Fully Guided | Ganesh Adventures

Category Archives: fully guided

Nov 04 NO comments

2011, Ama Dablam, fully guided, News

Team Arrives in the Sherpa Capital of Namche Bazaar

Greetings from Namche Bazaar!

Alex, Samira and I all arrived in the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar this afternoon. It was a great day of trekking and height gain up to the wonderful and bustling Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. We will spend the next 48 or so hours acclimatizing to the increasingly thin air.

Namche Bazaar (also Nemche Bazaar or Namche Baza; Nepali: नाम्चे बजार)is a village and Village Development Committee (Namche) in Solukhumbu District in the Sagarmatha Zone of north-eastern Nepal. It is located within the Khumbu area at 3,440 metres (11,286 ft) (the low point that is), populating the sides of a hill. Namche is the main trading center for the Khumbu region with many Nepalese officials, a police check, post and a bank.

Namche Bazaar is popular with trekkers in the Khumbu region, especially for altitude acclimatization, and is the gateway to the highHimalaya. The town has a number of lodgings and stores catering to the needs of visitors as well as a number of internet cafés, making it one of the few places in the region where trekkers can access the internet.

220px NamcheMarkt Team Arrives in the Sherpa Capital of Namche Bazaar

Namche Market

On Saturday mornings, a weekly market is held in the center of the village while there may also be a daily Tibetan market where clothing and cheap Chinese consumer goods tend to be the main articles for sale.

The market is hardly something to get excited about but it is still something to see and a trip there always yields a great story or two.

After our time in Namche we will keep on trekking up the valley to Debouche. Located about 15 minutes past the famous Tengboche Monastery, Debouche is a cozy little settlement surrounded by rhododendron forest. It is quite amazing during the fall season. Thanks again for following along.

Chris from Namche Bazaar

Nov 02 NO comments

2011, Ama Dablam, fully guided, News

Ama Dablam 2011: An amazing flight to Lukla and Trek to Phakding

Hello everyone and thanks for following along with our expedition.

Samira, Alex & I flew to Lukla today and have made the 4 hour, downhill trek to Phakding. As always, flying into Lukla is an experience that no one ever forgets. I’ve done it about 15 times now and each time feels like the first. It is such an amazing experience to leave behing the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and fly into the Khumbu region of Nepal. Home to Mt Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and so so many more peaks, this is truly one of the most amazing places on the planet.

The first day of the trek is quite easy. After the 1 hour flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, expedition teams need to trek to a small tranquil village named Phakding. We stay in a lovely tea house located right next to the Dud Khosi (Milk River) before making the big jump the next morning up to Namche Bazzar, the capital of the Sherpa community.

Everyone is feeling great and we are all getting along famously. No doubt, Samira and I are just recently married so our compatibility is a given but the quick talking Alex is proving tobe a challenge for Samira as she copes with his British accent and speedy diction. No matter, i am sure that in a few days we will all be babbling on like old friends.

Tomorrow we trek up the big hill to Namche Bazzar where we will rest & acclimatize for 2 full days. Life is good in the Himalaya.

Chris Szymiec from Phakding.

Oct 29 NO comments

2011, 5 Star, Ama Dablam, deluxe, fully guided, News

Latest Weather on Ama Dablam

Feb 21 NO comments

2009, 2011, 5 Star, aconcagua, Ama Dablam, cassin ridge, Cessen, cholatse, Clean Up, deluxe, fully guided, gear, k2, latok 2, News, Polish Glacier Direct, Uncategorized

WARNING: Counterfeit Petzl equipment coming out of China.

Warning regarding the presence of counterfeit versions of Petzl products

Counterfeit Petzl products are not a new phenomenon

Over the years, Petzl has discovered counterfeits or copies of several of its products:
- counterfeit headlamps with the Petzl logo, including headlamps from the TIKKA and MYO lines
- counterfeit copies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) without the Petzl logo, such as ASCENSION handled ascenders, the ASAP, etc.

here is the link to the full story

Nov 10 0 comments

aconcagua, fully guided, News, Polish Glacier Direct

Aconcagua Season Kicks Off

Chris Szymiec on the Polish Glacier in 2010

Big season on Aconcagua begins

It has begun. This is going to be a big year on Aconcagua not only for Ganesh Adventures, but also for Chris Szymiec. Ganesh is offering 2 expeditions to Aconcagua this season via the Polish Glacier Direct and also the False Polish Traverse. In addition to these, Chris is also guiding Aconcagua for Adventure Peaks’ December 17 and Jan 8 Falso expeditions. FTA is also running December and January expeditions led by Ben Kane of Australia. More from Chris…

Well, i guess i can do 4…

polish glacier 1 300x200 Aconcagua Season Kicks Off

6600M on the Polish Glacier, Aconcagua

… was my response when Alex contacted me looking for a guide to climb the Polish Glacier Direct line on Aconcagua. Initially i was slated in to work 2 trips with Adventure Peaks and 1 for Ganesh Adventures in February 2011, but as luck would have it, Alex called me up and set my immediate future in motion. I was actually sitting in my ambulance in northern Alberta working the night shift when the call came in. Something like this always get me excited and the rest of the night was spent rehearsing how i would tell my great boss that i was leaving. Alas, here i am boarding a plane to Mendoza, Argentina for another wicked season in South America.

The first trip is a private 1:1 up the Polish Glacier beginning November 14, 2010. I will be on the ground a few days ahead of time getting ready for the adventure ahead. There is a lot of shopping and packing to do but in reality, everyone know what i will be really doing in Mendoza. Life there is just too great to spend your whole day rummaging through food and equipment.

Permit prices up, Helicopters out

To my dismay, i read the new price list for climbing permits on Aconcagua. A high season permit now cost 770 usd, up 50% from last year. In addition to the extra charges, the park has officially removed helicopter evacuation from the list of services offered on Aconcagua ascent permits. Last year, this was listed in the fine print but now, it is front and center. Helicopter evacuation coverage is now the responsibility of the climber, not the park. I always though it was too good to be true. Regardless, Aconcagua is on so many people’s tick lists that i doubt this will deter anyone from attempting the highest peak in the Americas and for many, the first of their 7 summits.

Follow the mayhem

As usual, i will be doing my very best to keep everyone updated on our progress throughout the expeditions.

Please feel free check out the dispatches here: ganeshadventures.com/the-latest/
Aconcagua Information page: ganeshadventures.com/aconcagua-6965m/

I have also added a gear list and route descriptions for both of the Aconcagua routes mentioned above. If you are interested in joining the February trip, please contact me. I will likely be on the mountain but i will do my very best to get back to you in a timely manner. All the best and have a great climbing season.

Nov 11, 2010 from Banff, Canada, Chris Szymiec

Sep 07 0 comments

2011, 5 Star, aconcagua, deluxe, fully guided, News, Uncategorized

Aconcagua Expedition 2011

Aconcagua Expedition 2011 with Chris Szymiec

Fully Guided Deluxe Aconcagua Expedition

Get ready for the 2011 Aconcagua False Polish Expedition led by Chris Szymiec of Ganesh Adventures. A fully guided deluxe Aconcagua expedition run by an Aconcagua veteran. February 7 – February 27th, 2011. We are currently accepting applications for this exciting and excellent expedition to the highest peak in the Americas and the second highest on the famed seven summits(7 summits) list.

Please feel free to contact us now if you are either interested in joining the 2011 Aconcagua February expedition or if you have any questions about high altitude climbing at all.