• About The Patch Expedition
• Climbing in Aid of Unicef
• Meet The Team
  • The Patch Team
• Corporate Sponsors
  • Become a Corporate Sponsor
• Training for Everest
  • Technical
  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
• Climb Your Own Everest
• Climbing Everest
  • Everest Facts
  • The Gear
  • The History of Everest
  • The Route
  • Altitude and Illness
    • Our Bodies and Oxygen
    • Altitude and Oxygen
    • Acclimatisation
    • The Death Zone
    • Supplemental Oxygen
    • Sickness on the Big Hill
• FAQ's

 

 

Meet The Team - Himex Team

The Patch Expedition will be teaming up with Himalayan Experience both on our climb of Manaslu and on the Everest expedition itself. Himalayan Experience is the best professional expedition leaders in the business and we are very glad to be joining up with them during our adventures in the Himalaya. Here are the profiles of some of the Himex team that we'll be sharing the mountain with:

Russell Brice – The Big Boss

Russell has been leading expeditions to the Himalayas since 1974. He has led clients to the summit of Everest and Manaslu, as well as Cho Oyo (8,201m), Himal Chuli (7,540m), Shishapangma (8,046m) and Ama Dablam (6,856m).

Individually, he has the world record for the fastest single solo ascent without oxygen of both Cho Oyo and of Ama Dablam. In 1988 he was the first climber to cross the infamous Pinnacles of the NE ridge of Everest. He is now widely reputed as one of the most professional leaders of all guided expeditions to the Himalayas.

His superior organisational skills and logistical prowess have been used by several film and television crews including the Discovery Channel, the BBC and National Geographic.

Russell is a member of New Zealand Mountain Guides Association, British Mountain Guides Association and Syndicat National des Guides de Montagne and Founder President of IGO-8000 (International Guiding Operators Association), as well as co-founding Director of Friends of Humanity, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping disadvantaged peoples in various parts of the world.

Along with Himalayan Experience, Russell also owns Chamonix Experience and is part owner of Mountain Experience.

Born in New Zealand, he now resides in Chamonix, France, with his wife, Caro.

Sirdar (Mountain Guide) Phurba Tashi

Phurba was born in 1971 and lives in Khumjung. Russell found him working as a cook boy on another expedition and realised that he was being underutilised.

He has now worked on 17 Himex expeditions, and been to the summit of Everest 16 times, Cho Oyo 5 times, and Manaslu and Shishapangma 1 time each. He is Himex's main climbing Sirdar (head Sherpa) and is often referred to as the "Everest Yak" because of his strength at altitude and logistical knowledge.

Phurba is one of the more magical people that you could meet in the world.

Lacchu Bahadur Basnet (Head Cook)

Lacchu is Himex's head cook. He was born in 1965 and lives in Kathmandu. He has been to the Base Camp of every 8,000 metre peak and has now been on 28 Himex expeditions. He has a great sense of humour and a contagious laugh and his culinary and hygiene standards are the envy of many other expeditions.

Monica Piris Chavarri (Doctor)

Monica was born in 1974 in the UK to Spanish parents. After receiving her medical degree (MB ChB) from the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Monica moved to live and work in New Zealand where she stayed for 2 years. It was there that she discovered the climbing and mountaineering world, and upon her return to Europe, Monica began dividing her time between personal climbing in Spain and working as an Accident and Emergency doctor in the UK.

In 2006 she completed the UIAA Diploma of Mountain Medicine, and since then she has been the expedition doctor on 3 Himex trips (1 Cho Oyo and 2 Everest, both North and South Sides).

Although she is now based in Spain, she continues to practice Emergency Medicine in the UK and allows plenty of time for climbing in Europe and North America, learning how to ski and chilling at the beach.