Himalaya27°59′ N · 86°55′ E
South Col from Nepal
Sixty days to the highest point on earth, with one Sherpa for every climber, a doctor at base camp and oxygen to spare.
From $74,500
Reserve a place- Summit
- 8,849 m
- Duration
- 60 days
- Season
- April – May
- Grade
- 5 · 8,000 m
- Team
- Up to 6 climbers
- Guiding
- 1:1 Sherpa to climber
We run one Everest team a year, and we keep it small. Six climbers, six Sherpa partners, two Western guides and a doctor: enough people to turn round together, and to wait for the right day.
The South Col route climbs from base camp through the Khumbu Icefall into the Western Cwm, up the Lhotse Face to the South Col, and on to the summit by the Southeast Ridge. It is the route of the first ascent, and still the safest way up the mountain.
Our camps are stocked before you arrive. Every climber sleeps on oxygen above Camp III, carries a radio, and climbs with the same Sherpa partner from the first rotation to the summit. We wait for windows of low wind rather than for the crowd, and we go up only when the forecast and the team agree.
Itinerary
Day by day
Grade 5 of 5, 8,000 m Grade 5 · 8,000 m
Kit check with your guide, permits and a quiet day in the old city before the flight to the mountains.
Lukla, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche and Lobuche, slowly, with rest days that let the body catch up.
Our camp on the Khumbu Glacier: heated dining tent, private sleeping tents, a doctor and a blessing before anyone climbs.
Through the Icefall to Camp I and up into the Western Cwm, then back down to rest.
Camp II under the Lhotse Face, a touch at Camp III, and a long rest in the thick air of the valley.
The steep ice to Camp III, climbed on fixed ropes with oxygen from here up.
Back at base camp, we wait for a run of calm days. This is the part of the climb that takes patience.
Camp II, Camp III and the Col in three days, with the summit push starting that night.
Nine to twelve hours up the Southeast Ridge, past the Balcony and the Hillary Step, to the top of the world at first light.
Down to Camp II, the Icefall one last time, a helicopter from base camp and dinner in Kathmandu.
Included
- Personal Sherpa partner from base camp to the summit
- Eight bottles of oxygen a climber, with mask and regulator
- Expedition doctor and hyperbaric chamber at base camp
- Private tent, heated dining tent and a chef at base camp
- Satellite internet and daily weather forecasts
- Helicopter flight back from base camp
Not included
- International flights to Kathmandu
- Nepal visa (on arrival)
- Personal climbing kit (see the kit list)
- Rescue and medical insurance
- Tips for the Sherpa team
Before you come
- An 8,000 m peak, or Ama Dablam and a 7,000 m peak
- Confident on fixed ropes with crampons and jumar
- A full medical check before you sign
- Twelve months of training: we send you a plan
Departures
Dates for Everest
Next expedition · Himalaya · 6,812 m
Ama Dablam
