Pathway to Everest

khumbu icefall

July 21, 2014

Everest is an achievable undertaking for a determined and fit person willing to invest the time and effort in the thorough preparation and learning process necessary to succeed above 8000m. There are no short-cuts to being properly prepared to attempt the highest mountain in the world and we recommend people allow a good 3 – 5 years with lead-up expeditions and training.  At Trek Climb Ski Nepal, we have people joining our expeditions that are “on a mission” to one day have a shot at the highest mountain on earth. Upon request, we can map out a suitable climbing itinerary that will develop the skills, knowledge and experience a person would need to attempt Everest with a real chance of success. Once such pathway might look like this:

Year 1 – March/April: Everest Circuit trek in Nepal

Year 1 – October/November: Mera Peak climb in Nepal plus (rock climbing skills indoor or outdoor)

Year 2 – February/March: Technical climbing course in New Zealand

Year 2 – October/November: Ramdung / Parchamo / Ama Dablam climbs in Nepal plus (rock climbing skills indoor or outdoor)

Year 3 – April/May OR September/October: Cho Oyu climb in Tibet

Year 4 – April/May: Everest

#noshortcuts to Everest

The above represents a solid pathway of skill development and increasing exposure to altitude that could properly prepare an individual for an attempt to climb Mt Everest. There would be plenty of other learning, reading and activities involved in addition to this itinerary, but in terms of achieving the significant climbing and altitude milestones necessary to qualify for an attempt, this itinerary represents a solid and thorough build-up. Watch this video to learn more.

At Trek Climb Ski Nepal, we enjoy speaking with potential Everest climbers and sharing our own summit success stories. Most of our Sherpa climbing team have multiple Everest summits to their name, along with ascents of many other popular climbing peaks in Nepal.

Mt Everest is the highest mountain on earth at 8848m. It was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953, via the South Col route from Nepal.  Since it’s first ascent, Sagarmatha (as it is known in Nepal) has attracted thousands of experienced mountaineers wanting the opportunity to stand atop the highest point on our planet. The two main climbing routes are from Nepal (the South Col route) and from the north-east ridge in Tibet.  Neither route presents climbers with significant technical challenges but the extreme altitude and weather, coupled with dangerous objective risks such as avalanches and crevasses ensures that reaching the summit of Everest (and returning safely) remains a very difficult and demanding undertaking.