Towering over Tengboche monastery and the Sherpa village of Pangboche at a height of 6,856m, Ama Dablam is one of the most iconic mountains in Nepal. The much-coveted SW ridge is one of the more popular routes in the Himalayas today, with climbers often using it as preparation for an expedition to one of the greater 8,000m peaks (of course the mountain is by its own right a fantastic objective!). Comprising of steep ice and rock with exposed ridges, the technical nature of the route is somewhat lessened by the presence of fixed lines along the majority of the route.

Our Route: We start our acclimatization when we land in Lukla, the thriving Sherpa village known as the ‘Gateway to the Khumbu’. We trek through numerous Sherpa villages before arriving in the grassy surrounds of Ama Dablam Base Camp, which is undoubtedly one of the more scenic base camps in the Himalayas.

Above base camp we place three camps on the mountain, each precariously positioned on the ridge, which means you’ll need to have a good head for heights. Our summit push will begin early in the morning from Camp 3 and hopefully you’ll top out in great weather, as the summit affords spectacular views of numerous Himalayan giants, including Mount Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.

This month-long expedition is suited to strong rock climbers and technically-orientated mountaineers, who have previous experience in the Himalayas or other lower technical peaks in Europe, North and South America or New Zealand.

TECHNICAL GRADING

This expedition requires previous climbing experience in the Himalayas or strong rock climbing experience. Excellent fitness is essential as most climbing days are 8-12 hr along a technical route carrying a ~10-15kg pack. The South West Ridge route is technical and will reach a maximum altitude of 6856m.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stunning views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu and Cho Oyu

• Summit one of the jewels of the Khumbu valley

• Experience technical climbing under well protected conditions

• Colourful Buddhist culture

• Spirited Sherpa people