Everest - 8,850m

The Nepalese name given to the mountain is Sagarmatha, but most of the Sherpas still use the Tibetan name Chomolungma. The South Col-Southeast Ridge is somewhat less technical higher on the mountain than the Tibet North Col-Northeast Ridge, but has the challenging Khumbu Icefall to navigate immediately out of base camp.

New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa made the first ascent of Everest via the South Col-Southeast Ridge route in 1953.

Our expedition will meet in the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. From Kathmandu we fly to the gateway of the Khumbu, Lukla, to start our nine-day trek to Everest Base Camp. After landing and our porters loads have been finalized, we trek for 2-3 hours to Phakding for the evening. The following day we continue our trek to the capital of the Khumbu, Namche Bazaar, where we spend two evenings for cautious acclimatization. Our trek will continue and we spend the night in the villages of Thyangboche, Dingboche, Loboche and Gorak Shep before arriving at Everest Base Camp.

We follow a cautious acclimatization schedule at base camp spending three to five nights there before taking our first trip into he Khumbu Icefall.

The climbing begins immediately out of base camp as we enter the famous icefall. Speed is of the essence in this section and we climb through the icefall continuously until reaching the safety of the cwm near camp one. The route will have aluminum ladders stretching over the larger crevasses and there will be fixed rope in place, all the way from where the ice blocks start to become intricate until the end of the icefall. The climb from base camp to camp one takes between 4-8 hours.

Camp one sits in the lower half of the Western Cwm surrounded by the West Ridge of Everest and Nuptse on either side. The route continues along the center of the cwm on a moderate glacier where fixed rope and ladders will be in place over the few large crevasses that disect the trail that continues to camp two. This is one of the shortest days on the mountain and takes between 2-4 hours. Most climbers skip the night at camp one on their second trip up the cwm and climb directly from base camp to camp two.

Camp two is located on a moraine at the foot of the West Ridge, just short of the Southwest Face. We place our campsite slightly lower than the majority of the other teams as the higher campsite is very exposed and receives strong winds, damaging the tents. Our camp two cook, kitchen and dining tent are in place here for the whole duration of the expedition. The route continues up upper half of the cwm before increasing in steepness as we start to climb the Lhotse Face. We climb an average 45 degree angle slope using fixed ropes before arriving at camp three. The climb from camp two to camp three takes between 3-6 hours.

Camp three is placed in the middle of the campsite which runs from 7,000m (22,965ft) to 7,400m (24,280ft) as we find this area somewhat less exposed to the wind than the upper reaches of this campsite. The tents are placed on ledges that have been cut into the slopes and we are always cautious about our movements around this camp. The route continues up the Lhoste Face using fixed ropes and turns left and we cross the Yellow Band before we continue on snow before arriving at the Geneva Spur. After scrambling over this section the route turns right and is relatively flat into camp four on the South Col. The climb from camp three to camp four takes between 6-10 hours.

Summit day will start late evening and the route heads up a moderate couloir before arriving at the balcony at 8,445m (27,700ft) where we take a rest and possibly change our oxygen bottles. We continue up the Southeast Ridge towards the South Summit and if we didn't change oxygen bottles at the Balcony we will change them here. From the South Summit we drop down slightly and then climb the 10m (34ft) Hillary Step where we continue another 100m (340ft) to the summit. The climb from camp four to the summit takes between 8-14 hours with 4-6 hours for the descent to camp four.

During this expedition the team will be supported by a 1:1 Sherpa to climber ratio. Team members can travel independently in groups or pairs lower on the mountain and will have a Sherpa to accompany them at all times above Camp 3. All of our Sherpas have reached the summit of Everest before and most have worked previously on an Altitude Junkies expedition.

Phil Crampton, who has reached the summit of Everest from both the Tibet and Nepal routes, will be the expedition leader and this will be his sixth Everest expedition.

Everest Gear List     Everest Expedition Dispatches     Everest Expedition Leader

The expedition cost includes:
· Shared accommodation in Kathmandu and on trek as itinerary
· All transportation and meals on trek as itinerary
· Porters for personal gear to base camp and return
· All meals at base and advanced base camp
· Group Nepal climbing Sherpas
· Group Nepal cooks at base and advanced base camp
· Expedition permit, peak fee and conservation fees
· Base camp, advanced base camp and high camp tents
· Group climbing equipment, stoves and fuel
· Supplementary climbing oxygen (5 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 visa extension 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