Shishapangma - 8,027m

Shishapangma is the fourteenth highest of the 8,000-meter peaks and is located entirely in Tibet and shares no borders with Nepal as the other Tibetan 8,000-meter peaks do.

A large Chinese expedition made the first ascent of Shishapangma in 1964, but due to lack of photographic evidence, this summit is still questioned.

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 or Tingri before arriving at old Chinese base camp.

We follow a cautious acclimatization schedule at base camp spending four nights before walking between 6-10 hours to advanced base camp. The route follows the glacier river up the Yambughangala valley and advanced base camp is located at the snout of the glacier on the west side of the moraine.

The climbing begins with the trail to the depot camp, which is used for storing equipment. The trail follows close to the main moraine that climbs and falls repetitively until reaching depot camp at 5,800m (19,028ft). The trip from advanced base camp to depot camp should take 3-4 hours but improves after further acclimatization and is often completed in hiking boots or approach shoes.

The route to camp one continues from the depot camp with the crossing of the penitentes (ice pinnacles) that obstruct the route. Having crossed the penitentes, we climb onto the main snow slopes until reaching camp one which lies on a broad plateau. The climbing is not steep and fixed ropes will be in place on the heavily crevassed sections for safety. The trip from advanced base camp to camp one should take 5-7 hours.

Camp one sits on a snow shoulder and the route continues with steep snow slopes that lead to the upper glacier coming from the col. The top of this headwall is at 6,800m (23,310ft) and takes around 3 hours to reach from camp one. The terrain becomes less steep from the top of the headwall, but usually in deeper snow to reach camp. The climb from camp one to camp two is physically demanding and can take 5-7 hours.

Camp two sits on the col below the Northwest Ridge and the route to camp three is an easy, but a steep snow climb using fixed ropes to the Northwest Ridge itself. The climb from camp two to camp three takes 2-4 hours. Although a short day, the climb is very demanding due to the high altitude.

Camp three is located on a shoulder on the Northwest Ridge and depending on the weather conditions and the strength of our team we may place a camp three here at 7,400m (24,280ft) if needed. On some previous expeditions we have used camp two as the high camp and not needed to establish a camp three.

Summit day will start early and the route heads through several short rock bands and steep snow slopes by way of fixed rope. It then continues to hug the Northwest Ridge to the central summit and avoid the exposed snow slopes that veer off to the main summit. The climb from camp two to the summit takes between 8-12 hours and the climb from camp three to the summit takes 4-8 hours with 3-5 hours for the descent to camp two.

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 Shishapangma before and most have worked previously on an Altitude Junkies expedition.

Jamie McGuinness, who has reached the summit of Shishapangma multiple times, will be the expedition leader and this will be his sixth Shishapangma expedition. He specializes in Shishapangma and many of the Sherpas we use on this expedition have been on previous Shishapangma expeditions with him.

Shishapangma Gear List     Shishapangma Expedition Dispatches     Shishapangma 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, advanced base camp and high camp tents
· Group climbing equipment, stoves and fuel
· 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
· Supplementary climbing oxygen, mask and regulator
· Staff gratuities
· Puja contribution

Contact us: info@altitudejunkies.com