Nepal - Imja Tse - Ama Dablam - Southwest Ridge

Nepal

Ama Dablam — Southwest Ridge

Ama Dablam (22, 500')

Imja Tse (20, 285')

Overview

Difficulty Rating: Imja Tse, PD+; Ama Dablam, TD
Experience Level: Advanced
Duration: 35 days
Climbers: 8
Guides: 4
Land Cost: $9600

Dates

Oct 1 - Nov 4, 2010

Expedition Code

NEAD-10-10011104

Expedition Goals

Imja Tse is an easy climb on a trekking peak surrounded by a sea of Himalayan giants; a great warm-up. Imja Tse is also known as Island Peak.

Ama Dablam is perhaps the most stunning mountain on the Everest Base Camp circuit; a steep pyramid of ice with vertical walls and sharp, exposed ridges. Ama Dablam means “Mother and her Necklace” or “Mother and her Jewel Box”.

Prerequisites

Participation in this climbing expedition requires advanced mountaineering skills. You must have a solid working knowledge of the techniques for staying warm and dry while climbing, traveling and camping in extremely cold conditions, and the proper use of ice axe and crampons. Additionally, you must be comfortable moving over steep snow and ice up to 90-degrees, following grade 5 ice, ascending and descending fixed lines while wearing a pack, climbing 5th class rock (up to 5.7) in mountaineering boots, and be proficient in commonly accepted belay techniques. High altitude experience with no history of serious illness, glacier travel experience, and technical ice climbing experience are required without exception. For reasons of personal and team safety and success, it is imperative you arrive for this climb in excellent physical condition.

Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive in Nepal; transfer from airport; hotel check-in. Arrive in Kathmandu (4,265’), where an Expedition-Logistics guide will be waiting to greet you. After a gear inventory and hotel check-in, we call it an early evening to recover from our travels across the International Date Line.

Day 2 — Casual wake-up; acclimatization in Kathmandu; administration & logistics. Today we take it easy, attend to administrative details with the Nepalese government, and explore this country’s capital city. Kathmandu is a popular travel destination with wonderful people, international cuisine and excellent shopping in its many markets. Today we will visit the 3000-year-old Monkey Temple, and Durbar Square, with its shrines, temples and the Old Palace. This evening, get to know your guides and teammates at the welcome dinner and expedition briefing.

Day 3 — Early wake-up; fly to Lukla; trek to Monju. This morning we leave the city life behind as we board a 20-passenger DeHavilland Twin Otter for the short but scenic flight to the village of Lukla (9,400’); the jumping-off spot for the high peaks of the Himalaya.

Morning departures from Kathmandu are regularly delayed due to fog or clouds can often delay early morning flights, so patience and a sense of humor go a long way. Likewise flights out of Lukla, where frustrated trekkers and climbers waiting to fly back to Kathmandu can be delayed for hours or even days.

Landing on the tiny, sloped Lukla runway is about as white-knuckle as it gets anywhere. Once on the ground at Lukla (Nepali for “place with many goats and sheep”), we meet our Sherpa support team and yak drivers, and then grab an early lunch while they load the gear for our five hour trek. We begin on a wide trail leading down to the Dudh Kosi River, where we join the main trail coming up from Chaurikharka. From here, the trail takes us along the river’s east bank through forests of fragrant juniper, pine and fir, to the village of Phakdingma (8,699’) where we stop for lunch. After lunch we continue on to the village of Monju (9,301'), where we overnight.

Day 4 — Early wake-up; trek to Namche Bazaar. Today we follow the beautiful Dudh Kosi, the “Milk River” as we trek through pine and cedar to Namche Bazaar. We make a number of river crossings on high suspension bridges to which the locals have, most appropriately, attached hundreds of prayer flags, and are treated to fantastic views of Lhotse (27,939’) and Everest (29,035’) as we enter Sagarmatha National Park and approach Namche. We arrive in the late afternoon, set up camp and relax amidst a breathtaking mountain panorama. Namche Bazaar (11,300’), the gateway to the Khumbu Region, is located at the junction of the Dudh Kosi and a lateral valley leading to the frontier pass of Nangpa La (18,000’). Namche is home to a number of shops, restaurants and tourist lodges, a bank, post office, and the headquarters of Sagarmatha National Park. It is the main economic and religious center of the Sherpa people, as well as the largest and most prosperous settlement in the Khumbu. Travelers come to Namche Bazaar from the high mountain region as well as the lowlands to deal and trade in spices, textiles and jewelry. Indeed it is not uncommon to find people trading at the bazaar who have trekked over the high passes from Tibet.

Day 5 — Casual wake-up; mandatory rest day. Today is a rest day to promote recovery and allow for proper acclimatization. It is important to remember that rest and recuperation are vital to the acclimatization process and the prevention of altitude sickness. Our well thought-out and proven system of active acclimatization – incremental increases in altitude and exertion in combination with sufficient recovery time and proper nutrition – has paid off time and again with a consistently high success rate summit days. This morning we have options: Those who wish to sleep in may do so, while those with energy to spare may opt to take a short trek to Khumjung, just above town, for a spectacular sunrise and panoramic vistas of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. Today we also visit the Sherpa Museum for a look at Sherpa traditions, culture and their legacy of high altitude mountaineering.

Day 6 — Early wake-up; trek to Thyangboche. This morning we’re treated to breathtaking views of Ama Dablam as we trek above the Dudh Kosi on our way to Thyangboche (12,887’). We descend through lush rhododendron forest towards the river, make a crossing at Phungithanga, and eventually climb uphill to our destination, arriving six hours later. The Thyangboche Monastery is the central holy place for the Khumbu Region; it contains ornate wall hangings, the accoutrements of the lamas, and a 25-foot statue of the Buddha. Tonight we camp next to the monastery and perhaps be treated to a ceremony and audience with the Lama. The Thyangboche Monastery was recently rebuilt after having been destroyed by a fire in 1989 which destroyed priceless religious scrolls and paintings. The views here include Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Nuptse (25,771’) Cho-Oyu (26,906’), Kantega (22,235’) and Thamserku (21,674’), and are priceless in their own right.

Day 7 — Casual wake-up; trek to Pangboche. Today we trek northeast to the village of Pangboche (13,000’), a high year-round settlement in a valley where the Imja Khola joins the Dudh Kosi. Pangboche is home to a monastery thought to be one of the oldest in the Khumbu region and where Buddhism is believed to have been introduced towards the end of the 17th century. We set up camp for the night, separate and cache our gear for Ama Dablam, and repack what we need to continue up the Khumbu and our acclimatization climbs.

Day 8 — Casual wake-up; trek to Dingboche. This morning we leave Pangboche and climb steadily along the trail high above the Imja Khola. As the valley broadens we cross a tributary from the Khumbu Glacier and arrive at our overnight destination at the village of Dingboche (14,300’). Dingboche is a pleasant collection of traditional stone dwellings surrounded by wheat fields.

Day 9 — Alpine wake-up; acclimatization on Chukhung Ri; return to Dingboche. We continue our active acclimatization with a predawn trek to Chukhung Ri. Departing from Dingboche by headlamp, we follow the valley in a gentle ascent, with Ama Dablam and the high ridges leading to Amphu Labtsa pass on our right, and the south flanks of Nuptse on our left. Several hours later we arrive at the high mountain village of Chukhung (15,120’) in time for a sunrise breakfast break. Refueled and refreshed, we leave the last habitation in the valley and continue across mixed rock and grassland, passing in the shadow of the largest wall in the Himalaya, the south faces of Lhotse and Nuptse. On the summit of Chukhung Ri (18,238) we are treated to views of Ama Dablam to our south, and our next objective, Imja Tse, farther up the valley. Afterwards, we descend and set up camp for the night.

Day 10 — Casual wake-up; trek to Imja Tse basecamp. This morning we travel a couple of hours up the Imja Khola Valley to Imja Tse basecamp (15,520’), where we rest and prepare for tomorrow’s move to high camp. In 1952, a team led by Eric Shipton named this mountain Island Peak. The name was changed to the more aesthetic and traditional Imja Tse, but it is still called Island Peak by many of the locals.

Day 11 — Casual wake-up; move to Imja Tse high camp. Today we leave basecamp, traveling southeast along the base of the mountain, and eventually heading northeast on a trail over steep rock- and grass-covered slopes. We reach high camp (17,323’) two hours later, set up our tents, and spend the rest of the day relaxing in a setting of utter beauty and preparing for tomorrow’s summit climb.

Day 12 — Alpine wake-up; Imja Tse summit; return to basecamp. Getting an early start by headlamp, we cross to a rocky ridge on our right and climb to the glacier. Threading our way over and around crevasses we eventually reach the classic South ridge; climbing it is the steepest, most exposed, breathtaking way to greet the day. If luck is with us and the snow is in good shape we make the summit in good time; if not this last pitch is a slow-motion slog. On the summit of Imja Tse (20,285’) the feeling is that of being surrounded by a sea of Himalayan giants; Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Makalu (27,765’) and Baruntse (23,687’) dominate the view. Afterwards we descend to basecamp for the night.

Day 13 — Early wake-up; trek to Ama Dablam basecamp. Today’s trek is a welcome respite from climbing as we cruise downhill following the river, enjoying the endless views of Ama Dablam and our objective, the SW Ridge. We turn towards the river just before Pangboche, cross it yet again and continue on the trail to Ama Dablam basecamp (15,500’), where our Sherpa staff awaits with steaming mugs of hot tea and a welcome lunch. We spend the rest of the day relaxing, setting up shop and visiting with the other teams.

Day 14 — Casual wake-up; mandatory rest day. Today is a rest day to promote recovery and allow for proper acclimatization. This evening we prepare our loads for tomorrow’s carry to advanced basecamp.

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