Everest Expedition - 2008

Well, the time has finally come for our crew to mobilize and head for Nepal to set out for our Mt. Everest Expedition! We all will be meeting in Kathmandu on March 25th.

This trip has been in the making for many years, and it is very exciting to finally have it all come together! I have been leading trips to the 7 Summits since 2002 with many excellent climbers who have had their eye on Everest - and this season I'm very pleased to be joined by a few of them as we head to Nepal to see how the mountains will treat us.

Our Team this year is made up of the following members:

Myself (Brian Jones) and John Furneaux are along as the Canada West Mountain School Guides. I have worked with John over the past few years and am really looking forward to being on this mountain with such a strong and talented climber.

Rob Hill will be joining us as he sets his sights on the last of his 7 Summits quest. Rob and I have shared 5 of the 7 summits together, and I am sure we'll have as much fun on this one as we have on all the others. Rob has been a truly inspiring climber to be in the mountains with, climbing these mountain after having had his colon removed as a result of his ongoing battle with Crohns Disease. Rob's story can also be followed at www.nogutsknowglory.com.

Darrel Ainscough will also be joining us for the last of his 7 Summits. After spending time on Aconcagua, Carstensz and Vinson Massif with Darrel I couldn't be more pleased to have him on our Everest team this season!

Wayne Browning is back again for another big mountain, after climbs with us on Carstensz, Cho Oyu and Mt Waddington last season.

Sebastien Sasseville is another climber who refuses to let obstacle get in his way. Seb has been dealing with Type-1 Diabetes for the past 6 years, and after successfully summiting 7,000 meter Peak Lenin in 2006, an attempt on Cho Oyu in 2007, he is now planning on climbing Everest to help increase awareness of just how much a person with Diabetes can accomplish. See www.sebastiensassevilleinspires.com.

Erik Bjarnason from North Vancouver, BC will be joining us on his 3rd expedition to the Himalaya. Erik is also directly involved in providing wilderness and trekking adventures for people with disabilities. This season his organization, Courage to Carry On will be working with 2 wheelchair-confined people to accompany them into Everest Base Camp, truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them.

We are also very lucky to have film-maker Dave Sarkany along as well. Dave joined Rob Hill and I on Denali for Rob's "No Guts - Know Glory McKinley Climb" in 2006. Dave will again be along to document Robs quest to stand on top of the highest peak on every continent.

We will also be joined by Clark Lewis, our Team Physician, who will be stationed in Base Camp for the duration. Clark will also be acting as our communications link to keep our Web updates coming out in a timely fashion.

Our trekking support team is made up of John O'Shaughnessy, Paul Head, Phil Wu, Jeremy Wilson, Christine Dennstedt and Louise MacDougal

Lhakpa Chhiri Sherpa, with 8 Everest expeditions under his belt and 5 Everest summits, will be our lead climbing Sherpa and Guide. Then Dorjee Sherpa, also with 5 ascents of Everest, will be the 2nd half of this highly experienced Everest leadership team of Sherpas who will be providing the essential component of coordinating all the climbing Sherpas on the upper mountain, fixing ropes and establishing camps.

Joining this team are Nima Thundu Sherpa, 2-times Everest summitter; Phurba Ridar Bhote, also a veteran of 5 Everest summits; Dawa Finjo Lama Bhote, Phurba's son, with one Everest summit already; Chhetan Dorjee Sherpa, also with one previous ascent of Everest; Pasang Yila Sherpa, with 3 ascents of Everest; and, Mingma Dukpa Sherpa, with one previous ascent of Everest.

Of course, we all know that an expedition is only as successful as its food, so we have only the best cooks along! Navraj Dahal, our Base Camp cook, is one of the best Expeditions cooks in the region, with years of experience keeping everyone happy and healthy with great meals and good company in Base Camp. Kul Bahadur Thapa Magar will be cooking and taking care of Camp 2 for us, with many years of experience cooking for Expeditions to Everest, Cho Oyu, Amadablam and other peaks.

Our Expedition Sirdar is Bhola Paudel, with many years of experience both Guiding and working as Sirdar to Expeditions to mountains such as Everest and Cho Oyu.