Golf Everest Expeditions is now taking reservations for next year’s climbing season. “We are stoked to bring golfers to Mt. Everest in 2022,” says GEE President Chip Serac. “This is a great opportunity for serious golfers to bang balls from the Everest summit into Tibet and dude, I’m talking looooong! Because of the super-thin air, you can leave your driver in Kathmandu. Last year we had a client who hit a stock lob wedge from Mt. Everest and, according to Trackman, his freakin’ ball traveled 400 freakin’ miles to Gertse in Tibet!
GEE Buddy packages start at $85,000 per person, double tent occupancy. Top-100 Himalayan Golf Digest instructor Balata Sherpa will be at Everest base camp to conduct a glacial short-game clinic for expedition members. “Most amateurs freeze when they’re trying to hit out of a crevasse. I have a foolproof method for escaping from this vertical penalty area,” says Balata. “The key is, attach a mini-crampon to the bounce of a 64-degree wedge. Gary Player showed me this technique at a K2 clinic in Pakistan in 1997.”
Because of the inherent danger accompanying a Mt. Everest ascent, Serac requires golfers to provide a signed letter from their PGA professional that they’ve previously hit balls at a 25,000+ feet altitude. In addition, says Serac, “We request that you refrain from wearing your stocking cap backwards. Collarless long underwear is acceptable if it is concealed by other clothing layers. Expedition members who violate these rules will be escorted off the mountain by a yak.”
