly 100x 8000m peaks. They work diligently to leverage this experience for the success of the team, and we feel incredibly lucky to have not only their experience as leaders but also the collective experience of all of our guides and staff.