UKC

looking to climb ama dablam in the next few years (looking at 2014 by the time ive some more experience in the alps, both in summer and winter). I am going to do it privately with one other climber and alpine syle.

Ive read an article where two mountaineers went from lukla, summited and then was back in lukla in 16 days, i realise this will be a big ask but is it doable given no weather/acclimatisation issues?

Anyone done it with any advice?

Also does anyone know how i go about permits?

cheers
Geoff

In reply to geoff.comley: I was on AD in 2009 and 16 days is tight. It is 6800m and you would want to take it slowly to acclimatise. Usually it takes several trips up the hill from base camp to establish higher camps, even if you are doing it Alpine style. The climb itself is usually 3 days. 1 day to Camp 1 at around 5800m, another day to camp 2.5 (camp 3 is not used much now as the Dablam has a habit of collapsing and killing people at camp 3!) and another to summit and back to camp 1, or even down to BC if you are feeling particularly nails! You need to pay for a climbing permit which your trekking company would organise for you through the Nepalese Mountaineering Association. Autumn is more popular than spring, largely because there is more snow and the top is less of a blue ice nightmare, but it has been done in spring if conditions are right. Happy to chat if you need more info. 07803618286. Andy

In reply to andybrown114: thanks mate, will give you a phone later this week if thats ok.

geoff

In reply to geoff.comley:

I just came back from Ama Dablam. Yes it's doable in 16 days. We made a return trip from Lukla in 11 days, with a day or two to spare at the end. However I'll recommend you to allow for more time, as the flight to Lukla is prone to delay by bad weather. We had to climb without a acclimatisation rest because of flight delays. Basically the planes can't take off/land when it's cloudy. The runway is amongst mountains and under 500m long! You can hire private choppers but they are very expensive.

On our way in our flight was canceled. After three days waiting in Kathmandu we decided to travel overland and walk to Lukla from Jiri. It took us three and a half days (recommended 8 days on guidebooks), plus another two days from Lukla to basecamp. The climb took us 4/5 days (1. base camp to camp 1, 2. optional rest day, 3. camp 1 to camp 2, 4. camp 2 to summit to camp 2, 5. camp 2 to base camp). There's two rest days at base camp/way out and 1.5 days to walk out. We would have put in more rest days at base camp if we had not booked our return flights. The food was incredible!

If you're planning to do the normal route (sw ridge), the whole route is covered with fixed ropes (in varying standards/conditions) and it seems to be what every one use. I've not seen any climbers carrying their own ropes. Apparently sherpas of the first team of each autumn will repair the existing fixed ropes. The old ones tend to be left laying around which can be messy and confusing. We hire a local company who deal with our permits, provide base camp catering and 4 sherpas to climb with us. The mountain tents are also set up by them as there is no room for more tents in some camps. They just leave their tents there for the whole season. This allowed us to climb with a relatively small rucksack (15-20kg) and climb in one push. For more detail you can read our blog here:

http://amadablamclimb.wordpress.com/

In reply to jamestheyip:

That sounds like a phenomenal feat of acclimatisation (Well done!). More what might be considered realistic for Mont Blanc than Ama Dablam! For many (most?) people far longer would be essential/desirable I think.

ps I once spent a month at Ama Dablam base camp and didn't make it above 6000m, but I am exceptionally crap at altitude.....

In reply to geoff.comley:

This might be of interest: http://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/news/articles_read.html?id=4

It's a fairly 'typical' acclimatisation profile I should think. 6-7 days trek to BC, then at least one jaunt up to Camp 1, before going for the summit. I would day 16 days is tight and only for those who acclimatise v quickly and are v fit!

thanks to all for the advice, sounds doable. just get fit now!

happy climbing!

In reply to geoff.comley:

Finally managed to get some pics up of AMA Dablam November 2011 expedition.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radson/sets/72157627962672963/

In reply to radson: 'Bryson descending to Camp 1' is a cracking shot at the end.

In reply to radson:

Sony 77? Any excuse for a new camera!

In reply to radson:

Fantastic gallery radson and well done

In reply to geoff.comley:

Damo, I actually felt really guilty buying the Sony, it was a last minute thing as I was walking through changi.

Thanks mr mills but for the record, i didn't summit. I turned around about an hour from the top.

In reply to geoff.comley: If you want to save time on the decent put Ama dablam into the you tube search and have a look for the yak paragliding decent from the sumit by our very own ukc,er Ice Nine. If you can paraglide that's the way to get off the sumit and back to base camp.

In reply to geoff.comley:

Why rush it, gambling on being a good acclimatiser and risking failure and illness. Give yourself time, enjoy it and increase your chances of summiting.