Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Island Peak-Trekking Nepal

I'm going to Nepal in April. This will be my first international mountain climbing trip. Have any of you guys climbed/hiked Island Peak in Nepal? Or perhaps any of the other trekking peaks in the area? I'd love to pick your brain about a few things if you have. Any pieces of wisdom from folks who have trekked in Nepal would also be appreciated. If your wondering I'm trekking with a company called snowy horizons. It's the island peak/everest base camp trek.
Thanks

You can see some photos from a climb I did way back in 2000 here:

http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/International-Climbs/Everest-Region/Autumn-2000/80255_FxZhLF#!i=2790355&k=NM3gM

There were fixed ropes from the headwall all the way to the summit, so it was a blast!

If you have any specific questions, I'll try and answer them...

First comment would be to get a copy of Jamie McGinness' (sp?) book on the Everest Region. It is by far the best source for info on the area. Second comment would be to allow time to get up Chukung Ri (many different spellings of it). There is a 3-peak combination you can do up there that is just outstanding because of Lhotse Shar (spelling again?) being almost in your face. (I had a case of the runs the day I tried to do it, so I still need to go back to finish that off. It was still way too cool! even as a failure.)

apparently Richard and I were there the same year, but not the same group.

I did the Lukla-Mera-Amphulabsa-Island-Namche-Lukla route so we were well acclimatized by the time we got to Island.

Mera was a 21,000 walk up on the glacier. Amphulabsa is a near-20,000 pass, but a short 5.3 technical on the north side. Edmund Hillary I think was the first to explore that route in the reconnaisance trip of 1951 prior to the big event in 1953. Island is a 20,000 ft "small" peak in comparison to the giant south wall of Lhotse looming 8,000 ft above it.

Our high camp was at 18,000. Summit day began at 2 am, is an hour on rock, then the rest of the way with double boots and crampons . We summitted at 8am. As Richard says, it will likely have fixed lines. Headwall is maybe 50 degrees - sorta like the steepness of Half Dome via the cables. Going up, We used one jumar and one carabiner clipped into the rope, of course moving it before/aft the snow pickets once reached. Coming down used a figure 8 descender. Some of our group had no or limited experience with this, so our practice 2 days before on gentler ground was all they needed. The descent was long, we ended up at Chukung for the night, 15,000 ft I think.

Wonderful trip. Think about it every day.

Doc's comments bring on a few more from me:

I did Mera and the trek across to Chukung on a separate trip. If you have the time, it is well worth it.

Also, if you're going over with the freedom to spend plenty of time over there, I would recommend hiring a Guide and Porter for yourself and have the company you hire them from coordinate permits with other climbing groups. (I couldn't stand having my schedule controlled by a group. There were too many days where we were forced to travel even though you were missing the spectacular views because of bad weather.) It only added a little bit of cost to do it this way.

Lobuchue East is another fun peak in the area. Getting to the summit isn't easy, but if you're satisfied with the ridge as a goal, it is a good, somewhat more technical peak than Island.

BTW: Frenchman David was over there at the same time, attempting Cho Oyu.

It bugs me, quite often, that I haven't been over since '04.

Choose Kala Patar if you have to choose between it and base camp.

Also on the list of alternatives if you have time: Gokyo (sp?) and a trip up to Knobby View and 7 Lakes. You can cross the Cho La to get to EBC. Of course, there's also Gokyo Ri.

I weighed the pros and cons of a self guided trip with a porter and on mountain guides only. I recently had surgury and that tipped the scales towards a guided trip. It will be different for me as I'm usually backpacking by myself or with one person. Thanks very much for the info. The length of summit day was one thing I was wondering about and the use of a high camp. Can you guys recommend a company to buy insurance from? Evacuation and otherwise..

Hi I climbed Island Pk back in Nov 1998 .. up and down out of Lukla. I was on a commercially guided expedition with Mountain Madness or Alpine Ascents I cant remember which. That was my first of a few visits to Nepal/Tibet. Climbed Mera Pk autumn 2000 after Cho Oyu to stay acclimated for a December climb up Ama Dablam.
Mera Peak is in a much less travelled area compared to Island and i found it a much easier summit day - I dont remember any technical difficulties. Between the relative remoteness and ease of summit, I found it more enjoyable and relaxing than Island.

However nothing really compares to being in the grandeur of the Khumbu Valley with all the famous impressive peaks around you and the hidden mystery of Everest behind the Nuptse-Lhotse wall. You get fleeting glances of Everest from the Trail starting above Namche. I'll never forget staring at Kangtega and Ama Dablam on our tea stops.

Beware the young hustlers in Kathmandu.
Have a great trip

I hope this isn't too late. I trekked to Everest Base Camp last November (2011). I think the most important thing is to make sure you have extra days in your itinerary. You might need these if you get sick (intestinal, respiratory, altitude) or if the weather delays you in Kathmandu or in Lukla. On our trek, we were delayed 3 days in Lukla (due to bad weather) and almost missed our flight home. Also, my husband had an intestinal problem that required his resting 2 days on the trek. We met many, many people who had gotten sick on the trek and had to turn back because they hadn't planned any extra days. We met people who had been delayed 4 days in Kathmandu, before they could even start their trek. The trek itself is wonderful. I hope you have a great time!