Cholatse Expedition
Cholatse (6,440 m) is the mountain that stops people on the trail to Everest Base Camp. Its north face rises 1,500 m abo
Trip Overview
Cholatse (6,440 m) is the mountain that stops people on the trail to Everest Base Camp. Its north face rises 1,500 m above the Chola Tsho lake in a single sweep of ice and rock, and it has the kind of shape — sharp, symmetrical, unmistakable — that gets a peak onto book covers. It was first climbed in 1982 by Vern Clevenger, Galen Rowell, John Roskelley and Bill O'Connor by the south-west ridge, which is the route this expedition follows.
It is a serious undertaking. Graded D, the south-west ridge gives sustained mixed climbing on rock and ice, a long committing crest, and a summit day measured in the low double figures of hours. We run it as a proper expedition — two camps above base, an acclimatisation rotation, progressive rope fixing and a reserve day — over twenty-four days, and we take only climbers with alpine experience at AD+ and above.
Trip Highlights
Summit Cholatse (6,440 m): One of the most striking peaks in the Khumbu, first climbed in 1982 by its south-west ridge.
Sustained Grade D Mixed Climbing: Rock and ice on a long committing crest, with fixed rope on the steep ground and a full abseil descent.
Expedition Structure: Two camps above base, an acclimatisation rotation and a reserve day — not a compressed peak-climbing schedule.
Base Camp Above the Chola Tsho: Camp beneath the north face, on the quiet arm of the Khumbu valley beyond the Everest Base Camp trail.
One Sherpa Per Climber: One-to-one support on ground where rope teams cannot move at a single pace.
Itinerary
A 24-day expedition on the south-west ridge of Cholatse (6,440 m), with a full base camp, two camps above, an acclimatisation rotation, progressive rope fixing on grade D mixed ground and a reserve day.
1Day 1Arrival in Nepal – Kathmandu (1,400 m)
Arrival in Nepal – Kathmandu (1,400 m)
You land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (1,400 m), where our representative meets you in the arrivals hall and drives you to your hotel in Thamel.
Rest is the only item on the schedule. If you have shipped equipment ahead or bought hardware locally, unpack and lay everything out this evening — tomorrow's inspection is thorough and it is easier to find a missing screwgate now.
Your expedition leader calls at the hotel to introduce themselves and set tomorrow's plan. Overnight in Kathmandu.
2Day 2Kathmandu (1,400 m) – Expedition Briefing, Permits and Equipment Check
Kathmandu (1,400 m) – Expedition Briefing, Permits and Equipment Check
A long working morning. Your leader takes the twenty-four day plan apart: the approach, the base camp period, the rotation to Camp 1, the rest day, the summit push from High Camp, the ridge, the abseil descent, and the reserve day.
The equipment inspection covers ice tools, crampons, boots, harness, belay device and helmet, and your leader will go through your climbing history in specific terms — routes, grades and dates. That conversation sets expectations for the assessment day at base camp.
Our office lodges the NMA climbing permit and park paperwork with your passport and photographs, and takes copies of your insurance. The afternoon is free. Overnight in Kathmandu.
3Day 3Fly to Lukla (2,840 m) and Trek to Phakding (2,610 m)
Fly to Lukla (2,840 m) and Trek to Phakding (2,610 m)
An early flight into Lukla (2,840 m) — thirty-five minutes from Kathmandu, or a pre-dawn drive to Manthali and a twenty-minute hop in peak season.
The expedition barrels are weighed and distributed among the porters over tea, which takes longer than it does on a lodge-based trip because there is a great deal more of it.
The trail drops north through Chaurikharka and Ghat to Phakding (2,610 m), past mani walls and water-driven prayer wheels. Around 3 to 4 hours. Overnight at Phakding.
4Day 4Trek from Phakding (2,610 m) to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
Trek from Phakding (2,610 m) to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
Five prayer-flagged suspension bridges across the Dudh Koshi, then a climb through blue pine to Monjo and the Sagarmatha National Park entrance.
Past Jorsalle the Hillary Bridge crosses high above the confluence, and the trail turns uphill for 600 m of steady work, with a first view of Everest partway up on a clear morning.
Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) is where the yaks are engaged for the carry to base camp, and where the leader makes the last equipment purchases. Around 6 hours. Overnight at Namche.
5Day 5Acclimatisation Day at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
Acclimatisation Day at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
Climb high, sleep low. The morning goes up to the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) and across to Khumjung and Khunde beneath Khumbi Yul Lha.
From the ridge above Khumjung, Cholatse is visible at the head of the valley — the sharp pyramid west of Taboche — and your leader will trace the south-west ridge from here, which is a good deal easier to follow at this distance than it will be from underneath.
The afternoon is free. Your leader takes the first oxygen saturation readings tonight. Around 4 hours. Overnight at Namche.
6Day 6Trek from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to Tengboche (3,860 m)
Trek from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to Tengboche (3,860 m)
Two hours of near-level balcony trail out of Namche, high above the Dudh Koshi, with Ama Dablam ahead almost the whole way.
At Phunki Thenga the trail drops to the river and climbs 600 m through rhododendron and birch to the saddle.
Tengboche (3,860 m) holds the largest monastery in the Khumbu. Expedition teams have taken a blessing here before climbing for as long as there have been expeditions, and the afternoon ceremony is open to visitors. Around 5 to 6 hours. Overnight at Tengboche.
7Day 7Trek from Tengboche (3,860 m) to Dingboche (4,410 m)
Trek from Tengboche (3,860 m) to Dingboche (4,410 m)
Down through Deboche, over the Imja Khola above a gorge, and up to Pangboche (3,930 m), the oldest permanent Sherpa settlement in the Khumbu.
Above Pangboche the trees give out and the valley opens into a wide grey trough of moraine and grazing land, walled by Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Taboche.
Dingboche (4,410 m) sits among stone-walled potato and barley fields at the junction of two valleys. Around 5 hours. Overnight at Dingboche.
8Day 8Acclimatisation Day at Dingboche (4,410 m) – Nangkartshang (5,083 m)
Acclimatisation Day at Dingboche (4,410 m) – Nangkartshang (5,083 m)
The standard Khumbu acclimatisation climb: the ridge behind the village to Nangkartshang (5,083 m), steep and non-technical, two to three hours on scree and rock.
Makalu appears over the eastern ridge, with Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Taboche and Cholatse around you. From here the north face — the wall everyone photographs from the Chola Tsho — is directly in view.
Back for a late lunch and rest, with an evening saturation check. Around 4 to 5 hours. Overnight at Dingboche.
9Day 9Trek from Dingboche (4,410 m) to Dzongla (4,830 m)
Trek from Dingboche (4,410 m) to Dzongla (4,830 m)
North-west onto a broad ridge, then along the shelf above the Pheriche valley to Thukla (4,620 m) and the steep climb up the terminal moraine of the Khumbu glacier.
The top of the climb is the Thukla memorial, a field of chortens for climbers lost on Everest and the peaks around it — a sober place to walk through two days before going onto your own mountain.
From there the trail turns west off the Everest Base Camp route to Dzongla (4,830 m), three or four lodges on a shelf above the turquoise Chola Tsho, with the north face of Cholatse filling the sky directly opposite. Around 5 to 6 hours. Overnight at Dzongla.
10Day 10Trek from Dzongla (4,830 m) to Cholatse Base Camp (4,900 m)
Trek from Dzongla (4,830 m) to Cholatse Base Camp (4,900 m)
A short day round the flank of the mountain from the north side to the south-west, on moraine and boulder ground with no trail.
Cholatse Base Camp (4,900 m) is established properly today — mess tent, kitchen tent, storage tent, toilet tent and the sleeping tents — because this is home for the next ten days.
The afternoon is spent settling in and studying the route. From here the south-west ridge is laid out in full: the shoulder where Camp 1 goes, the mixed ground above it, and the long corniced crest running to the summit. Around 3 to 4 hours. Overnight at base camp.
11Day 11Assessment and Training Day at Base Camp (4,900 m)
Assessment and Training Day at Base Camp (4,900 m)
The day that decides who goes above Camp 1. On rock and ice near camp each climber works through ice tool placement, screws, mixed movement in crampons, jumaring on a loaded line over edges, and abseiling from a hanging stance.
Your leader is assessing efficiency under fatigue rather than best-case technique. On a route with a twelve to sixteen hour summit day and a long abseil descent, minutes lost fumbling with a device compound into hours.
Anyone the leader is not satisfied with is told today. Meanwhile the Sherpas begin fixing the ground toward Camp 1. Overnight at base camp.
12Day 12Acclimatisation Rotation to Camp 1 (5,500 m)
Acclimatisation Rotation to Camp 1 (5,500 m)
The first time on the route proper. The climb to Camp 1 (5,500 m) takes five to six hours up the shoulder, on snow and rock with fixed line on the steeper sections, carrying a personal load while the Sherpas move the camp gear.
The camp is a handful of platforms on the crest of the shoulder, exposed and with a view straight down onto base camp and across the valley to Ama Dablam.
Sleeping here is the whole purpose of the day. A night at 5,500 m is what makes a push from 5,900 m realistic a week from now, and it also lets your leader watch how each climber moves under load on the actual route. Overnight at Camp 1.
13Day 13Descend from Camp 1 (5,500 m) to Base Camp (4,900 m)
Descend from Camp 1 (5,500 m) to Base Camp (4,900 m)
Down the fixed ropes to base camp in three to four hours, arriving in time for a long lunch and an afternoon of doing nothing at all.
Descending to recover is not a concession, it is the mechanism: your body consolidates the adaptation from last night's altitude far more effectively at 4,900 m than it would at 5,500 m, and the difference shows up on summit day.
The Sherpas continue carrying loads and fixing the ground above Camp 1 toward High Camp while the climbing team rests. Overnight at base camp.
14Day 14Rest and Preparation Day at Base Camp (4,900 m)
Rest and Preparation Day at Base Camp (4,900 m)
A full rest day, and on an expedition these are worked at rather than enjoyed passively. Eating properly, drinking four litres, sleeping in the afternoon and keeping the legs still are all part of arriving at High Camp with something left.
Practically, the day is also the final preparation. Personal kit is sorted into what goes up and what stays, rope pairs are confirmed, radios are checked, and your leader briefs the three-day push with timings for each stage.
The weather forecast arrives by satellite in the evening and the go or no-go decision for tomorrow is made on it. Overnight at base camp.
15Day 15Climb from Base Camp (4,900 m) to Camp 1 (5,500 m)
Climb from Base Camp (4,900 m) to Camp 1 (5,500 m)
The summit push begins. The same ground as the rotation, and it feels markedly easier — five hours becomes four, and the sections that took concentration a week ago are now familiar.
That difference is the whole argument for the rotation, and it is worth noticing as it happens.
Camp 1 (5,500 m) is reoccupied in the early afternoon. An easy evening, plenty of fluid, and an early night. Your leader confirms tomorrow's timings and load split before dinner. Overnight at Camp 1.
16Day 16Climb from Camp 1 (5,500 m) to High Camp (5,900 m)
Climb from Camp 1 (5,500 m) to High Camp (5,900 m)
A short day in distance and a serious one in character. The ground above Camp 1 is where Cholatse becomes a grade D route — sustained ice and rock steps on fixed line, climbed with tools rather than a walking axe.
Four to five hours brings the team to High Camp (5,900 m), a set of small platforms cut into the ridge with barely room for the tents and nothing resembling shelter.
Dinner is early and minimal — appetite at 5,900 m is poor and forcing fluid matters more than food. Kit is laid out, rope pairs set, and your leader gives the weather call and a fixed turnaround time that will not be renegotiated in the dark. Overnight at High Camp.
17Day 17Summit Cholatse (6,440 m) and Descend to Camp 1 (5,500 m)
Summit Cholatse (6,440 m) and Descend to Camp 1 (5,500 m)
Moving by midnight. The route above High Camp climbs ice at 50 to 60 degrees on fixed rope, broken by rock steps taken in crampons with tools, for several hours in the dark and cold.
Above the mixed ground the summit crest begins — long, narrow, corniced, and exposed for its entire length, with the north face dropping 1,500 m to the Chola Tsho on one side. It is climbed one at a time, and it takes as long as it takes.
The summit (6,440 m) is small and the view is the best argument for the whole trip: Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse east, Ama Dablam south, Cho Oyu and the Ngozumpa north-west, and the Khumbu laid out beneath a peak most of the people down there have photographed and none have climbed.
The descent is a long sequence of abseils down the same anchors to High Camp, and then on down to Camp 1 if the party has the time and the legs. Fourteen to eighteen hours. Overnight at Camp 1.
18Day 18Descend from Camp 1 (5,500 m) to Base Camp (4,900 m)
Descend from Camp 1 (5,500 m) to Base Camp (4,900 m)
Down the fixed ropes to base camp in three to four hours, stripping the rope as the team descends — leaving fixed line on a mountain is neither safe for the next party nor acceptable practice, and it takes time to do properly.
Base camp (4,900 m) in the middle of the day, with thick air, a hot meal, a wash and the first unbroken sleep in four days.
The Sherpas complete the strip and the camp clear-out over the afternoon. Everything that came up the mountain comes back down it. Overnight at base camp.
19Day 19Reserve Day at Base Camp (4,900 m)
Reserve Day at Base Camp (4,900 m)
The reserve day. On a peak with a long committing crest, the usual reason to need it is wind rather than storm — a ridge that is unclimbable at forty knots is perfectly reasonable at fifteen, and the difference can be twenty-four hours.
If the summit was missed and the team is strong enough, the group returns up the fixed ropes today and pushes tomorrow. Your leader weighs the party's condition as heavily as the forecast; a team that came down at the end of its reserves does not go back up.
If the summit went to plan, the day is rest at base camp or an early start down the valley, banking a spare day against the Lukla flights. Overnight at base camp or Dzongla.
20Day 20Trek from Cholatse Base Camp (4,900 m) to Pangboche (3,930 m)
Trek from Cholatse Base Camp (4,900 m) to Pangboche (3,930 m)
Base camp comes down and goes onto yaks, and the team walks out east past Dzongla and down past the Thukla memorial chortens to the Pheriche valley.
Through Pheriche, where the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic runs its afternoon altitude talks, and on down the valley on a good trail beside the river.
A gentle final climb reaches Pangboche (3,930 m), where juniper and birch return and the air feels almost thick. Around 7 hours. Overnight at Pangboche.
21Day 21Trek from Pangboche (3,930 m) to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
Trek from Pangboche (3,930 m) to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
Down through Deboche and up the short climb to the Tengboche saddle, where it is worth stopping at the monastery again on the way out as well as the way in.
The steep descent to Phunki Thenga tests tired knees, and then the balcony trail contours back around the hillside toward Namche, high above the Dudh Koshi.
Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) means a hot shower, a bakery and a beer after ten days of expedition food. Around 6 hours. Overnight at Namche.
22Day 22Trek from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to Lukla (2,840 m)
Trek from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to Lukla (2,840 m)
The last walking day. Steeply down from Namche to the Hillary Bridge, then along the Dudh Koshi through Jorsalle and Monjo, where you check out of the national park.
Through Phakding and past the mani walls, then the final climb to Lukla (2,840 m), which always feels longer on the last day.
The evening is the end-of-expedition dinner with the leader, the climbing Sherpas, the cook crew and the porters, and the point at which the summit bonus and tips are given. Around 6 to 7 hours. Overnight at Lukla.
23Day 23Fly from Lukla (2,840 m) to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
Fly from Lukla (2,840 m) to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
Lukla flights leave early, before the valley wind builds. Thirty-five minutes to Kathmandu, or a landing at Manthali with a road transfer onward in peak season.
Delays are routine rather than exceptional and can run to a full day, which is why no international departure is scheduled for today. If Lukla closes entirely, a helicopter seat can usually be arranged at your own cost.
The afternoon is free for a long shower and Thamel. Your summit certificate is presented in the evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.
24Day 24Departure from Nepal
Departure from Nepal
The expedition ends today. If your flight is a late one there is time for a last morning in Kathmandu — Boudhanath, Patan Durbar Square, or a slow breakfast on a roof terrace.
Our representative collects you from the hotel and drives you to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before departure.
If you are staying on in Nepal, we can arrange Chitwan, Pokhara, Lumbini or a Kathmandu valley tour. Safe travels — climbers who summit Cholatse are ready for Ama Dablam and, for a good many of them, for Baruntse or Himlung after that.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Lukla flights, airport transfers, Kathmandu hotel nights, teahouse and full expedition camp accommodation, three meals a day throughout, the NMA climbing permit and park fees, an expedition leader with one Sherpa per climber, a base camp cook crew, all group rock and ice equipment, progressive rope fixing and the acclimatisation rotation are included, while international flights, visa, alpinism-grade insurance, personal technical equipment, personal gear, city meals, summit bonus and tips are not.
What's Included
Airport pickup and drop-off services in Kathmandu.
Round-trip flight between Kathmandu and Lukla, including the road transfer to and from Manthali in Ramechhap when the flights are operating from there in peak season.
Private airport and hotel transfers in Kathmandu.
Two nights of accommodation in Kathmandu with breakfast.
Accommodation in local teahouses on the approach and the walk out.
Full expedition base camp at 4,900 m with mess, kitchen, storage and toilet tents, plus tented Camp 1 (5,500 m) and High Camp (5,900 m).
Three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) throughout the trip.
Nepal Mountaineering Association climbing permit for Cholatse, Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit.
Government-licensed expedition leader with Himalayan technical experience, with all equipment, wages and insurance.
One climbing Sherpa for every climber above base camp, with all their equipment, wages and insurance.
Group climbing equipment: fixed and main ropes, snow bars, ice screws, and anchors.
Garbage deposit paid to the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Group map, and a comprehensive first aid kit carried by the guide.
Cook and kitchen crew at base camp for the duration of the expedition, with high-altitude food and fuel for the camps above.
A technical assessment and training day at base camp on mixed ground, ice tools, fixed-rope work and abseiling from hanging stances.
Progressive fixing of the shoulder, the ice slopes, the rock steps and the summit ridge by our climbing Sherpas.
An acclimatisation rotation to Camp 1 with a rest day at base camp before the summit push.
Group rock and ice protection: ice screws, snow bars, rock anchors and all fixed and main ropes.
Yak and porter transport of all expedition equipment between Namche and base camp.
Summit certificate issued after a successful ascent.
All government taxes, permit fees, and service charges.
What's Excluded
International flight tickets to and from Nepal.
Nepal entry visa fees.
Travel insurance covering mountaineering to the height of this peak, including emergency helicopter evacuation and repatriation.
Personal climbing equipment — harness, crampons, ice axe, ascender, descender, helmet and carabiners (available to rent as an add-on).
Personal trekking equipment and clothing, including boots and a sleeping bag.
Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu.
Snacks, bottled water, hot showers, Wi-Fi, charging fees, and alcoholic or soft drinks.
Personal technical ice tools, crampons, harness and belay device, which we ask climbers to bring rather than rent for this route.
Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls, and souvenirs.
Summit bonus for the climbing Sherpas, and tips for the expedition leader, base camp crew and porters.
Any additional accommodation, transport or expenses caused by weather, an attempt abandoned for conditions, or a departure postponed by us because the route is unsafe.
Route Map
Explore the terrain map showing the trek route.
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Altitude Profile
Pricing
Transparent per-person pricing based on group size, covering the services listed in the itinerary with no hidden charges.
Best Time to Climb
Late April to May and October to early November. Cholatse rewards settled cold weather above everything else: the mixed sections need firm ice and dry rock, and the ridge needs to be free of soft cornices. A warm spell mid-route is more dangerous here than a cold snap.
Autumn is the more reliable half of the year, with well-formed post-monsoon ice and clean rock. Spring can work superbly in a settled year and can be unclimbable in a snowy one, when the rock bands hold unconsolidated powder that neither takes protection nor clears. We run a small number of departures each season and will postpone or cancel rather than commit a party to the ridge in marginal conditions.
Climb Difficulty & Technical Grade
Graded D. From base camp the route gains a shoulder to Camp 1 at around 5,500 m, then follows increasingly technical ground to High Camp at 5,900 m. Above that the south-west ridge gives the climbing the mountain is known for: ice at 50 to 60 degrees, rock steps taken in crampons with tools, and a long, narrow, corniced crest that is exposed for its entire length.
Summit day runs twelve to sixteen hours from High Camp, and the descent is a long sequence of abseils on the same anchors. There is no easy ground and there is nowhere on the upper route to sit out bad weather. The commitment above High Camp is the defining feature of the climb, and it is why the turnaround time is set the night before and treated as fixed.
The rope techniques used on the climb are explained step by step in our guide to fixed rope and jumar skills.
Experience Required
We require alpine experience at AD+ or above, previous time at 6,000 m, and demonstrable competence on mixed ground — placing and removing ice screws, moving on rock in crampons, and abseiling from hanging stances while tired. A background of Himalayan trekking peaks alone does not qualify, and we will decline the booking rather than take the money.
The natural preparation is Lobuche East or Island Peak, then Kyajo Ri or Kwangde, then this. Physically, the demand is not explosive strength but the ability to keep making good decisions in hour thirteen of a summit day. Your guide assesses each climber on technical ground at base camp and has the authority to stop anyone going above Camp 1.
Travel Insurance
Insurance written for alpinism to 6,500 m, including graded mixed climbing, fixed-rope work and abseiling, is mandatory. General adventure travel cover is not acceptable on this expedition and we reject it regularly. A national alpine club policy or a specialist mountaineering insurer is what you want, and we ask for written confirmation naming the activity and the altitude.
Emergency helicopter evacuation and repatriation must be included. A helicopter can reach base camp in clear weather; it cannot reach Camp 1, High Camp or the ridge. An incident on the upper route means the team performing a technical lowering over many hours before any aircraft is involved. We hold your policy number, the insurer's 24-hour line and a named emergency contact from the Kathmandu briefing onward.
Packing List & Climbing Equipment
Full alpine kit. Rigid mountaineering boots and technical crampons, a pair of technical ice tools, a -30°C sleeping bag, an insulated mat, a heavy expedition down jacket, insulated over-trousers, a full shell, softshell trousers, technical gloves in three weights, a helmet, category 4 glacier glasses, goggles and a headlamp with lithium batteries.
We supply all fixed and main ropes, ice screws, snow bars, rock protection and anchors, and our Sherpas fix the route progressively as the team rotates. We ask climbers to bring their own tools, crampons, harness and belay device rather than rent them. On grade D ground, familiar equipment is a safety measure rather than a preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to common questions about the Cholatse Expedition.
1Which route does this expedition climb?
The south-west ridge, the line of the 1982 first ascent by Clevenger, Rowell, Roskelley and O'Connor. It is the normal route and the only one guided commercially. The north face, the wall visible from the Everest Base Camp trail, is a hard technical objective that is not climbed on a guided expedition.
2How does Cholatse compare with Ama Dablam?
Similar in seriousness and roughly comparable in grade, but with far less traffic and no fixed infrastructure left in place by other teams. Ama Dablam in season has multiple expeditions sharing fixed ropes; on Cholatse your team fixes its own line and is usually alone on the mountain. That makes it the harder logistical proposition even where the climbing is equivalent.
3What is the success rate?
Around 40 to 50 percent on our departures, which is honest for a grade D peak with a long committing ridge. Weather on the crest and time lost on the mixed ground are the two usual reasons for turning back, and both are calls made against a fixed turnaround.
4Why is the expedition twenty-four days for a 6,440 m peak?
Because the structure is what makes it safe. An acclimatisation rotation to Camp 1 and back, a rest day at base camp, progressive rope fixing by the Sherpas, and a reserve day all take time. Compressing that would raise the price of a shorter trip in a currency we are not willing to spend.
5Where is base camp?
At around 4,900 m on moraine below the peak, reached from Dzongla in a few hours. It is a full expedition base camp with a mess tent, kitchen tent, toilet tent, storage tent and a cook crew, and it is the group's home for around ten days.
6Do I need to lead climb?
No. The steep ground is fixed by our Sherpas and climbed on a jumar, and the connecting sections are climbed as a roped pair with the Sherpa in front. What you need is the movement skill and composure of someone who could lead at that grade, even if you never take the sharp end here.
7Is Cholatse a Nepal Mountaineering Association peak or a Department of Tourism peak?
It sits on the NMA list rather than requiring a Department of Tourism royalty and a liaison officer, which keeps the paperwork and the cost well below a genuine 7,000 m or 8,000 m expedition. The climbing is closer to the expedition end than the permit category suggests.
8What happens on the acclimatisation rotation?
The group climbs to Camp 1 at 5,500 m, sleeps there, and descends to base camp to rest for a day. It is standard expedition practice: you acclimatise at altitude and recover low. It also gives your guide a real look at how each climber moves on the route before committing to the summit push.
9How exposed is the summit ridge?
Continuously, for hours. It is narrow, corniced on one side, and drops steeply on both. If exposure is something you manage rather than ignore, be honest with your guide at the assessment day — the ridge is not a place to discover a limit.
10Can I combine Cholatse with anything else?
Not sensibly in one trip. It is a full expedition with a rotation and a reserve day and it uses the schedule it has. Climbers wanting two objectives are better served by our Island and Lobuche combinations; climbers wanting Cholatse should give it the twenty-four days.
Gallery
Explore authentic moments, camps and summit views from the Cholatse Expedition.
Trekking Guides & Articles
Cholatse Expedition: The Complete Guide — The mountain that stops people on the trail to Everest Base Camp — a 1,500 m north face above Chola Tsho and a grade D south-west ridge first climbed by Clevenger, Rowell.
Thamserku Expedition: The Complete Guide — The fluted wall over Namche that almost everyone decides to photograph rather than climb.
Kusum Kanguru Peak Climbing: The Complete Guide — Officially a trekking peak, and widely regarded as the hardest on the NMA list — grade D, two camps above base, fixed rope on almost everything above 5,300 m.
Fix Departure
This expedition runs every week on the selected day through the climbing season. Choose custom dates for one-off departures.
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Guest Reviews
An experience to treasure
“There are a lot of companies selling Himalayan climbs, but very few can actually deliver like this one. They never pushed anyone beyond their limits and celebrated a smart turnaround just as warmly as...
Lucas Perez
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