Ama Dablam Expedition

Ama Dablam Expedition – Nepal

October 8 – November 9, 2008

Cost: $8,500
(land costs, including all meals)

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 straight-forward 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 2008, 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 10 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.