Any1 else done Everest base camp?

agardiner22

Was just wondering has any of the other users done the EBC, I was talking to 1 other person from here who did it.
Its just when i done it 2 weeks ago there seemed to be some irish coming back down and lots of irish memorabilia around Namche Bazaar and i was inquisitive.

loobylou

I did it 10 years ago, really enjoyed it but found it very commercial and overcrowded. Can't imagine what it's like now.

Sev

Did it in 2007. Aimed to climb a trekking peak in the area too, Lobuche East, but we didn't get our weather window. Went up to the Cho La Pass too, which I thought was well worth it.

agardiner22

yea its still commercial and overcrowded but still great

joewicklow

Im planning on doing a trek to Base Camp in 2011. Im thinking of going with MountainKingdoms.com. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hugh_C

I'm leaving for it on Thursday at short notice, I'm planking it at the mo What level of fitness is required? It is harder/easier than Kilimanjaro which is my yardstick?

Sev

Having summitted Kili by the marangu route myself, I believe that the Everest base camp trek is harder.

The reason being, is that the profile of Kili is very unchanging. It's constantly uphill at a very gradual incline. On Kili, gaining 300m of altitude on any given day generally requires a straightforward gentle hike. The only steep part is at the very end on summit day.

The trail towards everest however, takes you along and through many valleys. You will constantly lose hundreds of metres to have to regain them again by climbing steeply up the other side of the valley. It's also a longer trek in terms of distance travelled.

However, because of this, on a typical base camp trekking itinerary you will ascend much fewer metres on any given day. The trekking companies will try to keep to a schedule of an average of 300m gained per day with an acclimatisation day in Namche Bazaar, this is what you're lonely planet guide will recommend too. On a 5-day Kili climb however, you are expected to gain 4000m in 3 days.

Therefore, as far as acclimatisation is concerned, an Everest Base camp trip is a more pleasant experience and better for your health than trying to sprint up Kili in 3 days. This means your odds of making it all the way to Base camp and Kala Patthar should be much higher than for summitting Kili!

The largest obstacle, in my opinion to the success of your trek is the flight to Lukla. The airport is notorious for having bad weather and poor visibility descend onto it for days and backlogs of missed flights can build up. When I was coming back to Kathmandu, my flight got delayed for 4 or 5 days due to persistent fog. The chances of bad weather delays will diminish in October and November however, since the weather is generally clearer then.

I hope this helps, good luck!

monthehoops

Funny how this is bumped today as it's something that I started thinking about doing. I've seen elsewhere it's not difficult, you just need to be able to walk/hike for 4-6 hours a day so once you're in decent condition that's not so bad.

A bit disappointed to hear it's packed.

agardiner22

The EBC was tough on me, even though i was reasonably fit but i was 16.5 stone, when i got off plane journey(which was fantastic) the thin air immediately hit me. Luckily i had bought altitude sickness tabs in Kat, The hardest day for me was second day, up to Namche the climb befor it is hard on the thighs and you can feel the lower oxygen intake in the muscles. I wanted to give up at one point but my guide was great and never was a true saying said "slow and steady" remember its not a race, 2 superfit people in my group didnt make it. At the end of the day, enjoy it, take al the photos u can. by the end of it i lost 2 stone and still cant believe i was there. Also i would have been lost without sticks, they were great for me and dirt cheap around Lukla. Enjoy, good luck
and let me know how u get on.

loobylou

Hugh_C wrote: »

I'm leaving for it on Thursday at short notice, I'm planking it at the mo What level of fitness is required? It is harder/easier than Kilimanjaro which is my yardstick?

I've not done Kili, but my reading/understanding of Kili makes me think EBC would be easier.
Its a much longer walk to approximately the same altitude so acclimitisation should be easier.
Physically its not that difficult, as stated 4-6 hr days are the norm. It can even be hard to fill in the other hours of the day, weirdly, one afternoon I went for a walk to pass the time. A strong mental attitude will be as important to you as physical fitness. I found there was a lot of free time, in quite crowded and cramped lodging. The main topics of conversation were headaches and bowel movements.
That said, hygiene was quite an issue. A dose of diarrhoea is almost inevitable. Toilet facilities in lodges are extremely basic, the one item of equipment I wished I had brought was an anti odour facemask. (Whilst squatting)
Bring a few cup-a-soups too, very little weight but will give a bit of variety to your diet.

agardiner22

Baby wipes are essential, caldesene powder, sudocream, iodine tablets and a good book or 2. I actually found myself almost attached to my guide to find out all i could about the history, people, area and gen knowledge. It passed the time till half eight at which time i was hittin the sack as getting as much as sleep as possible was my biggest factor in makin it.
Spot on about the cup of soups, pot noodles too if u can

valerie

I trekked to EBC via the high passes (Cho La pass etc.) in May. Fantastic trip. Slightly harder apparently than the standard route but much less crowded. It was coming to the end of the season anyway mind so it may have been quieter anyway.

agardiner22

Did u stay in Gokyo? My next charity drive i wanna come back that way.
Is it tougher?

Hugh_C

just back from the trek, it was beyond amazing, climber Kala Patthar in the dark in time to see sunrise over Everest, has to be one of the most spiritual events of my life, really terrifically amazing.

Also did a trip to Island Peak and climbed as far as the headwall. Very tough, very high (>6000m) and beautiful. Decided not to jumar up the headwall coz I didn't have enough gas in the tank to get back down safely.

Brilliant trip overall though despite a dose of the trots and the Khumbu Cough.

lg123

out of interest hugh, which was harder, EBC or kili?

island peak is defo on the list.

Takeshi_Kovacs

Sounds good Hugh, how was the weather for your trip?
Also, post any pics if you dont mind sharing

Hugh_C

lg123 wrote: »

out of interest hugh, which was harder, EBC or kili?

island peak is defo on the list.

EBC is longer for sure, but not quite as high as Kili. The scenery is more spectacular and the mountains surrounding you are way higher. If you're thinking if going to Everest Base Camp, I think you should insist on climbing Kala Patthar in the dark, for sunrise over Everest/Nuptse/Lohtse, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Island Peak on the other hand is harder than Kili. The walk in is tough, and climb from Island Peak Base Camp to High Base Camp (~5550m) is as tough a three hours as I've experienced. The climb above High Base Camp is pretty extreme and there's a fair bit of vertical exposure, a lot of which you climb in the dark (thankfully). You get to a ridge after a few hours of determined trudging, and then you put on the crampons and ice axe to walk across a snow field which is pretty steep and tiring. Above the snow field there's the head wall (~6000m) where you start jumaring up to the high ridge and on to the top (~6189m).

And then you have to come down of course.

Hugh_C

Takeshi_Kovacs wrote: »

Sounds good Hugh, how was the weather for your trip?
Also, post any pics if you dont mind sharing

Weather was perfect except for the very last day walking in to Lukla which was miserably wet.

Will post pics once I get organised.

lg123

Hugh_C wrote: »

EBC is longer for sure, but not quite as high as Kili. The scenery is more spectacular and the mountains surrounding you are way higher. If you're thinking if going to Everest Base Camp, I think you should insist on climbing Kala Patthar in the dark, for sunrise over Everest/Nuptse/Lohtse, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Island Peak on the other hand is harder than Kili. The walk in is tough, and climb from Island Peak Base Camp to High Base Camp (~5550m) is as tough a three hours as I've experienced. The climb above High Base Camp is pretty extreme and there's a fair bit of vertical exposure, a lot of which you climb in the dark (thankfully). You get to a ridge after a few hours of determined trudging, and then you put on the crampons and ice axe to walk across a snow field which is pretty steep and tiring. Above the snow field there's the head wall (~6000m) where you start jumaring up to the high ridge and on to the top (~6189m).

And then you have to come down of course.

was up kala pattar this time last year, didnt get up for the sunrise though which i regret a little. ditto on the scenery around there, it is just amazing.
so you think EBC is the harder slog?

agardiner22

some of my friends went up Kala pattar on the way back in the evening and said it was awesome. And got some great pics.

Hugh_C

lg123 wrote: »

was up kala pattar this time last year, didnt get up for the sunrise though which i regret a little. ditto on the scenery around there, it is just amazing.
so you think EBC is the harder slog?

I think Island Peak is definitely harder than Kili. EBC maybe a little easier. But longer.

Sev

Hugh_C wrote: »

If you're thinking if going to Everest Base Camp, I think you should insist on climbing Kala Patthar in the dark, for sunrise over Everest/Nuptse/Lohtse, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

See attachment! It's a photo I took on my trip.

agardiner22

That is a great pic, did any else see any avalanches when ye were there.

Hugh_C

looking back from Gorakshep on the way to EBC



on the way to Island Peak

.

lg123

great photos, the khumbu region has to be one of the most stunning places in the world.

agardiner22

I agree, I loved the view from Dingboche of Ama Dablam. What did ye guys make of the memorial at above Dughla.

Hugh_C

I found it pretty moving, so many dead climbers, Everest is littered with corpses. Our visit through Dughla was made all the more special because we were be led by Pat Falvey who was mates with a good few of the dead commemorated there, we put up flags for Ger McDonnell.

agardiner22

Yea I thought it was very sombre. I flew flags there too and made a small cairn for my sister and niece who are no longer with us, with some flags inside it.

RATM

I'm heading on the EBC in October and hoping to attempt a summit of nearby Mera Peak after it. Anyone here been up Mera at all ?

RamblingRuairi

RATM wrote: »

I'm heading on the EBC in October and hoping to attempt a summit of nearby Mera Peak after it. Anyone here been up Mera at all ?

Hey RATM,

Any chance who you could tell me if you're traveling independently or an organised trip? If it's organised, can you tell who you're traveling with? I'm looking to EBC sometime over the next 2yrs and just trying to get some tours operators to compare and contrast.

Anyone else have any recommendations and why?
Seen earths-edge.com, iantaylortrekking.com and patfalvey......any others worth mentioning?

Cheers and sorry for hijacking

Andrewf20

RamblingRuairi wrote: »

Hey RATM,

Any chance who you could tell me if you're traveling independently or an organised trip? If it's organised, can you tell who you're traveling with? I'm looking to EBC sometime over the next 2yrs and just trying to get some tours operators to compare and contrast.

Anyone else have any recommendations and why?
Seen earths-edge.com, iantaylortrekking.com and patfalvey......any others worth mentioning?

Cheers and sorry for hijacking

I did Annapurna base camp in Sept / Oct 2011 with Wayfarers after spotting them being mentioned in rough guides and they were superb. I would recommend them highly. They do Everest trips also.

Our guide had great English, food was plentiful and tasty on the 12 day trek, all at a very reasonable price. They showed great flexibility at meeting our schedule requirements as well. (We actually had a 3 week itinerary with incl Nepal homestays & Bhutan trip etc, again with excellent service).

See here - http://www.wayfarers.com.np/

The phobia of weather issues causing potential delays at Lukla + our tight schedule meant we chose ABC instead (fly to Pokhara). If you do ABC instead for similar reasons to us, you can do a 1hr flight from Kathmandu for 100 euro to catch a glimpse of Everest and a large chunk of the Hymalayas. Its another item id recommend. They go daily, each morning I think and can be organised thru wayfarers...

http://www.mountainflights.com/