If you followed the climbing season in the Karakoram this year the name Mingma Gyalie Sherpa is probably a familiar one by now. He's the founder and head guide of Dreamers Destination, a company that organizes expeditions to 8000 meter peaks and treks through the Himalaya. Mingma has been an incredibly strong and tough climber for some time now, having already summited Everest on several occasions and topping out on K2 back in 2014. But this year, he put his stamp on the mountaineering world by knocking off 4 big mountains and nearly a 5th, with perhaps more to come.Recently, Alan Arnette had the chance to interview Mingma on his accomplishments so far in 2017 and what he has planned next. He also talked about how his teams have been so successful this year, including reaching the top on K2 when everyone else turned back and headed for home.
In the interview, Mingma G touches on a host of interesting topics, including how climbing in Pakistan is improving dramatically, the impact of the fast changing weather on the team's plans to climb K2, and team dynamics for expeditions to 8000-meter peaks. He also discusses his approach to weighing the risks of a climb, what it was like when the team launched their summit bid, and much, much more.
This is a good read for anyone who follows the climbing scene closely and is interested in the logistics that go into an expedition. There are lots of details revealed here, including what it was like to make the treacherous descent down K2 after a long climb to the summit. Mingma also talks about his next projects, which will come in the fall post-monsoon in Nepal. He says that he is already planning an expedition to Manaslu in September, but also has another 8000-meter project in the works that he isn't quite ready to discuss yet. If he summits Manaslu, that will give him successful climbs on 5 8000-metere peaks this year (Dhaulagiri, Makalu, Broad Peak, and K2), as well as one near miss on Nanga Parbat too. That's quite a year for anyone.
Read the full interview here.
