Lhakpa Ri Expedition

Lhakpa Ri Mountain (7,045m./23,000ft.) is the newly becoming famous expedition in Tibet; and many climbers have been attracted these days to this mountain climbing through Tibet side. Lhakpa Ri is an ideal objective, remarkably positioned just across the glacier from Everest. It shares the historic route up the East Rongbuk Glacier and is climbable by a relatively safe and straightforward route. It is just over the milestone altitude of 7,000m, making it higher than anything outside Asia and is probably the most climbable 7,000m peak in the world. The mountain is one of several peaks that line the east flank of the East Rongbuk Glacier.

The summit is a prominent three-sided pyramid which drops to the East Rongbuk Glacier to the west, the Kharta Glacier to the east and falls steeply to a tributary glacier of the Kangshung to the south. The slopes from the Rongbuk an Kharta Glaciers are relatively low angled and are linked by the Lhakpa La pass (6,849m), which is just to the north of Lhakpa Ri . It was from this pass, in 1922, that Mallory and his team mates first saw the East Rongbuk Glacier, an event well documented in mountaineering annals. George Mallory was in fact the first person ever to set foot on the Lhakpa Ri mountain when he climbed to the nearby Lhakpa La from the eastern side during the first Everest reconnaissance of 1921. The first ascent of the Lhakpa Ri had to wait another fifteen years and was climbed by the indomitable Bill Tilman during the Everest reconnaissance of 1936. The second ascent was made in 1988 by the French Everest summiter Michelle Pelle. On the summit day you will be required to walk up a snow slope wearing crampons and using a ice axe but during the trip from base camp to Lhakpa Ri we will have had plenty of opportunities to practice basic snow and ice travel and those who wish to acquire the techniques for correct glacier travel will do so. The last 30m/100ft to the true summit is quite exposed but very easy. It will safeguarded by fixed rope. You will be clipped into the rope so even if your have a vaso bagal attack or your first grand mall seizure at such an inopportune moment you cannot fall.

The summit view from Lhakpa Ri rivals that from many of the world's greatest mountains. It gives very unusual vies of some of the world's best known mountains and excellent views of some very little known mountains. Amongst the highlights are the Nyonno Ri range in eastern Tibet, the north face of Chomolonzo and the north faces of Makalu and Pethangtse. Also the beautiful and little known peak of Shartse and the frightening Kangshung (east) face of Everest and the east face of Lhotse. There is an unrivalled view of the north east ridge of Everest, the North Col, Changtse, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. You also have a chance to grasp the immensity of the Tibetan plateau as you can see hundreds of miles across the wildest of landscapes.