Mount Everest

This is a general tourism website. For your specialized needs, you really need to look for mountaineering forums

To climb to the summit? Probably years and years of previous mountaineering experience, so you’d already have the relevant gear and know the mountaineering techniques and safety drills, back to front and inside out.

Know you are fit enough - athlete standard and because of your previous experience, which expeditions are planned when you want to go - the ‘season’ is a tiny window, but you knew that, right?

You’ll need an absolute boatload of money - six figures and counting, upwards - in dollar terms.

You’ll need your affairs in order. One in five don’t come back, statistically speaking. More, if it all goes horribly wrong. Read ‘Into Thin Air’. If it gives you pause, it’s not for you.

If you mean your expedition is to Everest Base Camp, which is not as severe, you need to tell us. This needs less mountaineering, but still has risks attached - altitude sickness to name but one. Avalanches, land slips etc., to name more. Your journey is likely to be from Kathmandu at around four thousand feet altitude to base camp at eighteen thousand. Thus the approach involves a lot of hill climbing. I mention this as I’ve heard from a mountain guide out there that this has come as a surprise to at least one person.

I assume you are planning to trek to EBC (Everest Base Camp).
I trekked to EBC in Feb/March 2017 with 11 friends , 2 guides and 6 porters.
Although most of us were very experienced self sufficient, self guided wilderness hikers we chose to use a trekking company for this one.

The price for the 15 day tour was about $USD1000. Currently similar tours seem to be $USD1200 to 1300. Incredible value.

I have just climbed out of my kayak after a long session so will keep this short for now.
A quick outline.

Arrived Kathmandu and transported to hotel by company.

Next day guided tour of Kathmandu temples and sights.

Planned flight to Lukla next morning but planes unable to fly due to weather a common occurrence. Transported back to hotel.

Next morning flew to Lukla, lunch at Lukla. The landing at Lukla is an experience. Trek to Phakding.

Trek to Namche Bazaar (unbelievable).

Next day acclim day around Namche did steep hiking, lunch in a little village. Back to Namche for the night.

Trek from Namche to Thangboche. Visited the famous monastery.

Trek to Dingboche. The views!!!

Next day acclim day Dingboche. Steep hiking, stunning!! Back to Ding for the night.

Trek to Lobuche. Wandering about around 5000m above sea level.
Serious now, a bloke died here 2 days back from pulmonary oedema.

Trek to Gorak Shep. Drop off gear then trek to Base Camp. Back to Gorak Shep.

Optional up early to climb Kala Pathar.
Back to Gorak Shep then down we go. Slight change of track on the down stopping at Pheriche for the night.

Trek all the way through to Namche.

Trek through to Lukla stay Lukla for the night.

Morning flight from Lukla cancelled, all flights cancelled. Another night in Lukla.

Day if Holi, morning flight to Kathmandu. Company threw us a party, beer and nibbles. Company takes us out that night for celebration meal and drinks.

We stayed on in Kathmandu for a few more days.

Is that like what you are looking to do?
We used a company called Imperial Nepal Treks managed by Paras Khanal. I have had friends also use them. I would confidently recommend them.

It is possible to organise your own trek but honestly you would struggle to do it as cheaply and it might prove problematic.

Feel free to ask any specifics and I will try to help out.

It is quite surprising iandjulie that you interpreted trekking to Mt Everest as a plan to climb it.
I am also guessing CJean interpreted the post the same way.
CJean "trekking to Everest" doesn't require mountaineering. The OP was asking a reasonable question in the right place and would have been able to source some useful info here.

Saying you want to trek to Everest" (generally to EBC) is quite different to saying I want to climb Everest. I have had dozens of people use terms about me having been to Everest. I don't think any have been thinking I climbed to the summit.

iandjulie I felt your response came across quite disrespectfully to the OP and CJean told them to go elsewhere. I am not surprised the OP hasn't followed up. A pity if they have just given us the flick.

Hi Tintaldra -

No disrespect intended here. But because it isn’t specific about EXACTLY where the OP wants to go I didn’t want to assume. As I’m sure you’ll know even going to base camp is not easy, but it’s a sad fact of life that if you’ve got the cash you can attempt to climb Everest without a scrap of experience. A fairly recent BBC article showed a guy attempting the fixed rope section with crampons on the wrong feet, helmet dangling off the outside of his pack and no ice axe to hand. So I was more thinking in the vein of ‘know what you are taking on’ rather than just going ‘great, go for it’. I think this is probably the wrong place to be asking about Everest treks and the fact that the OP was asking here made me wonder a bit. Although there have been some odd posts on here that turned out to be trolls recently again I did not want to assume the OP was a troll, so answered honestly. I have trekked all over the world including Nepal but admittedly have not been to Everest base camp (hats off to you though!).

I’m sorry that you thought that both myself and CJean came off as disrespectful, I’m sure that’s not what either of us intended.

Ian

I have no experience with Himalaya trekking, but I have friends and family members who are. And I can recommend an excellent guiding company that is well-regarded and very experienced. We have used them for less arduous treks (Patagonia, Tour du Mont Blanc) but I know Everest Basecamp is one of their specialties. They offer two different itineraries:

https://www.mtsobek.com/trips/asia/nepal/nepal-everest-base-camp-trek/

https://www.mtsobek.com/trips/asia/nepal/nepal-everest-lodge-to-lodge-trek/

Note that the second one does not reach the main Everest Base Camp at 17,000+feet; they visit a lower one (Ama Dahlam) at 15,000 feet. The first trek does reach the main Everest Basecamp, but you do not overnight there. All nights are in inns and lodges.

Hiking involves a long energetic walk in a natural environment on hiking trails or footpaths for a day or overnight.
Trekking involves a long vigorous hike in wild natural environment for multiple days. It can be done off hiking trails.
https://adventures.com/blog/hiking-vs-trekking/

OP left room for ambiguity on how he is using the word 'trekking'

Would have been nice if OP came back and provided details on just what he is planning

Not sure that trekking excludes 'climbing' ( to a summit)

“Trekking” does not necessarily exclude reaching a summit, so long as it can be ascended on foot, without technical climbing gear or skills. I have reached a number of summits, including Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the “lower 48”, by hiking (or trekking) up a trail. And spent the night there.

But reaching the summit of Everest requires technical “climbing” as mountaineers and alpinists use that term. That is, climbing steep rock, ice, or snow with the use of hands, ropes, ice axes, and/or other devices. It is not a walkup. For example, our local Mt. Rainier, which is not as high as Whitney, is a “climb”, requiring ice axes, crampons, roped climbing partners, and all the rest that goes with actual mountaineering.

Thus I did not read the OP’s request as an intent to climb Everest, but simply a wish to trek to the climbers’ basecamp, which is a famous place. Also one that is difficult to reach, and requires logistical support. There are lots of issues involved, including environmental ones, and I do not know if one can even spend the night there without an official permit, as they are likely reserved for climbers.

I am sure there are other websites that would be better sources for for information the OP seeks.

In Nepal's tourist/travel industry a request to trek to Mt Everest would be considered a request to trek to EBC. No one would for a moment construe that as a request to climb Everest.

Is this the best forum to seek info on EBC/ABC/ADBC Treks? Probably not but at least one person on here has done the EBC trek (FB tells me I arrived in Kathmandu 7 years ago yesterday) so some relevant info could be passed onto anyone enquiring.

So if anyone out there is interested in it I am happy to try to answer any questions.

well after 6 days of silence from our first-time poster I think it likely they did not intend to return

Thanks Everyone Gyes! I got some valuable information, and I'll share my experience with you guys after I complete my EBC trekking.