Ascent to Mount Cho Oyu

Mount Cho Oyu stands high above the Tibetan plains. We can access the camp in a couple of hours from Tingri.

The great peak of Cho Oyu lies at border of Nepal and Tibet, the west of Mount Everest. It was first climbed by an Austrian Expedition in 1954 though the North West Face.

It is a technically straightforward mountaineering climb with less danger than the other 8000 meters mountains. Therefore Mount Cho Oyu offers a good peak for mountaineers who want to climb their first 8000 meter peak.

This adventurous expedition starts from Kathmandu where we have to obtain Tibet formalities. We will then drive along the Nepal / China Friendship – Highway to Zhangmu at the Nepal-Tibet frontier town.

Our representative and Chinese liaison official and transport will meet us at the border. We will travel by bus and jeep with all the equipment. Then we will spend a day in Nylam for acclimatization before driving over the Lungaa La (5050m) to Old Tingri.

From Old Tingri trucks drive off the main road to a grassy plain leading up to Nangpa La. We have several options to set up the base camp, we will probably place it on a flat moraine at the foot of the Gyabrag glacier. We have then 2 days to reach the Advanced Base Camp (ABC).

Camp I is 6400 metres high. If there is no snow a steep path up at scree slope, the camp is located on a broad snow field at the foot of the ridge leading up to a serac barrier which is the only real technical section on the route.

Above Camp II, the broad snow slopes lead more easily to Camp III at 7500 metres. This is the highest camp, we will make our summit attempts from here.

Summit day as always involves an early start. Depending on the snow conditions we may or may not encounter some easy scrambling as we make our way up and across the low angled west face.

The summit plateau is very large and unfortunately the highest point is a long way back. However if we are lucky with the weather we will enjoy the breathtaking views from the top. From there we can see Mount Everest, Lhotse, Chamlang, Nuptse, Ama Dablam and more of Khumbu. We should also see the Menlungtse and Gaurishankar massifs.

Normally it is possible to descend from the summit all the way to advance base camp on the same day. This will depend on snow conditions and members fitness.

If you wish to go for this fantastic adventure, please get in touch with me. I will guide you there with much pleasure, together with my team. Another challenging option is to ascend the mythical Everest.