In reply to BruceM:
Hi
I was in Nepal from October last year utill Jan this year.
We flew into Lukla on the 8th of Dec,(origanly tried on the 7th but cancelled due to weather)
we crossed the cho La Pass for base camp side to Gokyo.
To answer your questions.
1.From my experience on the Cho La Pass.
Passes arent closed as in blocked off you cannot go, there are usually only snow bound for a day or two.(or as long as the weather is bad)
we had perfect weather and in the days leading up to it we were all apprehensive, about the conditions as there had been a week long spell of bad weather prior to us flying in to Lukla, so we tried to speak to as many folk as possible before making the decision to go for it or not.(we had no crampons or axes)
It was a mixed bag,we met folk who said dont do it without crampons its so dangerous, and others who had done it without.
Any way we decided to go for it, I have never been on a glacier before but my girlfriend and I have plenty of winter climbing and walking experience under our belts so felt comfortably going to at least try.
5 of us done the pass one guy in Salomon running shoes, me in Salomon cosmics(light weight trekking boots).
the route was slippy but not dangerous in the sense that a slip would be fatal(however that being said fresh snow or bad weather would make route finding tricky)
we flew back to KTM, on the 27th but planes still flew on the 25.
you can be flexible enough with dates,
I would highly recommend being there in December and through xmas as the the lodges were mostly empty,and the route was quiet
we heard that in peak season its like a conveyor belt and the lodges are full.
Hope that helps.
If you have any further questions just ask.
cheers
Neil