kabloer wrote:Anyone had any experience with expeditions organized with Asian Trekking. Seems like they are the budget place to go. Seems a lot of people die (like David Sharp) but they were solo climbing without support and just got the permit through Asian Trekking.
I wonder how much their full service everest bid is from the North side:
http://www.astrek.com/expedition_tibet/ ... zangmu.htm
No price on the webpage. Any ideas? I emailed but haven't heard back yet.
In the September '06 issue of Outside magazine, they discuss Asian Trekking a little bit in the article "Over the Top", starting on page 72.
On page 73, discussing David Sharp (he had utilized the services of Asian Trekking), the article states:
"When Sharp's possessions were packed up at base camp, a scrap of paper told more about the real story of Everest than all the yards of newsprint that would follow. It was a receipt for $7,490, the entire cost of his final climb."
On page 118, the article states:
"So why head north? It's cheaper. On the Nepal side, a permit alone costs $10,000. On the Chinese side, you can get a permit, a ride to base camp, lodging, and yaks to carry your gear to advance base camp, on the East Rongbuk Glacier, all for $4,000. If you can cope with bare bones base-camp services, grim food, and no Sherpa support, Everest becomes less Bergdorf's and more Wal-Mart."
The article not only gives the impression that Asian Trekking is not a full service guide service, they actually give the impression that you truly get what you pay for.