Dan Mazur Ama Dablam Expedition

Ama Dablam copyright Dan Mazur

Latest News: Autumn Ama Dablam: Camille Kinny from Sydney Australia, age 20: The Youngest Woman to reach the summit!! Here is her short story in her words.... Check here for the full dispatch.

Introduction: Dear EverestNews.com readers, My name is Jay Reilly, a 31 yr old Australian, and, the newest member on the Leadership Team for SummitClimb.com I come from a very strong rock climbing background, and have been a full time Instructor in this field for 7 years. I have climbed in most Australian areas, New Zealand, and East Coast USA with people like Henry Barber and Marc Chauvin. My love of the mountains started in 1998 in North Conway, New Hampshire on the ice cliffs of Crawford Notch. Since then I have climbed and guided three season in New Zealand's Mt Aspiring region, trained the Australian Southern Traverse team in snowcraft and ice climbing in the Australian Alps, and co-led, with Dan, two successful expeditions to Nepal - Ama Dablam and Pumori, summiting on both occasions.

We share a simple common philosophy - Safety first. Respect for the mountain and environment. Respect for the people and culture. To ensure this, we spend a lot of time and effort working to build a good team and selecting and training our Sherpa staff. Our Staff return to us year after year. This is a good thing, as we are able to continually build our relationships and offer them more. We review old and teach new climbing skills, at Kathmandu's cool new Pasang Lamu Climbing Centre, rescue skills and client care. On a recent trip, our woman and men Sherpa staff contributed hugely to the success of an expedition, because of their training. They were able to anticipate the climbers' needs and react accordingly. Believe it or not, we have women Sherpas who climb together with us to the summit! Not only are our staff highly trained, they are also outfitted with necessary equipment. We never send a Sherpa to altitude without the correct equipment. Kind members bringing gear from their home countries donate some equipment. We also provide a gear allowance so any staff member can buy what he needs before the trip. We deeply respect the people and cultures of Nepal, offering assistance whenever we can. During our trek to the mountains, we pass through many villages. We carry an extensive medical kit and can treat sick or injured villagers, who otherwise would have to suffer in silence. In fact - a portion of our funds always go directly to building health posts and schools in the villages our Sherpas come from. Its our way of putting something back into the families and communities that produce some of the kindest, toughest and most accomplished Sherpas you will find in the Himalaya.