Trip Overview
Mt. Lhotse is part of the Everest massif and the fourth highest mountain in the world. It is 3km south of Mt. Everest, separated by the South Col. and has 3 summits: Lhotse (8,516 m), Lhotse Middle (8,414 m) and Lhotse Shar (8,383 m). Lhotse was first climbed on 18 May 1956, when the summit was reached by Fritz Luchsinger and Ernst Reiss, both from Switzerland. Lhotse is normally attempted in the pre-monsoon season, April to June, when Base Camp and the fixed route is shared with teams attempting Mt. Everest. Members on the Full Expedition plan will be accompanied by an experienced Sherpa guide and provided with sufficient supplementary oxygen for the ascent.
As with most expeditions to the Everest region the adventure starts with a short but exciting flight to Lukla. From Lukla you will trek to Namche Bazaar where you will spend a day acclimatising before moving on to Deboche, Dingboche and Lobuche. Between Namche and Deboche you can visit the famous Tengboche Monastery. An ascent of Lobuche Peak (6,119m) will be used for skills revision and further acclimatisation before moving on to Base Camp at the foot of the Khumbu Ice-Fall. Over the following 25 days you will spend time acclimatising at Base Camp, doing rotations on the mountain to Camps 1 & 2, before the final ascent via Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face and Assault Camp below the final gully.
The route to Camp 1 at 5,900m is through the notorious Ice-Fall, the most hazardous part of the ascent. Camp 2, Advanced Base Camp (ABC), is sited towards the head of the Western Cwm below the South-West face of Everest at 6,400m. Two more camps are set on the Lhotse face Camp 3 at 7,200m and an Assault Camp at about 7,850m. When all equipment and supplies are in place, and everyone is ready, the team will move up to ABC to await a weather window. Once the weather is settled you will move to Camp 3 and on to Assault Camp for the summit bid. There is some flexibility but it is not possible to stay at the Assault Camp for more than a couple of nights. Having reached the summit you will descend to ABC for a well earned rest before continuing down to BC and the walk-out to Lukla and the return flight to Kathmandu.
This expedition is suitable for anyone with sound mountaineering skills, proven High Altitude ability and a high level of fitness and motivation.
