Berg Adventures Blog

A Closer Look at Lukla Airstrip

September 4th, 2010

If you have been following the international news, you have likely heard about the recent crash at Lukla Airport in Nepal that occurred on August 24.

Thousands of trekkers and mountaineers fly into the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla every year to begin their journey through the Everest region. To hear of a crash at Lukla is not surprising to many anxious flyers who are wary about what the History Channel has listed at the top of its “Most Extreme Airports” list. However, historically, incidents at the Lukla airport are rare. Very few planes attempt travel there during the monsoon season. Because of this, there have only been six previous incidents in the entire history of the airport, and only two of those involved fatalities.

Also, to clarify a little, the fateful flight on August 24th did not crash at the Lukla Airport. Due to heavy rains, the pilots had decided to turn around and head back to Kathmandu, rather than attempt a landing at Lukla. It was outside a small town about 50 miles from Kathmandu that the plane unfortunately went down.

All of us at Berg Adventures would like to send our thoughts out to the families and friends of the passengers and crew at this sad time.

Lukla airstrip

Posted in Everest, Expedition News, General |

BAI in the News: Outside Magazine Features Wally Berg

September 1st, 2010

Stephanie Pearson, a renowned sports and lifestyle writer from Outside Magazine, spent a few weeks this spring with Berg Adventures at Everest Base Camp while she compiled a series of stories for the magazine. Wally Berg, who led a successful summit of Everest this spring, and Stephanie got to know each other well during their days at base camp.

Stephanie Pearson

Stephanie’s official interview with Wally is now posted on Outside Magazine’s website here: http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2010/05/everest-wally-berg.html

Posted in General |

Climb Ecuador’s Volcanoes with Berg Adventures

August 6th, 2010

Ecuador is the smallest of the Andean countries, yet with its location on the equator it spans two hemispheres. With Andean peaks, ancient markets, Inca ruins and the famous Galapagos Islands, Ecuador has incredible diversity for a country the size of the State of Colorado.

Our expedition begins in the city of Quito in the high Andes surrounded by beautiful valleys and spectacular mountains. This city has been described as being where old meets new; its historical, cultural and contemporary heritage makes it one of the world’s wonders. In 1979, UNESCO declared Quito’s historic centre a World Heritage Site, the first city in the world to receive the accolade.

We’re extending this invitation for you to join us for our November 6th to 21st, 2010 climb of Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Please call our office at 403-609-4148 or email Kristy for more details about the trip. Or you can find out more on our website at:
http://www.bergadventures.com/v3_trips/south-america/ecuador-description.php

Cotopaxi Crater

Posted in Ecuador, Expedition News |

Congratulations Elbrus Team!

July 22nd, 2010

The Berg Adventures Crew would like to say a heartfelt congratulations to this season’s Elbrus Climbing Team. Congrats to Bill, Tom, Linda, Paule, and Mo as they braved the cold and ice on their way to the top of Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus at 18,586ft/5,665m.
Great job, guys!

Follow their Russian adventure through the daily dispatches.

On the summit of Mount Elbrus

Posted in Elbrus, Expedition News |

Bolivia Trip Winds Down While the Elbrus Trip Peaks!

June 30th, 2010

We’ve now returned home from this year’s Sajama climb in Bolivia. As always, it was a fantastic experience with a fun and driven group of climbers.

Now our Russian team is poised to challenge the summit of Elbrus. Good luck to Bill, Tom, Linda, Paule, and Mo as they brave the cold and ice on their way to the top of Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus at 18,586ft/5,665m.

Follow the climb through our dispatches from the mountain.

On the summit of Sajama

Climbing Mount Elbrus

Posted in Bolivia, Elbrus, Expedition News |

Bolivia Climbing Expedition Gets Underway!

June 14th, 2010

The Bergadventures Bolivia climbing team is now gathering in La Paz, the highest capital city on the planet, preparing to attempt one of our favourite climbs, Sajama at 21,460ft/6,542m. Join our Berg Adventures guides Osvaldo, Juancho, and Sergio and trip leader, Leila, as they lead this group of explorers through the legendary culture of Bolivia, across its moonscapes and open high-altitude expanses, and to the summit of Sajama.

Read the expedition dispatches to follow the team’s climbing adventure.

Posted in Bolivia, Expedition News |

Find Paradise in Patagonia

February 24th, 2010

Berg Adventures has added a brand new Patagonia trip to our long list of amazing international destinations.

Towers in Torres Del Paine National Park

The glaciers, granite towers, lakes and grasslands of Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile offer some of the premier adventure trekking in the world. From the rich and engaging culture of the city of Buenos Aires to the literal southern tip of the Western Hemisphere, the port city of Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan, this new Berg Adventures trip will traverse some of the earth’s most unknown and fascinating landscapes.

The heart of our trip will be the days spent completing the classic “W” trek in Chile’s Torres Del Paine National Park. Before reaching the UNESCO Bio Reserve of Torres del Paine, we will marvel at the oversized grandeur of Argentina’s Glacier National Park, where ice from the largest non-polar glaciers in the world spills into cold pristine lakes and where awesome spires such as Fitzroy pierce the sky. Our trip will end literally at “the end of the earth”, South America’s lands end at the edge of the Southern Ocean.

We are also considering the potential for an extension to the program that will involve a crossing of the famous Drake Passage and a few days of exploration of the icy landscapes and hardy wildlife of Antarctica. Stay tuned for more info on this amazing opportunity.

Learn more about the trip through our recent Patagonia exploration dispatches. Read the trip description and itinerary for more details.

For more information about this exciting trip, feel free to contact Leila or Kristy at our Berg Adventures office.

Posted in Expedition News, Patagonia |

Meet a BAI Climber – Cami Mattson

January 13th, 2010

What can we say about Cami? There are no words to describe the size of her heart. The first trip she did with Berg Adventures was Kilimanjaro and she brought a friends’ daughter with her. She was immediately hooked! She visited the local school with which Berg Adventures is involved, and before we knew it she was raising money for them. Cami has “made it happen” for the Linde School in Tanzania.

When she went to Everest Base Camp she also came with her friends and they had a blast! There was non-stop laughter and enjoyment along the trail with Cami and her friends. They had trained so hard in San Diego for the trip that when they arrived in Nepal, it was a piece of cake — even when they arrived at Everest Base Camp and lived for two days with our climbing team they were full of energy and love of life. Cami’s spirit leaves a lasting and positive memory wherever she goes.

Read the interview with Cami Mattson to learn more about her experiences with Berg Adventures…

More interviews with our climbers can be found in our “Meet a BAI Climber” section.

Posted in General |

Meet a BAI Climber – Paul Morrow

December 17th, 2009

Paul Morrow is a man for whom we can truly say “his home is the world.” Paul was born in Pennsylvania but by the time we met him on Mount Everest in 1993 he was calling places like Virginia and Australia home as well. Paul’s work takes him to many different countries, and his much-valued free time takes him even further afield in mountain areas across the globe. We have climbed with Paul in Nepal, Russia, and Bolivia and we are never surprised to run into him at an airport or in a restaurant in a foreign land. Paul is a man of adventure, and he is also a man of compassion. Every member of one of Paul’s climbing or trekking teams knows him as a caring and supportive teammate.

Posted in General |

Successful Expeditions Fall 2009

December 8th, 2009

October/November brought a fantastic fall season of expeditions for Berg Adventures in the Everest region as well as Ecuador. We had great routes, great weather, and great folks to hang out with. We were fortunate to be able to lead four expeditions in two months. The following are a few pictures of some of our highlights from the trips: