Nepal Island Peak Climb

Khumbu, Nepal · Nepal

Challenging14 daysAsia~£2,800 est.

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Overview

Island Peak (Imja Tse, 6,189 m) is the classic first Himalayan summit, and the smart itinerary makes the Everest Base Camp trail do your acclimatisation: Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, then the branch to Chhukung and an ascent of Chhukung Ri before base camp at 5,087 m. Summit day starts around 1 am — moraine and a rock scramble by headtorch, crampons on at the glacier, ladder-bridged crevasses, and then the crux: 250-plus metres of fixed line up the headwall to a startlingly airy summit ridge. From the top, Lhotse's south face fills the northern sky and Ama Dablam looks small. Be honest about the skills bill: jumar and abseil technique, crampon footwork and cold management need practising before Nepal, not on the headwall. Ropes queue in peak season, so an extra day in the schedule beats summit-day pressure. April-May and October-November. Around £2,800 including the NMA climbing permit, guide and teahouses along the EBC route. As a package with Everest Base Camp itself, it is the most complete high-altitude fortnight the Khumbu offers.