Difficulty Level: Extreme
Must be able to climb rock, ice, and mixed terrain, often with an alpine pack on your back. You should be comfortable with camp craft in high-altitude camps, and able to perform at a high level for multiple days in a row at altitude.
No mountain in the world captures
alpine climbers’ imaginations like 22,525 foot Ama Dablam.
It stands alone in the Solu Khumbu (Everest) valley, towering almost
10,000 feet over the
famous Sherpa villages of Thyangboche and Pangboche. With no easy
route to its summit,
climbing Ama Dablam is reserved for dedicated alpinists, who have
built skills and experience
in much more than simply high altitude walking. The successful
climber will also have solid
multi-pitch climbing experience on rock and ice, and be comfortable
climbing with a pack on
and taking care of themselves in very high alpine camps.
This expedition is in many ways the culmination of Alpenglow
Expeditions’ teaching system and
mission. On Ama Dablam our expectation is that each climber takes
real responsibility for the
success of themselves and their teammates. Team-members will assist
in setting camps,
carrying loads, setting and cleaning the fixed lines, and cooking
and melting snow in high
camps. Summiting the peak will be a success you have truly earned,
and can be, if you choose,
an ideal stepping stone to more independent expeditions on big
Himalayan peaks.
On our expedition we will climb the Southwest Ridge. The route of
the mountain’s first ascent,
the Southwest Ridge offers every type of climbing, and from Camp 1
up is always incredibly
exposed and interesting. From Basecamp to Camp 1, the route is a
long moderate climb up a
morainal ridge, giving excellent views of our entire route.
From Camp 1 to 2 we encounter the route’s crux rock climbing
sections. There are interesting
technical traverses combined with countless easy fifth class moves
and some short harder
pitches of up to 5.9 climbing. On all of this climbing, you will be
truly climbing each move,
using fixed ropes only to protect yourself. This is not a route of
jug-hauling!
Camp 2 to 3 offers the route’s most challenging ice climbing, with
sustained pitches of steep
ice and mixed terrain. The final section into Camp 3 is the famed
mushroom ridge, a mostly
horizontal traverse across cornices tenuously stuck to a knife-edge
ridge.
From Camp 3 to the summit, the route lessons slightly in technical
difficulty, climbing straightforward
50-70 degree ice and snow around the hanging glacier (the Dablam)
and up the summit
face.
An expedition to Ama Dablam will test all of your mountaineering
skills, and a summit is one to
be very proud of. Climbing this peak also provides a taste of true
Himalayan expedition life.
You will be supported by one of the best Sherpa staff in the Khumbu.
After an 8 day trek
through the villages of the Everest Valley, we will have a full Puja
blessing ceremony, and then
settle into life in a very comfortable basecamp, complete with cook,
heated dining tent,
individual sleeping tents, and even a shower! We have found these
amenities to be essential in
having a well-rested and strong team of climbers during our summit
push. Beware of operators
who offer Ama Dablam climbs with less support!
In 2009, our Ama Dablam expedition will be led by Alpenglow’s owner,
Adrian Ballinger. Adrian
has been climbing in Nepal for the past decade, and has led 11
expeditions to Himalayan peaks
(including 3 successful summits of Ama Dablam). His knowledge of
Sherpa culture as well as the
mountains, combined with his passion for teaching others in the
skills of mountaineering,
guarantees that your experience will be one to remember. If the
group size dictates, Adrian
will be joined by another experienced Himalayan guide. Our maximum
climber to guide ratio
will be 2:1, far lower than most other operators. This maximizes
your safety and your
opportunity to climb Ama Dablam successfully!
We combine our western guides’ experience with the local expertise
of one of Nepal’s best
logistics operators, and the services of our good friend and local
guide, Dawa Sherpa. Dawa
grew up in the Solu Khumbu, and has been guiding trekking and
climbing groups in Nepal since
he was a boy. His management of our local staff, knowledge of the
Solu Khumbu, and friendly
personality will be essential in ensuring that you stay healthy,
strong, and able to enjoy each
component of this experience.
