Mt. Lhotse Expedition

Mt. Lhotse Expedition (8516m):

TRIP FACT

Elevation: 8,516m (27,940ft)

Location: Nepal/Tibet border

Coordinates: 27°57′42″ N 86°56′00″ E

First Ascent: Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger (Swiss), May 18, 1956

Climbing Season:Late spring

Expedition duration:44 days (typically)

Climbing duration:27 days (typically)

Group Size:01-15 person per Group if more we splits group.

About Lhotse:

Mt. Lhotse better known as “south peak” and part of the Everest massif is the fourth highest mountain peak in the earth with an altitude of 8516m. Lhotse has 3 summits, main summit at 8,516m, Lhotse Middle (East) at 8,414m   and Lhotse Shar at 8,383m.  Lhotse is best known for its proximity to Mt. Everest and the fact that climbers ascending the standard route on that peak spend some time on its northwest face. It is the smallest prominence, only 610m, of all 8000m peaks. Lhotse is however famous for its tremendous and dramatic south face. The south face of Lhotse raises 3.2km within 2.25km horizontal distance making it the steepest face of this size in the world. It is extremely difficult climb and rarely attempted. The South Face of Lhotse is one of the largest mountain faces in the world.

The primary route on Mt. Lhotse is via Everest's South Col. but by 1955, despite the activity on Mt. Everest, Lhotse was the highest unclimbed peak in the world.  It was first climbed by the Swiss duo of F. Luchsinger and E.Reiss in 1956 on the West Face. The South Face of Mt. Lhotse though attempted many times was successfully climbed only in 1984 by a Czech. On May 12, 1979 Lhotse Shar summit was reached and the middle summit was climbed only on May 23, 2001.

Mt. Lhotse Expeditions:

In the Expedition of Mt. Lhotse, Lhotse Base Camp is located beside the Khumbu Glacier, same asEverest Base Camp. The section during the climb which has been unanimously declared the most dangerous is the Khumbu Icefall. This beautiful massif also holds immense promise as it is little developed and offers fascinating opportunities.

Mt. Lhotse Face and Route:

• The commercial route is from its north side via Khumbu icefall sharing its length with Everest south route. The south face is one of the most impressive walls in Himalayas. The first expedition from the south side was Yuogo Slavian leading by A.Kunaver. They selected the left side of the wall but they manage to only get to 8100 meters. Three police expedition tried to climb through the left wall in 1985, 1987 and 1989, the highest point they reach was 8300 meters. 

• The western flank of Lhotse is known as the Lhotse Face. Any climber bound for the South Col on Everest must climb this 1,125m wall of glacial blue ice. This face rises at 40 and 50 degree pitches with the occasional 80 degree bulges. Two rocky sections called the Yellow Band and the Geneva Spur interrupt the icy ascent on the upper part of the face.

• The south face was finally climbed in 1990 by Russian expedition few months after Cesen's climb. They describe the wall as impossible to be climbed by a single person.

 Mt. Lhotse Expedition Base Camp Service:

• Everest Expeditions Nepal provides very professional, helpful and friendly service from Kathmandu to the ABC and during the climb. Our objective is to provide a good quality, helpful, safe, friendly, stress free and comprehensive service to maximize summit opportunity.

• Our cooks and helpers will prepare and serve three delicious freshly cooked and plentiful meals a day and will ensure that hot and cold drinks are available 24hrs a day.

• We provide spacious expedition quality personal tents for all our clients both with full board and base-camp service. In the base camp we also provide dining tent, kitchen tent, toilet facilities and portable shower facilities and tent accommodation for our staff.

• We provide access to communication including satellite telephone and internet access, solar panels to charge your batteries and UHF/VHF hand held radios on the mountain to maintain communications between ABC and high camps.

• Our Leader and camp manager as well as climbing Sherpas have an extensive experience of multiple climbs to 8000m peaks. They will ensure cooperation with other companies and Base Camp organization. The Base Camp is a cooperative to ensure contribution from all operators to the task of route fixing to ensure the safety of climbers from ABC to the summit.

Lhotse Expedition Full Board Service:

• We provide personal tent and food with the climbing Sherpa, who will prepare appropriate meals. If we have 7 clients in the expedition we also will provide a cook for the group and intermediate facility at camp 2 (6750m); this will include personal tents for full board clients, kitchen and dining tents and the toilet facility. We provide meals while our clients are in camp 2.

• We provide a personal climbing Sherpa guide to help the clients to reach the summit. Personal climbing Sherpa will set up camp 3 and camp 4 including food provisions, fuel and oxygen and will guide and assist the client on the summit day. We provide the climbing Sherpa with appropriate radio communication to Camp 2 and Base Camp from Camp 3, 4 and the climbing route.

Climbing Routes:

• Lhotse commercial route via Khumbu icefall and Northwest councilors:

• The route is technically a strenuous trekking route with a little objective danger once past the Khumbu icefall, apart of few crevasses and seracs bridged by ladders, couple short ice cliffs around camp 3 and rock sections protected with fixed lines. There is an obvious danger of high altitude sickness complications and changeable, unpredictable mountain weather.

• The Khumbu Icefall is a steep glacier with obvious implication of large crevasses and treacherous unstable seracs making navigation complicated and riddled with high objective danger of falling ice. This is the most dangerous part of the climb. At the beginning of the climbing period, climbing Sherpa set the route through the icefall installing ladders across crevasses and along vertical seracs ice walls for efficient and easy climbing. These arrangements make climb of the Khumbu ice fall possible, efficient and relatively safe especially early morning before the sunrise, when the ice structure is well frozen. Khumbu ice fall is very dangerous in the afternoon due to its western aspect.

• Camp 1 (6065m) is located on the top of Khumbu icefall; it is a desolate and exposed place mainly used as rest and transition location on the way to camp 2 (6750m). The glacier between camp 1 and 2 flattens but there are still large crevasses close to camp 1, which are also fixed with ladders.

• Camp 2 is located in a lateral moraine at the bottom of west ridge. It is a very safe and sheltered location with tremendous views on Lhotse. All companies set-up their main climbing camp for the duration of climbing period with tents for individual climbers, the kitchen and dining tents. Camp 2 is main acclimatization camp and the base for camp 3 acclimatization climb and the final summit attempt.

• Camp 3 (7100m) is located on small ledge on the Lhotse wall. One has to cross the glacier to the right side before 40deg 600m climb on the compact snow field. The route is safe with couple of short less then 3m ice cliffs, which climbing Sherpas set up with fixed ropes.

• Camp 4 (7920m) located near South Col is the last camp; it is easily accessible by majority of climbers without supplementary oxygen. There are two rock sections to navigate before camp 4: Yellow Bands, interlayer marble, phyllite and semi-schist rocks and Geneva Spur, an anvil shaped rib of black rocks; they are again set-up with fixed ropes.

• From camp 4 the route enters 500m couloirs about 40deg along a mix of pack snow, ice and some rock.

Lhotse Expedition Spring 2016 Itinerary

06Apr/Day 01:Arrival in Kathmandu Airport and transfer to Hotel (1350m)

07Apr/Day 02:Rest and prepare day for assignment & briefing.

08Apr/Day 03:Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla(2840m) and trek to Phakding (approx 4hrs walk)

09Apr/Day 04:Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar(3440m approx 7hrs walk )

10Apr/Day 05:Weak up early in the morning at 5 o'clock. You may walk to Everest view Hotel (3800m approx 2 hrs) and visit to Hilary museum and Sherpa museum and over night at Namche Bazar

11Apr/Day 06:Trek from Namche Bazaar to Tyangboche(3860m approx 5 hrs walk)

12Apr/Day 07:Trek from Tyangboche to Pheriche / dingboche (4250m approx 5 hrs walk)

13Apr/Day 08:Trek from Pheriche / dingboche to Lobuche (5018m approx 4hrs walk)

14Apr/Day 09:Lobuche rest day for acclimatization

16Apr/Day 10:Trek from Lobuche to Gorakshep (5170m approx 3 hrs walk) and rest

17Apr/Day 11:Trek from Gorakshep to Lhotse Base camp (5200m) which takes about two hours.

18Apr/Day 12-51:Climbing period (summit period for Lhotse)

27May/Day 52:Trek from Base Camp (5218)to Dingboche(4260m approx 4hrs walk)

28May/Day 53:Trek from Dingboche to Tengboche (3860M approx 4 hrs walk)

29May/Day 54:Trek from Tengboche to Namche Bazaar(3440m approx 4hrs walk)

30May/Day 55:Trek from Namche Bazaar to Lukla(2840m approx 7hrs walk)

31May/Day 56:Fly from Lukla to Kathmandu Transfer to hotel

01Jun/Day 57:Full Day sightseeing of Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swoyambhunath, Boudhanath & Pashupatinath and Nepalese cultural program with farewell dinner in the evening

02Jun/Day 58:Final departure, alternatively, join other activitie