Summit: Monday, November 4

At 8am local time on Monday, November 4, guide Topo Mena called us via satellite phone from the summit of Ama Dablam to announce “CUMBRE!!” Temps were brutally cold but the team had good stable climbing conditions and outstanding clear views from the summit at 22,349’ (6,812m).

Pre-Summit: A tough battle up to C1 and C2.5

On Sunday our team reached Camp 1 then headed up to camp 2.5 high up on the Mushroom Ridge. Everyone climbed hard, but illness prevented some of our climbers from reaching the summit and they headed back to base camp to recover.

Post Summit: Down to C1 and down to BC

The summiteers made it back down to C1 that night for some much-needed rest and then descended to base camp the following morning. After another day of rest and organizing gear, they will retrace their journey back to Kathmandu, catching a heli flight to shorten the trip by a few days. Just 4 days after standing on top of the ‘Jewel of the Khumbu’, they will be flying home. In the span of two short weeks, our climbers will have traveled to Nepal, climbed Ama Dablam, and returned home. During this tight timeline, they reached base camp on October 30 and then summited FIVE days later.

Rapid Ascent™ cuts more than two weeks off the expedition

The teams were able to climb so quickly by following our #rapidascent program, a system developed by Adrian Ballinger. The entire month before their trip, the climbers spent each night sleeping in a Hypoxico Altitude Training System to prepare their bodies for life at higher elevations. Climbers were already pre-acclimatized to 16,500’ (~5000m) before arriving in Nepal. Combine this with the teams’ tight logistics and the climbers were able to complete the expedition a whopping 16 days faster than a traditional ascent of Ama Dablam.

Congratulations everyone that summited and safe travels home!

AMA DABLAM

For more information on our Ama Dablam expeditions, Ama Dablam Rapid Ascent expedition or any of our other international expeditions check out our website. For any questions, call our office at 877-873-5376 or send us an email info@alpenglowexpeditions.com.