Altitude Junkies

Cho Oyu - 8,201m

The name Cho Oyu means ‘God of Turquoise’ which describes the turquoise color of the peak in the afternoon sun from the Tibet side of the mountain. Another Tibetan translation is ‘The Bald God’. Legend has it that Cho Oyu has his back turned to Chomolungma (Everest), because she refused to marry him and married her closest neighbor to the southeast, Makalu.

Austrian Herbert Tichy made the first ascent of Cho Oyu in 1954 with fellow Austrians Sepp Jochler and Helmut Heuberger.

Our expedition will meet in the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. From Kathmandu we fly to the capital of Tibet, Lhasa. After sightseeing in Lhasa we drive to the Tibetan town of Shigatse and the following day continue our journey and spend a night at Shegar before arriving at old Chinese base camp.

We follow a cautious acclimatization schedule at base camp before walking between 2-4 hours to intermediate base camp. The trail is on a road, which follows the valley floor and crosses the Ra Chhu River and continues up over the terminal moraine of the Gyabrag Glacier. It rises steadily to the east of the glacier where our campsite sits on a grassy area.

Advanced base camp is reached within 4-7 hours from intermediate base camp. The route descends to the Balung Glacier and then climbs and contours through talus. Jobo Rabzong appears on the right and the crest of the moraine is followed that turns east towards advanced base camp. The camp is level with the Nangpa La with its traders’ crossing over into Nepal heading for the markets at Namche Bazaar.

The climbing begins with the trail to camp one following up the Gyabrag Glacier over a moraine that climbs and falls repetitively until reaching the head of the glacier, at an altitude of 6,100m (20,013ft). From here, a steep scree slope is climbed and the slope lessens in steepness as height is gained until reaching camp one. The trip from advanced base camp to camp one should take 4-8 hours and is often completed in hiking boots or approach shoes.

Camp one sits in a saddle on the shoulder at the foot of the Northwest Ridge. A snow ridge above camp one with varying degrees of steepness will lead to the ice cliff at 6,600m (21,653ft). This is the most technical section of the climb and consists of a 50m (165ft) ice wall, which will have fixed ropes in place for safety. The route continues over a large flat plateau, which has several large crevasses to navigate and then the route becomes steep and climbs upwards and turns right. The crevasses disappear as it becomes steeper and there will be a fixed rope in place on this section. The slope lessens and the terrain is nearly flat into camp two. The climb from camp one to two is physically demanding and can take 6-8 hours.

Camp two sits at the base of the Northwest Face and the route to camp three takes 2-4 hours on a 30-degree slope. Although a short day, the climb is very demanding due to the high altitude. High camp three is located just below a rock band that cuts into the snow slopes of the upper face.

Summit day will start early and the route heads through the short rock band by way of easy snow, easy rock ledges and fixed rope. It then continues diagonally to the right on easy ground and gradually the angle decreases, eventually turning left and reaching the edge of the wide summit plateau. The plateau is on the broad back of the mountain and is a 1-2 hour traverse to the raised bump that marks the summit.

During this expedition the team will be supported by a 1:2 Sherpa to climber ratio. Team members can travel independently in groups or pairs lower on the mountain and will have Sherpas to accompany them at all times above camp two. All of our Sherpas, both Nepalese and Tibetan will have all reached the summit of Cho Oyu before and most have worked previously on an Altitude Junkies expedition.

Phil Crampton, who has reached the summit of Cho Oyu multiple times will be the expedition leader and this will be his ninth Cho Oyu expedition. He specializes in the Tibet side of the mountain and many of the Tibetan Sherpas we use on our expeditions have been taught mountaineering skills personally from him at the Tibet Mountaineering Guide School in Lhasa.

Cho Oyu Gear List     Cho Oyu Expedition Dispatches     Cho Oyu Expedition Leader

The expedition cost includes:

· Shared accommodation in Kathmandu and Tibet as itinerary

· All transportation and meals in Nepal and Tibet as itinerary

· Yaks for personal gear from base-advanced base camp and return

· All meals at base, intermediate and advanced base camp

· Group Nepal and Tibetan climbing Sherpas

· Group Nepal and Tibetan cooks at base and advanced base camp

· Expedition permit, peak fee, highway and conservation fees

· Base, intermediate, advanced base and high camp tents

· Group climbing equipment, stoves and fuel

· Supplementary climbing oxygen (2 bottles), mask and regulator

· Two-way radios

· Medical kits, portable altitude chamber and medical oxygen

· High altitude freeze-dried meals

· Climbing Sherpa summit bonus and carry bonus

The expedition cost does not include:

· Airfare to and from Nepal

· Meals and drinks in Kathmandu

· Alcoholic beverages

· Nepal visa and Tibet group visa costs

· Kathmandu airport departure tax

· Evacuation costs, medical and rescue insurance

· Personal climbing clothing and equipment

· Staff gratuities

· Puja contribution

Contact us: info@altitudejunkies.com