Episode 159: The Maitreya Buddha
Posted on Feb 22, 2012 | View Comments
Did I Mention That It’s Big? We spent the morning today exploring the Tashilhunpo Monastery here in Shigatse. I’ve been waiting to return to this monastery since the moment I left it back in 2007. I was incredibly impressed with the large statue of the Maitreya Buddha but filming it was off limits. No so this year,...
Episode 158: The Lhassi Club
Posted on Feb 14, 2012 | View Comments
Breakfast of Champions. We finished the day in Gyantse by touring the remarkable Kumbum, a 15th century temple containing “100,000″ holy images of Buddha. Once again, the Kumbum was a building I was really looking forward to revisiting since exploring it in 2007. Kevin and I spent the afternoon together walking in...
Episode 157: The Roger Huff Show
Posted on Feb 8, 2012 | View Comments
New Laughter From Old Jokes. We spent the night here in Gyangtse and spent the morning touring the Palcho Monastery. It’s a wonderful place to visit but one of the most interesting events of the day happened well before setting foot inside the monastery’s walls. Just after breakfast Roger, Thilo and Kevin were...
Episode 156: O Canada
Posted on Jan 31, 2012 | View Comments
Maple Leaf, OK. Snow Lions, Not So Much. One of the highlights of the Friendship Highway–literally one of its highest points–is the beautiful Karo La. The pass is somewhere around 5000m or almost 16,500 feet high and the view from the roadway is dominated by the magnificent Karo La Glacier. Although I had the good...
Episode 155: Pulse Ox Playoffs
Posted on Jan 27, 2012 | View Comments
This Is Only A Test. We’re continuing out of Lhasa and taking in a lot of mileage on our way to Gyantse. Personally, I am almost never simply a passenger in a car–I’m usually the driver. Sitting in the back seat of our Land Cruiser makes me act just like my two and a half year old son Sam: I am quickly lulled...
Episode 154: For Your Eyes Only
Posted on Jan 18, 2012 | View Comments
Infinitely Improbable. The team finally made it to the Potala Palace today. It was closed yesterday for some kind of administrative meetings so I’m very pleased they were able to visit this amazing complex. The earliest parts of the current palace date back to the 17th century and when I visited with Scott back in 2007 I...
Episode 153: The Namaste Ninja
Posted on Jan 11, 2012 | View Comments
Making Lemonade. With Damion stable in the hospital, our Lhasa emergency relaxed a bit and we were able to continue exploring this amazing city. There are so many things to see here and at the top of the list is the Potala Palace. Chimi arranged transportation and we headed over to the Palace to get our minds blown by...
Episode 152: HAPE and Red Tape
Posted on Dec 9, 2011 | View Comments
The Potala And Priorities. Our first day in Lhasa started out just as I had imagined it. We spent some quality time in and around the Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism. As a tourist, the Jokhang does not disappoint. There are throngs of religious pilgrims praying, chanting and prostrating around the temple...
Episode 151: A Long Way To Travel To See A Friend
Posted on Mar 17, 2011 | View Comments
What A Journey, But Totally Worth It. Today we finally returned to the Kathmandu airport after several days of sightseeing and hanging out in Thamel. Our destination today? Lhasa, Tibet! That’s right today we finally flew back into Tibet. It feels so great to be back here as I haven’t been back since Scott Jacobs...
Episode 150: Bhaktapur 2010
Posted on Mar 10, 2011 | View Comments
Well, Well, Well. Gossip. Today the group traveled to the remarkable ancient city of Bhaktapur for a sight seeing outing. Unfortunately for me, I had to stay behind in Thamel and take care of some behind-the-scenes- business for the upcoming trek. I really regret not being able to join the group. Bhaktapur is a World Heritage...
Episode 149: The Marquardt Scale
Posted on Mar 2, 2011 | View Comments
Everybody Poops. The thing is, most people don’t want to talk bout it. But when you’re traveling in the himalayas, what comes out of your body is just as vital to know about as what goes into your body. It’s even more important to know these details when we’re trekking at high altitude. If you’re...
Episode 148: A 365-Step Program
Posted on Feb 23, 2011 | View Comments
A Toursit, Not A Sherpa Shortcut. Today was a day of many rituals. The entire team has arrived and so it was time to get back to business. Firts order of the day? One of the infamous Thamel haircut/massages! After the shave/haircut/massage/chiro adjustment with Geoff it was time to explore around the Kathmandu Valley a bit....
Episode 147: “Meet Me In Kathmandu”
Posted on Feb 16, 2011 | View Comments
New Faces, Old Places. It’s so great to be back in Kathmandu and so cool to be starting this new Everest adventure! This is going to be the longest trip I’ve made back to the Himalayas since the original Everest expedition way back in 2003. It’s wonderful to have this much time to spend here in Nepal and soon...
Rest of Everest Season 5 Overview: Tibet In 3D
Posted on Feb 10, 2011 | View Comments
A New Dimension In The Himalayas. Season 5 of The Rest of Everest begins this week with a special episode of the podcast. This is definitely a first because everything you’re about to see was filmed in 3D. I’m very proud to be able to offer this new kind of video and excited that this is the first 3D material to be...
Episode 146: The End Of The 2009 Everest Trek & Photography Workshop
Posted on Dec 9, 2010 | View Comments
All Good Things Come To An End. It’s difficult to believe that we’ve reached the end of this amazing experience but here we are. The past couple of days in Kathmandu have been pretty amazing. I look forward to going home to my family but I’m incredibly sad to be leaving. We returned from the trek riding a wave...
2011 Kailash Trek & Photography Workshop Update
Posted on Dec 1, 2010 | View Comments
Here is an excerpt from a Tips From The Top Floor episode where Chris Marquardt and I discuss all things Kailash. As most of you know, registration for the workshop trek is open and we still have space available. If you’d like more information or would like to register, please visit himalayanworkshops.com Thanks...
Episode 145: Full Circle
Posted on Nov 26, 2010 | View Comments
Tipping Karma For Good Karma. Tonight we officially ended the trek by both checking in to our hotel and then showering for the first time in 2 weeks. I guess you could think of the shower as a sort of rebirth because there is not a single person on this trip who is currently the same person they were when we all arrived in to...
Episode 144: The Gates To Paradise
Posted on Nov 18, 2010 | View Comments
No Paradise In Sight. Today was the last day of the trekking portion of our workshop. It’s kind of hard to believe that we’ve made it this far and that tonight we’ll be sleeping in a hotel. The day started off as all of the trekking mornings have with the last of the Jon & John morning shows and we began...
Episode 143: High Bridge Hijinks
Posted on Oct 20, 2010 | View Comments
One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Sherpakind. The rest of today was the kind of day where you feel like a kid again. Thilo, Kyle and I were hiking with Sonam and were really enjoying our nice, leisurely hiking pace. Obviously Sonam thought the day could be a lot more fun and told us to run across every bridge with...
Episode 142: Snot Rocket
Posted on Oct 13, 2010 | View Comments
One Of The Happiest Days Of My Life. We had a pleasant, almost balmy, evening last night and are now on our way back towards Namche Bazaar. These elevations seemed a bit high over a week ago but now the atmosphere seems luxurious! We’re finally officially back below the treeline and the views you get from this part of...
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