Join Us On Himalayan Climbing Course
For a climbing enthusiast, Mera Peak is the best balcony on earth offering unrivalled views of five 8000+ meter peaks from its summit. On a clear day Mounts Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu and Kanchenjunga vie for your attention against a backdrop of the majestic Himalayas. At 6576 meters (21247 feet), Mera Peak is the highest peak accessible to non-technical climbers. Situated in Makalu-Barun Region of Nepal, within the Sagarmatha National Park, Mera peak however is a challenging trekking destination that requires glacier traversal, adequate physical fitness, proper planning, and acclimatization. In addition to this longer trek that combines training and outreach with the climb, Miyar Adventures also offers a shorter, basic Mera Peak Climb with more flexible scheduling opportunities and a different price structure.
An initiative to help the local community by lead guide, Glen Young:
This will be the first course of its kind in Nepal. The Himalayan Climbing Course addresses a need to provide training to low-income Nepalese mountain guides and porters who work and live in the mountains but cannot afford mountain guide training through the Nepal Mountaineering Association or attend training that is far from home due to commitments to family and farms. The Nepalese students who attend this course pay nothing to attend, and most of their travel and food expenses are covered for the duration of the course. Some of the inspiration for the course has come from what Conrad Anker and the Khumbu Climbing Center have been doing in Phortse, Nepal. The majority of the inspiration has come from the advice of dozens of Nepalese staff I have worked with over the years – especially my good friend Karma Sherpa who struggled to attend training for the dangerous work he did on 8,000 meter peaks due to the poverty faced by him and his family. My decision to make this course a reality in 2017 was the result of a tragedy. While guiding on Makalu in 2016, Da Tenji Sherpa, a good friend of mine and Karma Sherpa’s brother-in-law, died in his tent from carbon monoxide poisoning. This was an accident that would have been prevented with training that Da Tenji could not afford.
This will be a pilot trip to see if the course is something that will be feasible to implement well into the future. The course brings international mountaineers, climbers, and climbing students to the Eastern Everest Region of Nepal to share knowledge and skills with aspiring Nepali mountain guides. In addition to sharing your own knowledge and skills, you will participate in classes and workshops led by other international climbers and Nepali students. These lessons will be delivered in the homes of students, on rock faces, during ice climbs, and in crevasses on the way to Mera Peak. Course content will be applied during a summit of Mera Peak at over 21,000 ft.
It is not essential that you be a deeply experienced climber or mountaineer in order to participate in this course. You simply have to be able to master and help teach one or two skills or concepts to a group of six to nine Nepali students. You will have months to prepare your lessons ahead of time. Lessons should be visual, hands-on, and simple. Your lesson may be how to tie a figure-8 knot, how to recognize avalanche terrain, or how to properly fit a backpack for a new hiker. You will pick the lesson(s) you would like to teach from a list provided before the course, so there is no need to pick something that you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with.
The course will take place while we are trekking to and from Mera Peak, with layovers at the homes of students along the way. This will help us get to know the families and cultures that the students come from. It will also help us acclimatize so we can continue to focus and learn as we ascend higher. We will eat local food, sleep alongside each other, and sing the ever-popular Nepali folk songs. Oh, and we will hear epic stories since some of the folks who will be attending this Himalayan Climbing Course have already been guiding on 8,000 meter peaks like Everest.
Below is an overview of some of the details of Himalayan Climbing Course:
Cost: $3,885 (covers your food, lodging, air and ground transport in Nepal, peak permits and park entry fees, and funds the scholarships that allow Nepalese students to attend the course)
Max Elevation: 21,247 ft.
Location: Makalu-Barun Region, Nepal
Number of Days: 27 (2 days Kathmandu, 23 days learning/climbing, 2 days Kathmandu)
Duration
27 DaysPassport
Required with Nepal VisaMinimum Age
13 years oldActivity
Trekking, Climbing, Glacier Navigation (Training included)Accommodation
Hotel (in towns), Lodges (en route), Tents (on the Mountain)
- National Park entrance Fees and camping fees
- Air and ground transport in Nepal
- Hotel in Kathmandu with breakfast
- Food and lodging during the hike and training
- Guiding fees
- Group gear: tents, cookware
- Alpine climbing training
- Airport pickup and drop off in Kathmandu
- Pre-Trip Planning/Information session on packing
- Satellite Phone. Daily local weather forecasts
- International airfare
- Lunch / snacks during stay in Kathmandu
- Personal gear: can be rented if needed
- Visa and travel document expenses
- Travel insurance
- Gratuities
Trek start: Lukla (2862 m / 9383 ft)
Trek end: Paiya / Chutok (2799 m / 9182 ft)
We take an early morning flight to Lukla, which is the starting point of our trek. The flight itself takes only 45 minutes. However, Lukla is a very small airport at high altitude and the weather is fickle. Delays of hours (and even days) are commonplace. So please be prepared to spend some time in the airport if need be. From Lukla we will proceed to Paiya in a South-Easterly direction. We will be moving away from the more popular trekking routes that start from Lukla, like the route towards Everest Base Camp. The trek is mostly downhill, so you should not find it hard. This would also help you with your acclimatization which is a crucial aspect of your climb in the days ahead.
Trek start: Paiya / Chutok (2799 m / 9182 ft)
Trek end: Pangom (2846 m / 9337 ft)
We continue southwards on the mountain trail amidst magnificent rhododendron forests. Barring occasional inclines, the trail is still easy and flat. After trekking for 5-6 hours we will arrive at Pangom monastery where we will spend the night.
Trek start: Pangom (2846 m / 9337 ft)
Trek end: Sibuje (2850 m / 9350 ft)
From Pangom, we will move to the Sherpa village of Sibuje. Sibuje houses a handful of Sherpa and offers a great opportunity for you to experience Sherpa tradition unadulterated. It also offers magnificent views of the valley below.
We will spend the next four days soaking the raw-yet-majestic natural beauty around Sibuje. We take time for essential mountaineering training sessions. At Sibuje, the emphasis will be on training participants as Wilderness First Responders and also different aspects of rope handling in climbing. We will look at knots, belaying, and proper climbing techniques. Training will take place in the nearby mountains, allowing us to enjoy the surrounding terrain.
Trek start: Sibuje (2850 m / 9350 ft)
Trek end: Ningsow (2744 m / 9003 ft)
From Sibuje, we move to Ningsow in a North-Northeast direction. We will make one last descent to 2744 m. Thick Rhododendron and oak forests and the glorious Number Himal Mountain in the distant horizon will make your journey memorable.
Trek start: Ningsow (2744 m / 9003 ft)
Trek end: Chetra Khola campsite (3149 m / 10332 ft)
From Ningsow we will start gaining altitude steadily as we proceed to Mera peak. Our journey will be through thickly foliated jungle. We will be passing through landslide-prone areas and will use ladders or fixed lines at points where the trail has been washed out.
Trek start: Chetra Khola campsite (3149 m / 10332 ft) Trek end: Khote (3691 m / 12109 ft)
From Chetra Khola, we continue to move through the Hinku (Hongu) river valley, mostly walking alongside the river. The river valley was one of the locations to bear the brunt of the 1998 Nepal Earthquake and the aftereffects are still visible enroute. We will settle for the night in the quaint Khote village.
Trek start: Khote (3691 m / 12109 ft) Trek end: Tangnang (4350 m / 14270 ft)
We now move away from the river on a steady ascent. Our destination is Tangnang, which again bears testimony to the catastrophe in 1998. Tangnang also offers spectacular views on a clear day, of Kyashar to north west, Mera Peak to east and Kusum Kanguru to the west.
We will spend three days in Tangnang for acclimatization and to learn and practice ice climbing skills. We will learn to identify and deal with altitude and cold-related illness. We will also train for the safety aspects of glacier travel and ice climbing.
Trek start: Tangnang (4350 m / 14270 ft) Trek end: Khare (5025 m / 16486 ft)
We are now quite close to Mera Peak which looms above the Khare village, to the extent that it can be considered the base camp for Mera Peak. This would also be the edge of habitation, our last stop where we will sleep in lodges. Once in the lodge, we will have a training session on crevasse rescue.
Trek start: Khare (5025 m / 16486 ft) Trek highest point: Mera La / Mera Pass (5415 m / 17767 ft)
We will take an acclimatization trek to Mera La, and use the opportunity to practice our ice climbing and crevasse rescue lessons.
Trek start: Khare (5025 m / 16486 ft) Trek end: Mera High Camp (5778 m / 18958 ft)
We will retrace our path from Khare to Mera La and then continue further to Mera High Camp on this day. Your body will hopefully have acclimatized well, because we are now at a serious altitude. Weather permitting, the High Camp will offer glorious views all around.
Trek start: Mera High Camp (5778 m / 18958 ft) Trek highest point: Mera Peak (6459 m / 21190 ft) Trek end: Khare (5025 m / 16486 ft)
As is standard practice, we will start our summit bid early in the day around 2 am. We will rope up and proceed slowly, steadily. The going can be difficult, which is more on account of the altitude than the difficulty of the trail. Steady effort for about five hours should get us to the summit. The views from the top are glorious, with five of the tallest peaks on earth (Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu and Kanchenjunga) in sight. After spending a while at the summit, we will descend all the way to Khare for overnight. The descent of nearly 5000 feet will be greatly welcomed by your body and will help you recover from any detrimental effects of altitude.
Trek start: Khare (5025 m / 16486 ft) Trek end: Khote (3691 m / 12109 ft)
We drop by another 4000+ feet in moving to Khote. The jubilation (or relief) of the summit, ease on your body as you move closer to sea level, and nearing prospects of creature comforts (luxuries, they would seem by now) — all these factors should combine and put you in a joyous mood. Khare to Khote will take us just a day, but we will also have a reserve day at hand for our summit attempt.
Trek start: Khote (3691 m / 12109 ft) Trek end: Zatrwa La (4487 m / 14720 ft)
From Khote, we will take a shortcut to Lukla through the Zatrwa La (pass). This means gaining altitude from Khote. This route is not used on the way up to the summit for want of acclimatization. However on the way back, having spent the last few days at high altitude, Zatrwa La offers little challenge to our lungs and should be a walk in the park.
Trek start: Zatrwa La (4487 m / 14720 ft) Trek end: Lukla (2862 m / 9383 ft)
Another walk in the park, this time from Zatrwa to Lukla. On the way we will reach the highest point of Zatrwa La (15090 ft) which offers magnificent views reminiscent of Mera Peak. Beyond this it is steady downhill till we reach Lukla, which now would appear dramatically different and urban than when you flew in.
