Mount Everest • South Side • 58 Days
Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth and is considered the planet’s premier guided climbing challenge. It was first summited by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmond Hillary in 1953. At 29,032 feet, Mount Everest is one of the fourteen eight thousand-meter peaks. It is known in Nepalese as Sagarmatha “Goddess of the Sky,” and in Tibetan as Chomolungma “Mother Goddess of the Universe.”
We approach the summit from the South Side via the infamous Khumbu Icefall, Western Cwm and South Col. Mount Everest does not pose a substantial technical climbing challenge, but it requires a high level of physical fitness and the ability to climb proficiently on steep and exposed terrain at high altitude. An ascent to the summit of Mount Everest is one of the greatest achievements in mountaineering.
Mountain Gurus proudly offers a fully supported Mount Everest climb. Our team of experienced Sherpa guides will handle all the logistics during the expedition, with the oversight of our experienced American guide. As IFMGA/UIAGM trained mountain guides, our Sherpa guides take great pride in managing ground operations and working with our team of climbing Sherpas to ensure your safety and success on the mountain. Each of our mountain guides has extensive experience on Mount Everest with multiple summit climbs.
Our South Side expedition begins in the ancient city of Kathmandu, Nepal’s thriving capital. We fly to Lukla and trek along the Dudh Koshi, or “Milk River,“ to the legendary village of Namche Bazaar, the main trading center of the Sherpa people and the gateway to the Khumbu Valley. Over the next week, we are rewarded with amazing views of the Himalaya as we approach Everest Base Camp at 17,700 feet. From base camp, we follow the famous South Side climbing route through the seracs and crevasses of the Khumbu Icefall using fixed ropes and ladders prepared by our Sherpa climbing team. We then climb to Camp 2 via the Western Cwm, and to Camp 3 high on the Lhotse Face. We establish our final camp, Camp 4, on the windswept South Col at 26,300 feet. On Summit Day, we climb the Southeast Ridge to the Balcony at 27,500 feet. We then continue to the South Summit at 28,500 feet, and across the exposed final ridge for a few hundred feet before reaching the Hillary Step and the true summit at 29,035 feet.
Tour Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 • Arrive Kathmandu
Day 2 • Kathmandu Orientation
Day 3 • Flight to Lukla • Phakding
Day 4 • Namche Bazaar • 11,300 ft
Day 5 • Namche Bazaar
Day 6 • Tengboche • 12,850 ft
Day 7 • Tengboche
Day 8 • Pheriche • 13,950 ft
Day 9 • Pheriche
Day 10 • Lobuche Base Camp
Day 11 • Lobuche Base Camp
Day 12 • Lobuche High Camp
Day 13 • Rest Day
Day 14 • Lobuche Peak • 20,075 ft
Day 15 • Everest Base Camp • 17,600 ft
Day 16 – 30 • First and Second Rotation
– Khumbu Icefall to Camp I • 19,500 ft
– Western Cwm to Camp II • 21,000 ft
– South Face to Camp III • 23,500 ft
Day 31 – 34 • Everest Base Camp
Day 35 – 39 • Summit Rotation
– Camp III to South Col • 26,300 ft
– South Col to the Summit • 29,032 ft
Day 40 – 45 • Pheriche • Lukla
Day 46 • Flight to Kathmandu
Day 47 • Depart
Day 48 – 58 • Contingency Days
Prerequisites
Climbers wishing to qualify for a Mount Everest expedition must have completed, at minimum, one of each of the following with Mountain Gurus & Northwest Alpine Guides:
Glacier Mountaineering Expedition Training
6-Day Expedition Training (preferred)
5-Day Glacier Mountaineering Course
High-Altitude Glacier Mountaineering Experience
Pico de Orizaba – Mexico
Cotopaxi – Ecuador
Aconcagua – Argentina
Additionally, it is highly recommended that you have honed your glacier mountaineering skills with successful summits of various PNW peaks such, Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Glacier Peak, Mount Olympus, and Mount Rainier.
