Amadablam Expedition

Ama Dablam lies in the Khumbu region of Nepal, just off the well trodden path to Everest. Sitting at a staggering height of 6,852m it is considered to be one of the most spectacular climbs in the world. Its unique cone shape rises high above the surrounding landscape as the most prominent feature upon the horizon while the Dudh Kosi river winds away from the base in a captivating scene. Ama Dablams meaning is mothers necklace her elongated ridges softly reaching down from the lofty peak are thought to look like a mothers arms embracing a small child; the glacier suspended at Amas mid upper section resembles the traditional double-pendant, worn by most Sherpa women in the area, containing pictures of the Gods. The Sherpa communities populating the area are full of highly spiritual people whose lives revolve around farming, God, and of course the mountains.

When approaching Ama there are multiple options for ascent; the south western ridge offers a lower level of difficulty while the northern ridge is a very high level of difficulty. The first ascent was accomplished in 1961 by Barry Bishop and his team via the south western ridge, after a well- acclimatized winter spent at the mountains base as part of the expedition. Ama is the third most popular peak in Nepal permitting expeditions, her south western ridgeline is the most commonly used route during ascent. Traditionally we set up camp thrice along the way; last camp is just beneath Amas Dablam. Nearly all of the time ice fall tumbles down the left side of the mountain, away from camp, but in 2006 it fell towards camp three with devastating consequences. In order to prevent this from happening we take as many precautions as humanly possible but alas the mountain has great power and a will that cannot be controlled; we must observe the power of the mountain so we do not get swept away by it.

Beginners may climb Ama with the help of our expertise, but we advise them to be comfortable with at least alpine grade 3. If you wish to climb as a beginner we must arrange for a mandatory few extra days for training purposes. The main skills needed for ascent are technical rock, snow, and ice climbing; we will be utilizing Ice axes, crampons, harnesses, and ropes along multi pitch climbs and moderate terrain.

See Everest region for more information