Expeditionweather

17/01/2021

Historic success on K2: A team of 10 Nepalese climber reached the summit on 16.1.2021 and did the first winter ascent of the "impossible mountain"!

Congratulation to this effort!

The weather-window was super short, but the team could exploit it to the fullest - we're proud to have contributed to this feat with our forecasts!

15/01/2021

Great suspense in the Karakoram: Sherpas just fixed ropes to Camp 4 on K2!
https://www.facebook.com/sevensummittreks/posts/2990672707885872

What will be possible in the next 24h? Will the weather allow to make the impossible possible?

12/05/2020

Much less going in the Himalayas this year due to travel restrictions, but here is some beatiful cloud formation over the Jura in Switzerland! Cold air reaching the northwestern part of Switzerland and falling down the slopes of the Jura to the Swiss plateau (11 May 2020 in the afternoon)

29/05/2019

"...2019 was probably the most difficult Everest-year so far..."
Very few, short and uncertain weatherwindows, lots of wind, cold temperatures and sub-optimal conditions made this 2019 Himalaya spring-season a very difficult one.

Regarding the difficult conditions, the success-rate was surprisingly high, congratulations to everyone who made it to the summit, on Everest or elsewhere!
Unfortunately, also the number of incidents was unusually high (too high).

Now the season is finished, most climbers are probably happy to turn their back to the windblown and cold mountains and head for warmer destinations.

Meanwhile, our focus shifts to the Karakorum, where the high-mountain season continues in a few weeks!

Picture: The GFS-forecast for the summit-window 22 - 24 May.

14/04/2019

Mountainweather is and always will be thrilling... Impressive forecast performance of our high-resolution Himalaya WRF: Strong downslope winds in the Khumbu despite low windspeed at high altitudes and absence of the jetstream!

07/04/2019

The 2019 Himalaya season has begun. The teams are approaching basecamps. Enjoy the same views as they have on their treks and flights in:

Make your way to the top of the Himalaya in this captivating short from Teton Gravity Research.

31/08/2018

Already planning your next expedition to the Karakoram? - Interesting read about rescue-operations in Pakistan...

It has been a record-breaking season for helicopter rescues in Pakistan, with four recent high profile rescues making headlines in both climbing and mainstream media - three of which broke records...

15/08/2018

Dani Arnold with a (very) fast ascent of the Walker spur on the Grandes Jorasses!!
To catch the perfect weather-window for this ascent, he could rely on the consulting and advice of Expeditionweather's forecasters. We're looking forward for his next projects!

Mammut Pro Team Athlete Dani Arnold sets a new speed record north face of the Grandes Jorasses. He climbs the Cassin-Route in only 2 hours and 4 minutes.

29/07/2018

Impressive & very nice movie of the incredible first K2-Ski-descent by Andrzej Bargiel

29/07/2018

Last weekend, the Karakoram saw exceptionally good weather - which allowed a record number of 60 summit ascents in just two days.
Special mentions to Seven Summit Treks Pvt. Ltd., who could guide all team members on the summit and safely back - Expeditionweather-forecasts played a crucial role in this success!
Also, congratulations to Andrzej Bargiel for the first complete Ski-descent of K2!!

29/05/2018

The spring season in the Himalaya is mostly finished. A short recap is due: It was an exceptional season, in many ways.

Due to an excepional long phase with weak wind in the eastern Himalaya and warm temperatures in the second half of this phase, espcially Everest saw a record breaking number of ascents: Alan Arnette reports of over 700 sucessful summit ascents!
We could accompany and consult 12 expedition teams on their quests from Manaslu to Kangchenjunga. Some highlights:
-The team from was the first westerners to summit Everest from the North this season...
-A team from Alpenglow Expeditions summited Cho Oyu and Everest within 10 days...
-A team from Adventure Consultants around Guy Cotter tried the Triple Crown of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse, they managed to summit Everest and Lhotse..
-Sherpa Tenji tried the Everest-Lhotse traverse without supplement oxygen, accompanied by Alpine Exposures- Jon Griffith Photography...
-...and many more!

It was the first season we integrated our new fine-mesh model in the Expeditionweather-forecasts and more than once, it showed some important hints and details that would have been very difficult to forecast otherwise!

We're working on a more detailled season-wrap-up, so stay tuned!

14/05/2018

First Everest-summits in this season: Climbing sherpas reached the summit and fixed the rope on the 13th May from the south side.
Their progress was slowed down by strong northwind on the 12th - a feature which was perfectly forecasted by our new fine-mesh WRF, including the downslope windstorm!

Now the gate is open for the summit-push - however the rumours of a high-pressure-system for the next two weeks have to be taken with a big pinch of salt, the jet position is still somewhat uncertain for the days to come...

07/05/2018

Some impressions from Everest North-Side...

16/04/2018

Ready, set, GO!
With the teams slowly arriving at Basecamp, the Everest spring season 2018 is in the starting blocks!

Everest Expedition 2018 - April 15 Dispatch - Settling into Everest Base Camp
Our first full day at Everest Base Camp today as a team. It is important to rest in these early days, as our home here is at 5,300m. Rest along with preparation was the order of the day. It’s pretty chilly until the sun clears the west shoulder of Everest, sheds sunlight over camp and defrosts our tents just before 8am. Before that, the early helicopters have been shuttling back and forth, making sleep difficult after first light. We spent the afternoon fine-tuning our gear, rigging ascenders, checking crampon fits and trying different gloves and mitten combinations. Time well spent that will make our life easier on the mountain. Tomorrow is our puja ceremony which is always an important part of the expedition, and most folks have had an early night in preparation. Rob and the AC team
Photo Ang Dorjee, View from Base Camp to the icefall

22/03/2018

The Himalayan spring season is about to begin. Check out our latest newsletter for the upcoming season, including news about the evolution of our Himalaya-WRF, a tutorial for our weather charts and a trip report from K7!

The world of alpinism is in constant evolution. Glaciers retreat, gear gets better and better, new routes are climbed. We constantly work hard to keep providing you with the most accurate weather forecasts. Find detailed information about our forecasts and services here.

02/01/2018

We wish you all a good start into the new year! What are your plans for the upcoming seasons?

Probably this video from our friends Nicolas Hojac, Jonas Schild, Lukas Hinterberger and Michael Berger can serve you as an inspiration for your New Year's resolution?

The alpinists Nicolas Hojac, Jonas Schild, Lukas Hinterberger and Michael Berger travelled together to the Karakorum. They attempted a new route on K7 (6858m...

27/09/2017

...however, life is tough on a 8000m-peak even in "mostly fair weather". The team from Kobler & Partner reported strong winds, although the model-forecast indicated weak winds over all altitudes. They summited nonetheless one day later!

27/09/2017

Good news from Nepal: first teams were to summit Manaslu within the last week! Congratulations!

Mostly fair weather conditions allowed a quite fast progress on the mountain...

Manaslu #3 - The Daily Moraine 2017

09/08/2017

As every year in July and August, the mountain ranges of Karakorum and Pamir are the place to be for expedition climbers.
While we could accompany multiple teams on their successful ascents of Broad Peak, P*k Lenin and other summits, the imfamous K2 faced more difficult conditions with strong winds and constant avalanche danger.
However, the season is still going on, and with various teams in the Charakusa or the distant Momhil Valley, we're still full-on in expedition-forecasting mode.
Photo-Credits: Kobler & Partner and Himalayan Experience

04/06/2017

The high-altitude spring climbing season has come to an end. While the monsoon sets in, the climbers are returning home and the mountains get calm again.
We look back at a quite mixed spring season. Tragedies, difficult weather, even more difficult forecasts, and finally a few short windows with good weather.
Nonetheless, most of our clients were sucessfull, congratulations to all of them! It was a blast working with You and we're looking forward to support your next adventures!

22/05/2017

A short window allowed quite a few teams ro reach the world highest summit today! Also we received good news from Dhaulagiri, where the whole AC-Team summited today as well! Congratulations to everyone! Some teams and climbers however decided to still wait a few more days.
The forecast remains tricky, with a jet-streak over the area leading to quite high windspeeds and only very short lived summit-windows.
Calmer conditions are predictet towards the end of the week, moisture and convection however could still mess things up...

14/05/2017

Tense times on Everest:
Usually, the first climbers reach the summit around these days in the middle of May. This year however seems to be special. While the ropes are fixed up to the summit on the north side, the route from the south col to the summit still isn't completely fixed.
To mess things up, the forecast for the next days isn't really easy. A short window might allow the fixing team to reach the summit tomorrow 15th, but afterwards, the jet seems stay close to the Himalaya, promising windy conditions. Most of the guided teams are still at BC, waiting for the infamous weather window to appear in the forecast.
The models still are quite diverging in their opinion about the exact windspeeds and about the retreat of the jet, so the uncertainity is high.
With each day the weather dosen't allow to reach the summit, the pressure on the teams and their strategy rises. A really challenging situation - for the sherpas, the guides, the climbers - and for the forecasters as well!

28/04/2017

Meanwhile in Lyngen Alps, Norway:
"In these mountains, you'll find always these short sunny spells and windows, even when my weather-apps predict bad weather and snowfall all day long. Meteotest is really a huge help to find these windows and get the best skiing during my trips to Norway.
Skin up in a white-out, arrive on the summit when the clouds start to clear up and ski perfect snow with the sun in your face - just perfect.
Luck, you say? It's the incredible work of Meteotest's forecasters combined with smart decisions on the ground, that allow these magic moments to happen!" - Feedback from mountainguide E.Schroth

Want to optimise your trips too? Get in contact with us: https://expeditionweather.info/order?service=custom

16/04/2017

The spring season in the Himalaya is already full-on.
The teams are moving in in basecamp:
https://www.kobler-partner.ch/de/reisebericht/beginn-mt-everest-expedition-2017

We're also supporting some "unusual" projects, such as Ueli Stecks highest enchaînment in the world, with weatherforecasts!

17/03/2017

There are quite exciting news about Expeditionweather. Check out our latest newsletter:

The preparation for the upcoming spring season expeditions is full on. We decided to do some extensive preparation on our part as well, and

04/11/2016

This summer, we supported the junior expedition-team of the Swiss Alpine Club SAC Expeditionsteam / Team d'expedition CAS with weather-forecasts on their expedition into the chinese Xuelian Feng-Range.
Here's the trailer of their movie

10/10/2016

Climbing a 8000m-peak within 2 weeks from the door-to-door?
Should be possible, figured Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington...and here they go.
Congratulations to the two for the of Cho Oyu!

Expeditionweather supported the team from Alpenglow Expeditions, as well as the Adventure Consultants-team on their quite successfull expedition to Cho Oyu 2016.
Not only the usual, well-known daily forecasts, but also the specialiced long-range forecasts for Adrian's and Emily's played a crucial role for sure!

Um wtf we did it. Day 10 - Leave C2, climb to summit on the most perfect day I've ever seen on an 8000-meter peak (zero wind, warm, gloveless for 45min on top, only 12 climbers on entire route), get the perfect couple photo thanks to Pasang Rinji (our third teammate for the summit push), put our skis on on the summit, ski a line far from the fixed lines, don't take our skis off until the end of the snow, and make it back to ABC in 18 hours of constant effort (read suffering). We're going to make our 2-week Tahoe to Tahoe timeline. And we even get a day to celebrate with friends in ABC tomorrow! #⚡️ascent

26/09/2016

It's not the Himalaya, but the South Face of Mont Blanc is as remote and committing as you can get in the Alps -
two of our appreciated clients and friends Ueli Steck and Alpine Exposures- Jon Griffith Photography working on some amazing footage

09/08/2016

A somewhat particular Karakorum-season comes to an end. K2 was stroke by bad luck when an avalanche destroyed C3 & C4 (but luckily, no one got harmed).
On the same day, just a few km's away, frenchmen Antoine Girard achieved an historic flight: He took the "easy" way up to Broad Peak and soared with his paraglider over the summit, being the first to achieve 8000+ by a paraglider.
Check out his amazing footage from this flight!