Lhotse
Lhotse offers a nice mixed technical climb, especially near the summit, plus very rare view across to Mt Everest, Makalu and beyond.
Trip Overview
Lhotse sits quietly alongside Mt Everest. They are connected by the South Col. Lhotse was previously thought by local people to be a minor peak of Everest, hence its name, Lhotse, meaning ‘South Peak’. However, Lhotse is by no means a lesser peak or challenge, and some consider it more a climber’s mountain than Mt Everest – but it can really depend on the day or the season as to what you can expect. This expedition will summit the main peak of Lhotse, the 4th highest mountain in the world.
The climb initially shares the same route as Everest to Camp 3, passing through the Khumbu Icefall, the Western Cwm, and crossing the Yellow Band. Above the Yellow Band, the route ventures to the right towards rock shelves to Camp 4, whilst climbers of Mt Everest will climb to the left and across the Geneva Spur to their Camp 4 on Mt Everest. As you sit at Camp 4 on Lhotse you experience wonderful views looking down the Western Cwm, and have a great vantage point for watching other climbers heading up their respective mountains, either Lhotse or Mt Everest.
The final summit route on Lhotse climbs steeply through the upper Lhotse Face to a couloir that provides fast, direct access to the summit. Depending on conditions, you will have a nice climb to the summit on snow, or at times it can be rock and ice. If bare rock, be sure to monitor for rock fall. From the top of the couloir, it’s a short but exposed ridge climb to the summit. Though, you won’t stand directly on the summit of this mountain due to it being so tiny but a metre or two below, though potentially your head will likely be the tallest point.
Why join with Expedition Base?
When it comes to mountaineering expeditions, for any peak, we are known for our sound strategy, strong leadership and well-resourced approach to our expeditions. The mountains are fun and full of wonderful experiences. But, we also recognise that they also carry with them risk. For that reason, we approach the mountains on the basis of ‘safety first’. With safety as our first focus, fun and amazing experiences will follow. Few companies offer logistics as good as ours for a reasonable price point. Our goal is to put our clients in the best position for success, whatever their personal goal in the mountains may be. Our guides are some of the best in the business, with experience on a wide range of peaks from small, right up to the 8,000m peaks, many with multiple summits on the 8,000m peaks. We see strong leadership as critical to success on the world’s highest peaks and we can offer that leadership here at Expedition Base – and not all companies can. We offer the level of services historically offered by leading western companies, but without costly western overheads. In the mountains, your safety is our prime importance. We know our clients value our commitment to them and with that flows a great experience.
Trip Highlights
- 4th highest mountain in the world
- Views across to Mt Everest, Makalu and beyond
- Follow the normal route of Mt Everest nearly to Camp 4, before diverging
