Island Peak Climbing

Island Peak Climbing

Facts for the Climbing

Climbing Days: 19

Max Altitude: 6189m.

Best Season: Spring and autumn

Accommodation: Lodge or Tented

Smallest amount Pax: 1 +

Mode of travel: Fly in / fly out

Trip highlight

Island Peak (6169m) is also known as Imja Tse.  It is one of the popular trekking peaks in Nepal.  From Dingboche the mountain is seen as an island peak in a sea of ice. The summit is interesting and attractive with a highly glaciated west face rising from the Lhotse Glacier. The ridge rising to the south from this point leads to the summit of Island Peak. Imja Tse not only provides an enjoyable climb but also provides some of the most spectacular scenery of the Himalayas in the Khumbu region. Seen from the summit, the giant mountains/ Everest, Nuptse (7,879m), Lhotse (8,516m), Lhotse Middle Peak (8,410m) and Lhotse Shar (8,383m) make a semi circle in the north. The views of Makalu (8463m) in the east, Baruntse and Ama Dablam in the south add more charm in climbing Island Peak. For many mountaineers, climbing Island Peak marks the beginning of climbing in the Himalayas to prepare for a big Himalayan expedition later in the year. For some mountaineers, the peak is also used for acclimatization preparation before another mountain ascent. Trekking to Kalapatthar or Everest base camp is best suited for acclimatization before proceeding Island Peak climbing.

The normal route for climbing Island Peak is the southeast flank and southwest ridge.  Normally, the Island Peak base camp is set at Pareshaya Gyab (5,087m), between Imja Tse and the lateral moraine of the Imja Glacier. Proper care should be taken to avoid the possible avalanche in the event of heavy snow fall. From the base camp, a well-acclimatized party in good conditions can make the summit and return to the base camp in a day. However, most of the climbers prefer alpine style camping at high camp that adds the joy of climbing and helps a safe ascent.

Itinerary of Island Peak

Days 01: Arrival at Kathmandu, transfer to hotel.

Days 02: Sight-seeing in Kathmandu valley via car and city tour guide

Days 03: Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla & trek to Phakding.

Days 04: Phakding – Namche

Days 05: Namche – Rest (day exploration)

Days 06: Namche – Thyngboche.

Days 07: Thyngboche – Pheriche.

Days 08: Pheriche – Day exploration Nangkharsang Gompa.

Days 09: Pheriche – Lobuche.

Days 10: Lobuche – Kalapatter- Gorak Shap

Days 11: Gorak Shap- EBC Lobuche

Days 12: Lobuche- Chhukung.

Days 13: Chhukung – Island Peak Base camp.

Days 14: Base camp – High camp.

Days 15: Summit back to Base camp.

Days 16: Base camp – Pangboche.

Days 17: Pangboche – Namche.

Days 18: Namche – Lukla.

Days 19: Fly Lukla – Kathmandu.

Services Included:

National Park entry permit, climbing permit, Land transportation to and  Accommodation in lodges during the trek, Food: three meals a day, A guide and required number of porter(s), Essential equipment.

Services Exclude:

Personal expenses, Insurance, Tips, Emergency evacuation by Helicopter, Alternative transportation in case of heavy rain, landslide, strike, and road blockade etc.

Meals

Are standard and vary according to the availability and place.

Acclimatization

Our Island Peak Climbing itinerary is planned with an awareness of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). Going up too fast causes a medical condition serious enough to kill you. The higher the altitude the less oxygen is in air. For example, there is 50% less oxygen than of the sea level. Your body needs some days to adapt to this ‘less oxygen’ environment. So for a safe trek, it is absolutely essential to allow sufficient time for acclimatization. Sensible planning is therefore required to minimize the risk of AMS. We especially advise the guest(s) with known heart, lungs or blood diseases to consult their doctor before traveling. Mild headaches, fever, loss of appetite or stomach disorder are symptoms of AMS.

Leader(s) and Staff Arrangements

The most significant thing that makes your Island Peak Climbing successful, enjoyable and memorable is the skilled, experienced and helpful trek leader and crew members.  Professional guides will lead your trip. All of our trekking leaders are carefully selected on the basis of their experience appropriate to each individual trek. With an objective of sustaining local communities All Trekkers Team supplies only Nepalese staffs that have adequate knowledge about culture, ecosystem, flora, fauna, geography, and history of Nepal. Trek leaders of ATTm are also trained with and educated on potential medical issues during their trek, biodiversity and environmental issues:

• Intensive Wilderness First Aid
• Trekking Guide Training
• English Language
• Conservation and Biodiversity
• Rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering (applies to expeditions)

The Trekking Group

For the Island Peak Climbing, there will be one guide, assistant guide and Sherpa porters for luggage carrying (2 trekkers:1 porter) This arrangement ensures that should anybody in the group become sick, the trip can still go ahead as planned. We can run the Island Peak Climbing for group of any size, but generally have a maximum of twelve people, as we’ve found this to be the optimum size for a successful trip. However, if you’d like to make a group booking for more than twelve people together, we can arrange this.

Porter Care:

Though often overlooked, it is important to mention. The trekking and expedition companies in Nepal are built on the back of hard working local porters. It is their tireless efforts carrying supplies, equipment and baggage that make the journeys to these remote areas possible. So it’s very sad for that there is a history of exploitation and abuse at the hands of the industry. In an effort to combat this, we are firmly committed to porter rights. We assure all our porters are to be well treated, well paid and we provide a decent level of shelter, clothing and footwear. Porters who become sick are to be treated with the same care, attention as other team members – to rescue porters from dangerous situations is our duty. And for the porter’s sake we inform that all trekkers keep their luggage bag weight to a maximum of 15kgs. If you need to have more weight than this additional porters can be hired.  Thus we support the working conditions of the porters

Health and Experience Required:

Walking in this high Mountain Region usually requires maximum 6-8 hours of walking every day.  Climbing in the high mountain is the challenging part of your adventure and will require long hours of walking. You should be prepared max 14 Km of walking or jogging exercise everyday 1 month before your Trek starts. And also a positive attitude and a strong determination are important.  Previous hiking/camping experience is good to have but technical experience is not required.

Travel Insurance:

It is a condition of joining any of our trips that you be protected with an insurance policy.  Should medial issues or accidents (to include air ambulance, helicopter rescue, and treatment costs) happen it is important to be prepared. Please mind that we do not arrange or sell insurance.