Cho Oyu Tibet 8201m

In brief: Climb Cho Oyu, a classic Himalayan expedition. Mount Cho Oyu, Tibet is a logical first peak for mountaineers wanting to test themselves at the milestone altitude of 8,000m.

The adventure of Cho Oyu "The Turquoise Goddess" is not a well known tale. The mountain's first ascent was achieved by Herbert Tichy and Sepp Jochler, two quiet, reserved Austrians and their good Sherpa friend Pasang Dawa Lama with minimal fuss and ceremony in 1954. This was testimony to the efficiency of small lightweight teams comprised of good friends. In a similar style 360 expedition director Raj climbed Cho Oyu in 2006 and then used this experience to climb Mt. Everest a year later.

Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain on the planet and rises an impressive 8,201 metres above sea level. As the crow flies, it is only 20 kms from Mt. Everest and it straddles the Tibet / Nepal border. Cho Oyu is the most attainable of the world's highest mountains and is an impressive first foray into the world of high Himalayan climbing as well as an essential stepping stone for climbing Mt Everest. Its comparative ease of access, lack of objective dangers and generally uncomplicated terrain contribute to its high success rate. Although attracting increased attention Cho Oyu still proves to be a very impressive mountaineering objective.

We climb the mountain using traditional Himalayan style tactics and will be moving up and down between camps several times to aid acclimatisation and to familiarise ourselves with the route above. Our route (north west ridge, north west face) is comprised mostly of easy angled snow slopes with a short technical section of steep ice. For this we use fixed ropes for both safety and ease of ascent.

Assisting us on the ascent is our own handpicked Sherpa team. The Sherpas we employ on this expedition are all good friends and are extremely accomplished mountaineers in their own right having reached numerous 8,000m summits (including Mt. Everest several times). Their physical strength, mountain savvy and easy going attitude combined with our unique pre-expedition team build up meetings will result in the strongest possible team reaching base camp. The team will know each other well before we depart for Kathmandu where we meet our main Sherpa staff to plan and discuss the ascent of the mountain. The focus is on a team of good friends ascending the mountain under expert leadership from an accomplished professional mountaineer.

Itinerary

The expedition starts in Kathmandu where we make our final preparations before flying to Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. We will spend a few days in Lhasa exploring the city attractions and going on short acclimatisation walks up some nearby viewpoints. Base camp is high at about 5,700m, so we take our time getting there, breaking the road journey up with opportunities for sightseeing and further acclimatisation walks en route.

Base camp will be home for up to three and a half weeks while we climb the mountain and so aim to be as comfortable as possible with plenty of good food. Our strong Sherpa team will prepare the route, fixing ropes and stocking our higher camps with food, gas and oxygen so that everything is in place ready for our summit push - on which they will accompany us.

Days 1-2: Fly to Kathmandu

Day 3: Final preparations in Kathmandu and sightseeing

Day 4: Fly to Lhasa in Tibet

Days 5-6: Sightseeing and acclimatisation in Lhasa (3,600m)

Days 7-9: Travel to lower/Chinese base camp (5,000m) by jeep

Days 10-11: Acclimatisation hike and sorting out kit that is necessary for the trek to BC

Days 12-13: Trek to Base Camp (5,600m)

Days 14-39 Climb Cho Oyu

Camp 1 - 6,400 metres
Camp 2 - 7,000 metres
Camp 3 - 7,400 metres

Summit day: The Summit attempt begins at first light having got up a few hours before hand to melt water, prepare breakfast and kit up. Once fuelled up we'll commence our ascent to the top. From high camp we'll initially encounter easy snow slopes and rock ledges before reaching the summit plateau where we put our heads down for the slow traverse to the cluster of prayer fags which mark this mountains highest point. From the top we are awarded with an overwhelming sense of achievement and the magnificent vista of the world's most iconic mountains: Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, Menlugtse, Gyachung Kang and Gaurisankar, as well as all the peaks of the Khumbu Himal. Generally we reach the summit 5 to 8 hours after leaving high camp and descent back to camp 3 from there.

Days 40-41 Return to Kathmandu (by foot and jeep)

Days 42 Relaxing in Kathmandu

Days 43 Fly Home

This Itinerary gives an outline of the planned schedule for the expedition with built in contingency in case of lost baggage on arrival at Kathmandu, and in case of adverse travelling conditions on our return from base camp. It also allows gradual acclimatisation on the way up to base camp. The exact itinerary may change due to factors beyond our control, or to suit the team as a whole. In particular, during the approach, we will endeavour to make progress whilst making sure climbers are acclimatising properly.

The use of supplementary oxygen is increasingly common on Cho Oyu and can be supplied upon request. We use "Top Out" equipment for this service which is broadly considered to be the best in the industry. Please contact 360 expeditions for further advice on using oxygen for this expedition.

To be prepared for climbing Cho Oyu, you will need a good grounding in mountaineering and ideally, will have at least climbed to 6000m. Although Cho Oyu is often considered the easiest of the 8,000m peaks, it is certainly not 'easy'. You will need a strong determination and much dedication, as well as good physical fitness and health to reach the summit.