Climbing Mount Everest 8848m

Mount Everest, the highest and most famous mountain in the world. For many people & cultures it’s not just a mountain, it’s a living Goddess. The mountain has been inspiring people for a very long time for just one reason; it’s the highest point of our planet! Every year again, Mount Everest attracts dozens of mountaineering expeditions and climbers to its base camps and slopes. Despite the extreme risks and difficulties, the Everest motivates people to get the best out of them and climb almost 5 vertical kilometers to stand on its grand summit. Everest is the highest, but certainly not the most technical mountain to climb in the world. Young and old people have been able to climb Everest, and so can you. It's possible with the right experience, an optimal physical and mental strength and a bit of luck! Most climbers say that climbing Mount Everest has had an everlasting, profound impact on them and we agree with them. It will be a major event in your life. Are you inspired and physically & mentally ready? Read on and let us guide you through all practical details you need to know before taking one of the biggest decisions in your life, Climbing Everest!

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+ Trip description

The trek to the Everest Base Camp and ABC

Within this expedition you will climb Mount Everest from the Chinese/Tibetan side. Like most of our expeditions, this trip starts in Kathmandu, the place to complete your climbing gear and for us to finalize your Chinese visa and Tibetan travel permits. The first part of this expedition is five days drive and acclimatize trip to Kodari (the border town between Nepal and China), Zhangmu, Nyalam, Tingri and the Mount Everest's Chinese Base Camp (5200m). You actually drive through the Himalayas! Reaching the Tibetan plateau, the landscape changes in wider, green and sandy valleys with some of the world’s highest passes that are accessible by car. The ride offers stunning views on the Tibetan mountain ranges, some of the best sightseeing spots and off course the Tibetan culture, including the famous Rongbuk Monastery. From the base camp you will trek up to the Intermediate Camp (5800m) and the Advanced Base Camp (6400m). This is an effective four days training and acclimatizing trip through a wild moraine landscape with its famous, large snow formations (Penitents). The acclimatizing and training program continues in the ABC until you’re ready to start climbing.

Climbing Everest

After your arrival in the ABC, you deserve some rest in your private tent while our excellent crew will take care of you. In the first days an important acclimatizing and training program continues until you’re ready to start climbing. Climbing Everest is a multi week process of acclimatizing, ascending, descending, resting, exploring, preparing camp 1 North Col (7000m), camp 2 (7500m ) and camp 3 (8300m). In the mean time you need to stay healthy, energized and patient till the time that a proper window gives you an opportunity to make a summit attempt. This is one the main challenges, to keep yourself motivated and energized in this cold en rough mountain environmment. Climbing Everest via the North-East ridge is not extremely technical, but as altitude and physical exertion are incomprehensible, even the slightest difficulty can be hard to deal with. Beside this, you still have to climb three, more or less difficult rock sections: the first step (35m steep rock around 8500m), the second step (50m steep rock around 8580m), and the easiest third step (10m rock around 8690m). A 50 degrees angled snow ridge is left to reach the summit. At all difficult sections you will use fixed ropes and ladders to climb up and abseil or climb down again. Once you have summited and taken some valuable pictures you will descent via the same route to the ABC. Once more you will drive across the Tibetan plateau, through the Himalayas all the way back to Kathmandu.

+ Itinerary & different options

[ Arrival in Kathmandu / free days ]

Everest Expedition North-East ridge		Different options
1 - Kathmandu - Briefing 2 - Kathmandu - Free 3 - Nyalam 4 - Nyalam 5 - Tingri 6 - Tingri 7 - Everest Base Camp 8 - Everest Base Camp 9 - Everest Base Camp 10 - Everest Base Camp 11 - Intermediate Camp 12 - Intermediate Camp 13 - Everest ABC 14 - Everest ABC 15 - Everest ABC 16 - Camp 1 17 - Camp 2 / Camp 1 18 - Everest Base Camp 19 - Everest Base Camp 20 - Everest Base Camp 21 - Everest Base Camp 22 - Interim Camp 23 - Everest ABC 24 - Camp 1 25 - Camp 2 26 - Excursion Camp 3 27 - Everest ABC 28 - Everest Base Camp 29 - Everest Base Camp 30 - Everest Base Camp 31 - Everest Base Camp 32 - Everest Base Camp 33 - Interim Camp	34 - Everest ABC 35 - Camp 1 36 - Camp 2 37 - Camp 3 38 - Everest Summit 39 - Everest Summit 40 - Everest ABC 41 - Everest Base Camp 42 - Everest Base Camp 43 - Everest Base Camp 44 - Interim Camp 45 - Everest ABC 46 - Camp 1 47 - Camp 2 48 - Camp 3 49 - Everest Summit 50 - Everest Summit 51 - Everest Summit 52 - Everest Summit 53 - Everest Summit 54 - Everest Summit 55 - Camp 1 56 - Everest ABC 57 - Everest ABC 58 - Everest Base Camp 59 - Tingri 60 - Kathmandu	62 days - Everest via Lhasa Do you prefer a different route or itinerary? Just contact us and we will be more than happy to think with you and organize the tailor made trip you're looking for...

[ End of services / free days / departure / continue travelling ]

+ What's included & excluded in the price?

To make things easy for you, we have put together different service packages that suit most people. However, if you want to make it really special, we also provide full tailor made services. Have a look at the fixed packages first or download a detailed comparison sheet.

» Download Comparison Sheet (pdf)

Summit Service - Pro
The Pro package provides you a full organized and guided expedition until the summit. This package includes organizational arrangements, a complete professional, experienced staff & crew, all needed equipment, all services and luxuries that makes your entire expedition as comfortable as possible. The staff takes care of all tasks and activities, you are not required to help.

Summit Service - Basic
The Basic package provides you a full organized and guided expedition until the summit. This package includes organizational arrangements, a small professional, experienced staff & crew, essential equipment & services only, without the luxuries of the Pro package. Although professionally organized, this package is much more basic and adventurous, you are required to help with all tasks and activities.

Base Camp Service - Pro
The Pro package provides you all services up to base camp and in the base camp (or ABC) itself for the entire expedition. This includes all organizational arrangements, a complete professional, experienced staff & crew, all needed equipment, all services and luxuries that makes your trip to the base camp and in the base camp itself as comfortable as possible. Above base camp you organize everything you need yourself and you are responsible for your own safety, equipment, food and strategy.

Base Camp Service - Basic
The Basic package provides you all services up to base camp and in the base camp (or ABC) for the entire expedition. This includes all organizational arrangements, a small professional, experienced staff & crew, essential equipment & services only, without the luxuries of the Pro package. Although professionally organized, this package is much more basic and adventurous, you are required to help with all tasks and activities. Above base camp you organize everything you need yourself and you are responsible for your own safety, equipment, food and strategy.

+ How difficult is this trip?

We have rated the Everest Expedition in Tibet with E4. This means that it's a very streneous trip while the climbing sections are difficult (difficile). Have a look at a general description of these codes! Below we'll try to describe the specific difficulties of this trip.

The trek to Everest Base Camp
In this expedition you will drive from Kathmandu to Kodari at the border with China/Tibet. After all custom formalities you will drive on through the Himalayas and across the Tibetan plateau all the way to Mount Everest’s Chinese Base Camp. Depending on the weather, the road may be very muddy and bumpy forcing a slow adventurous ride across bridges, streams and small, steep road sections. From the base camp on the large gravel plateau you will trek 13 kilometers across easy moraine trails to the ABC, situated on the North-Western side moraine of East Rongbuk Glacier, under the slopes of Changtse.

To Camp 1
From the ABC, the you need to follow the moraine until a flat glacier is crossed to the base of the steep snow/ice slope (400m high, 30-80 degrees angle depending on crevasses) which leads up to the North Col and camp 1.

To Camp 2
The route to camp 2 follows the North-East ridge of which the lower part is an easy snow ridge. Higher up the trail follows a mixed terrain of rock/scree and snow.

To Camp 3
From camp 2 to 3, the route leads across easy rocky terraces without real technical difficulties.

To the Everest summit
From camp 3 at around 8300m the route continues across the long North-East ridge with some little rock steps, scree slopes and the famous ‘three steps’. The first step involves a 35m climb across large boulders followed by a traverse through mixed (rock/ice) and very exposed terrain. The next goal is the Mushroom Rock and a small depression where many climbers change oxygen their bottles. At 8580m the second step comes within reach. This is a 50m steep rock climb across large boulders, through a steep snow gully to the famous ladder (5m). An easy part leads to the last and easy third step at 8690m. What’s left is a snowfield traverse to the limestone bands and the final summit snow ridge (50 degrees). The summit is normally reached after 8-12 hours climbing.

Back to Everest ABC & Base Camp
After a successful summit attempt you will descent in a couple of days to Everest ABC and Everest Base Camp. Depending on the situation and time frame, you may choose to return to Kathmandu earlier as planned or hang out in ABC until the entire expedition departs from the mountain.

In general...
Although Mount Everest is known as a ‘not technical’ mountain, it is the highest peak of the planet and notorious for it’s number of deaths due to accidents, health problems at extreme altitude, complete lethargy and extreme difficulties in weather conditions. The ascent and descent itself is not very technical as most of the slopes do not exceed an angle of 30 to 50 degrees. However, there are a few, short, technical climbing sections of very steep rock. To ensure safety, ropes will be fixed at all difficult sections and ladders may be used at some places. However, you should feel comfortable with basic rock and alpine climbing techniques in winter conditions at higher altitude, like: using ice axe and crampons, anchoring, belaying, abseiling and crevasse rescue. All members should have knowledge and experience in winter camping, avalanche danger and recognition, prevention and treatment of high altitude sickness and frostbite.

This expedition is open for climbers with previous mountaineering experience at higher altitudes (7000m-8000m). As you’re part of a group during difficult situations and demanding activities, you must have experience in working and living in and with a group of people who share the same, common goal. An easy going, flexible attitude is a must.

* Note 8000m peaks: This mountain is more than 8000m high. Climbing above 8000m (death zone), involves an increased risk of serious health problems, complete lethargy and very extreme weather conditions. For personal safety reasons you should be able to climb independently and be able to survive without help from anybody else.

+ What clothes & equipment do I need?

After booking we will send you a final, detailed clothes & equipment list with all the required clothes and (climbing) equipment that you need for this trip. To get a really good idea what you will get from us, you may download an example equipment list.

» Download an Example Equipment List (pdf)

+ What is the best time to make this trip?

An indication of best seasons to make this trip (stable weather and clear views)

• Spring: April, May
• Autumn: September, October

Is Spring or Autumn better?
Spring is the best season to climb Everest from the Tibetan side. In autumn, the weather is much more unstable in the Everest region compared to the Cho Oyu region. That's why Cho Oyu is climbed in Autumn and Everest not, or by a few teams. If you want to have a good chance to stand on the Everest summit from the Tibetan side, you better choose for Spring.

Indication of temperatures: (depending on weather conditions)

• Below 5000m varying from: Day time: +10ºC / +30ºC. Night time: -10ºC / +15ºC
• Above 5000m varying from: Day time: -5ºC / +30ºC. Night time: -15ºC / -40ºC

The Tibetan side of Mt Everest is known for its strong winds (chill factor) higher up the mountain. Beside the wind you may encounter deep snow, heat and very strong sunshine. Mountain storms and fog (white out) are unpredictable and can arise quickly, changing trekking & climbing conditions dramatically. Rain, snow and strong winds are always possible.