Combine the hospitable culture of mountain people and the ravishing beauty of the Himalayas and Nepal tops the list of the world’s mountaineering destinations. Mt Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, may be the big attraction in Nepal, but it is by no means the only exciting mountain climb in the area. Within the Khumbu region (which encompasses the area around Everest) there are several one- to five-day mountain climbs known as trekking peaks that are slightly more attainable than the Big E—both physically and economically. A guided trip up Nepal’s Imja Tse (also called Island Peak) is around $3,500 per person, while an Everest expedition rings in closer to $65,000. Imja Tse is a luscious snow-and-ice crest shaped like a giant white sail. Surrounded on all sides by formidable peaks, it is the geological centerpiece of some of the world’s most impressive mountains. Towering above its beautiful mass are monoliths such as Ama Dablam, the soaring face of Lhotse (one of the highest peaks in the world at 27,920 feet), and just beyond Lhotse, Everest itself.
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From Kathmandu, it’s a bumpy 45-minute flight on an old Twin Otter plane—or, if you prefer, a two-week hike—to the town of Lukla. From Lukla to Imja Tse’s base camp is another 10-day trek. Nearly footstep for footstep, you trace the classic route into Everest Base Camp—a blend of friendly Sherpa culture, deep valleys and snow-fluted ridges of the Himalayas. By moving slowly, stopping for a day every two or three days on the way in, you will acclimatize en route to the elevation which exceeds three miles.
Just before the turnoff to Everest Base Camp, you hang a sharp right, following the winding moraine-crested trails of pebble and glacial till to the tiny town of Chukhung. The soothing chorus of swaying neck bells from the plodding yak caravan carrying the gear is your only accompaniment. At Chukhung you rest for a day before continuing on to the Imja Tse base camp.
Although it’s as tall as Mt Denali, North America’s highest peak at 20,320 feet, climbing Imja Tse requires much less than the three weeks it takes from Denali’s base camp to its peak and back, because its base camp is only a few thousand feet below the summit, while Denali’s is 13,000 feet below its summit. Imja Tse is a decent two- to four-day adventure, base camp to base camp, for which you must be extremely fit (see blue rating system) and experienced with crampons and ice axes for snow and ice travel.
By 7pm the night before summiting the peak, your sleeping bag is zipped tight against the cold, your head buzzing in anticipation of the impending climb. The alarm rings at 1am. You pull on your clothes, gulp down some hot tea, a few mouthfuls of soup and an energy bar, and disappear upward into the ink of the night. You reach the glacier just as the sun rises, lighting the ridge crest and the icy slope ahead. The terrain abruptly changes from a steady walk to a steep climb requiring crampons and an ice ax. As you push higher and higher, you mark time with your breathing. Near the top the face becomes a ridge, a narrow sliver of snow snaking to the heavens. Your left hand hangs over a 1,000-foot drop, the height of NYC’s Chrysler Building, and between your toes falls the world. Dizziness is not an option. You’ll be at the summit around noon and can look forward to drinking a celebratory mug of scalding tea at base camp by four in the afternoon.
With the last, lung-burning steps to the summit at the end of the ridge, the mountain turns to sky. The high, hard sun offsets the bitter sting of freezing air as you stand there and breathe it all in.
PEAK FREAK EXPEDITIONS, CANADA - HIMALAYAN HIGH ALTITUDE SPECIALISTS since 1983
TIM RIPPEL, High altitude Mt. Everest Guide has been climbing and instructing professionally for 25 years. Veteran of 28 Himalayan expeditions including Mt. Everest North and South eight times and numerous expeditions on Mt. Pumori, Mt. Ama Dablam, Kilimanjaro, South America (Aconcagua), Russia (Pamirs), Canadian Rockies, West Coast and Interior, USA-(Denali )and many more. Successfully operating since 1991. Peak Freak expeditions is well known for their small scale affordable expeditions. Some of Tim's Everest experiences have been aired on networks across the nation. He provided footage to National Geographic, the Discovery Channel "Climb for Hope" in 1991, and again currently for " Storm Warning".
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