UKC

Have you climbed it? and did you need a guide?

In reply to Blizzard:

Yes and no. Knife edge snow ridge to summit. So don't go solo, which m assuming you aren't

In reply to Blizzard:

as above EXCEPT for the 2 day 'Cooks Traverse' than suddenly makes it a much bigger mountain.

grab a sherpa for that one, as the first part is thru a field of slabs that would need directions and could be sketchy if iced.

In reply to ice.solo:

Howdy IS

Whats this Cooks Traverse you speak of. I will be loitering around IP again in 2 months time.

In reply to radson:

taking this image:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sponsortrek.nl/islamap.jpg&a...

if i recall correctly we started from a BC on the western side (no one else there) and came up to a camp below the obvious ridge (at the top of the rock slabs). then along the ridge to join the regular route.
pretty spectacular and a better way to acclimate with a single night up there.

we came down the regular route and then around the base to our BC.

ignorantly, i dont recall the exact route (i was just a minion on a training thing), so damo could probably confirm it.

In reply to ice.solo:

I know there's a quite direct route up the actual west face, but not sure of a route like you've described there.

When you mentioned traverse I figured you were referring to up the north ridge route > down the normal route. The N ridge has been accessed at a 5700m notch around above the Lhotse Shar Glacier to the east. Meant to be a good route.

In reply to Damo:

Hmmmm. Def wasnt up any great face, just scramblable stuff.

And def went up/down the tourist route to the peak.

I may have it totally upside down, but it was a rocky camp followed by a long knife ridge that dropped to the saddle that connected to the summit ramp. Coming in from the western side.
Camp was on rock not snow, overlooking the lakes in the lhotse glacier (if i have the right glacier).

Def named the Cooks Traverse. Nothing hard or grand, just nice. The camp was the main reason.

In reply to ice.solo:

We did a recce of that route you are describing a couple of years ago. V doable and an interesting alternative to the normal route. We also looked at the NE side, but the approach was pretty gnarly if I remember rightly.

In reply to Blizzard: If you are alone and it is busy you will run into problems and stress. Also, the normal route is heavily crevassed now after crampon point. We used to just walk right up to the snow ramp but this year we were jumping some pretty mega crevasses. You need to rope up for this section. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ALONE. You may not need a guide but you neep a partner or two.

If you go alone, befriend some sherpas who are planning on climbing the day you are going. Not from the big teams, but rather the small ones. Offer them some rope, cash or gear so you can use their ropes on the ramp and summit ridge. Trust me, if it is busy there, you want the sherpas to know who you are.

I have been 7 times there. the busy times are Oct 10 - Dec 1 and April & May. I have been on the hill with 5 people and also with like 80! seriously. It is a great little trip though.

Hope this helps.
Chris S.

In reply to Blizzard:

Went in March 1993 , on the first ever Khumbu climber HK trip , it was our first peak ( mistake ! ) we bivvied at 18500 feet & had 8 inches of snow overnight , we all failed within 200 yards of the bivvy site due to lack of acclimatisation , heavy snow , general pissedoffness

We went on to climb Pokalde 5806m , Kong Ma Tse 5820m & got to top of Lobuje Far East summit 6000m , actual proper top at 6119m is a lot more technical than AD- route we did ( think first climbed by Mark Twight & Alison Hargreaves )

There was no glacier crossing before the summit ridge so you could probably solo it , but if you are not acclimatised do something else first to get a better chance of getting up.

Have fun , cheers Sean

In reply to Chris Szymiec:

Blimey. 80 people. Times have changed. We climbed it in spring 1990, never saw a soul between Chukkung, BC, the top and back to the village again.

In those days it was a straightforward walk to the base of the ramp, a monster bergschrund to get over, then up and onto the ridge.

Sad to think what climate change and increased traffic is doing to that stunning valley.