We provide full support including all tents, all meals at BC and on the mountain, all oxygen, good walkie talkies, better than 1:1 sherpa ratio, satellite phones, internet-email to keep your sponsors and family happy and up to date, rescue service and plenty more, all managed by Jamie McGuinness who has summitted Everest four times previously, and ten other 8000m summits.
We pick you up at the airport and provide a single hotel room so you can spread gear out, and our store with a huge grassy area is just around the corner. Because we provide all tents, oxygen, dehy meals on the mountain etc, you should be able to get to Kathmandu without extra freight charges (which can be BIG, sometimes)..
We handle all the paperwork for the Chinese visa and all the Tibet travel and climbing permits. All sightseeing, hotels (double rooms), and meals are included..
At base camp we have a permanent kitchen with cook and helpers, large dining tent and smaller ones as required, solar power and/or generator for recharging, radio contact with ABC and camps on the mountain, and internet. We provide 1 BC tent per member (a two-three person tent). We provide three good meals a day and afternoon tea, plus all hot drinks and boiled water for drinking. At ABC we provide the same. We have good solar power systems providing 12v, 115v and 230v, so you can charge all digital cameras, video cameras, battery packs and laptops. We have two laptops available for exclusive use of our teams. Email via Outlook is free. Alternatively for heavier laptop users please bring your own but you must have a 12v adaptor to charge it. Note that not all laptops work at 5000m+. You can surf the web too, but in the past it was expensive. For 2008 we are looking at new arrangements for this..
All mountain tents and meals (a good variety; Enertia are our favorites), gas and stoves are included. Fixed rope charges are included. The sherpas are responsible for stocking all the camps; carrying the oxygen, tents, gas and meals. They normally climb separately from the team until the summit push. The sherpas don't carry your personal gear (but you can pay extra for a personal sherpa). We climb on the mountain mostly as a team or two with the guide and assistant guide. You can climb up to North Col alone as well though. .
We use Poisk oxygen and will have up to 5x 4 litre bottles available for each climber. For C3 to the summit all oxygen is Poisk, factory-new. No refilled. We include sherpa oxygen separately..
With good internet we have access to a variety of weather reports, and we subscribe to a paid weather forecast too. Judging the weather is one of the most important issues surrounding climbing Everest..
We have a PAC bag usually stationed at ABC, and emergency oxygen at ABC and BC, plus full medical kits. If you have to leave the mountain early alone or as two people then there will be a charge of $700. If you are a group of three or four then there is unlikely to be a charge but it may be a while before your baggage arrives in Kathmandu..
We have a PAC bag usually stationed at ABC, and emergency oxygen at ABC and BC, plus full medical kits. If you have to leave the mountain early alone or as two people then there will be a charge of $700. If you are a group of three or four then there is unlikely to be a charge but it may be a while before your baggage arrives in Kathmandu..
We remove all garbage from ABC to BC, and this includes toilet waste. This is then disposed of by the Chinese. We plan to remove toilet waste from at least North Col too..
Although we all travel in together, you can leave separately provided you are 3-4 climbers travelling together. Our office in Kathmandu holds your international tickets and so can arrange flights out to suit..
You must book and pay a $5000 deposit AT LEAST 3 months prior to the expedition start to guarantee the availability of tents, oxygen etc. (You should also book you international flights at least 3 months, and better 6 months in advance...).
This is your choice. It is sometimes possible to get insurance for 8000m peaks thru your national alpine club; the BMC in the UK and American Alpine Club offer particularly good packages. There is no helicopter rescue possible in Tibet so evacuation is by Landcruiser to Kathmandu, and should cost around US$700. There is one particularly good clinic in Kathmandu otherwise the nearest high standard hospital is Singapore or Bangkok. All our Nepali staff are insured..
Everest is the highest mountain on the planet and despite some of the publicity it is not 'easy' or even 'straightforward'. It is a very serious peak and bad judgment or even bad luck can be fatal up there. Even with the best companies the risk of death and frostbite is real..
My trip to the 'roof of the world' was a great adventure - right from the mysterious Potala Palace in Lhasa to the Everest Base Camp.
We work with the motto "Tourism for Development". Explore Himalaya Community Service Project was conceived to empower underprivileged segments of Nepal.