Hello all,

I'm fairly new to this scene, and I've fallen head over heels with climbing/trekking and just want to make sure I'm not overreaching before I book this next trip to Nepal.

Here's a little background on me:

My friends and I started out innocently enough, with not-so-challenging weekend hikes in Snoqualmie, Washington (outside Seattle) found through friends' recommendations. Once a week, we would continually up the ante, pushing a little farther from sea level every weekend.

5 hours at a time up in the snow-hooded Cascades was not enough. A gain of 600ft quickly became boring. So we stepped it up a notch. We set our crosshairs on the knobbly summit of Mt. St. Helens.

With minimal experience and no real gear, we summitted St. Helens very easily. Feeling accomplished but unsatisfied, we turned our gaze to her taller neighbor, Mt. Adams. After renting crampons and ice axes, YouTubing how to climb a glacier, and googling routes, we met our first true test.

We spent the night at over 6,500ft to acclimate, and got a true alpine start at around 3am. 14 hours of climbing/trekking in a day was exhausting- not to mention it was our first climb above 10,000ft. I was instantly hooked.

The most irresistible feeling in mountaineering for me is the one of complete mindfulness: being exclusively where you are right now. Not off in la-la land thinking about plans for dinner, or that project you have going on at work. You're not day dreaming about the weekend. You think solely and entirely of your next step, and your safety. I used to be a long distance runner and got a similar feeling during races.

Hearing only the crunch of the snow under your feet, your own labored breath, and the howling of the wind across a tundra of flat white Earth forces you to be there and only there. The moment your mind wanders, it becomes dangerous. That demand for complete focus has earned my total respect, and has no doubt given birth to another firey passion within me.


Fast forward to now: I've been traveling around the globe for about a year, and at the moment find myself living/working in Australia. While I'm on this side of the world, I want to step it up a notch. A friend and I were strongly considering a trek to Everest Base Camp, but we've reconsidered: now we're eyeing Island Peak (the 17 day trip) and want to hear some opinions. The thought about rising above 20,000ft is a bit scary, as the highest we've reached was Mt. Adams at around 12,000ft.

Has anyone summited Island Peak, or done anything comparable in the Himalayas? Is this too grandiose or unsafe? We're shooting for April 2016, so we'd have plenty of time to hit the gym...but a lack of technical climbing skills makes me skeptical.

Any and all thoughts/comments are welcome. Thanks for welcoming me to the community guys/girls. Best, Tony

If you don't have technical skills, you can take a guide up Island Peak. You don't need to book one from home, they should be easy to find in places like Lukla, Namche Bazaar, or even Chukkung.

As for the rest of the trip, it's just a hike, but makes sure to spend as much time acclimatizing as you can. Even the basecamp can be deadly if you go up there too fast.

If you are interested, here is a trip report from a trip I took with my 10 year old son:

http://www.summitpost.org/a-return-to-t ... aya/838418

You should at least climb Mount Rainier before going to see how you handle higher altitude. Rainier is closer to you than it is for me. It gives you a better perspective on altitude than Mount Adams.

- From a guy who has ice climbed at 19,500 feet in the Andes

FWIW, there was a woman in my running club who had also done some climbing (completed the Mountaineers Basic course and climbed some volcanoes including Rainier and Baker), but was definitely not an enthusiast.

While trekking in Nepal she met a group climbing Island Peak and they invited her to join them. She rented some gear and made the climb and said it was no big deal, not as hard as Rainier. YMMV.

Yes, just do it. What's the worse that can happen? You die? Progression in this sport is overrated.

FWIW, a Danish guy was on my team to climb Manaslu, an 8,000m peak in Nepal as his first mountain, ever and he made it.

Island Peak is technically not really challenging and especially with a guide really easy. If you don't have the crampon skills yet you can be tought at Island Peak BC......your biggest challenge/threat will be the altitude!

If you have the chance to climb Mt. Rainier go for it!

Thanks all I appreciate it.

The guided hikes I'm looking at take about 18 days to summit Island Peak which from what I've read sounds pretty sufficient.

As for doing Mt Rainier before I head to Nepal...I will be home (Seattle area) for Christmas but I don't think Rainier in the dead of winter is happening. Also I live in Australia so I don't think that's in the cards for me.

That's nuts that Rainier is harder though I had no idea. Adams is a little over 12k ft and it was hard, but I handled it pretty well.

Thanks again for the thoughts people I think I'm gonna book it. Cheers

tmchlst wrote:
That's nuts that Rainier is harder though I had no idea.

The hard thing about Rainier is going from sea level to 14K in a day or two. My friend had been trekking at altitude for a couple weeks before climbing Island Peak so she was well acclimatized.

Hey mate, just flicked you an email. I'm from Perth and going to be in Nepal in April, I've been looking at what peaks are achievable in 2-3 weeks as well.

There were some comments about showing up in Lukla and the likes and getting a Sherpa to climb Island Peak. My understanding is you need to get a permit ((US$125) for that peak in Kathmandu (takes a day or less). I could be wrong, but you'd want to confirm it is possible to show in Lukla or beyond and get a permit.

Also, anyone have any idea about insurance for climbing Island Peak at the moment? Insured4Less aren't providing cover to Nepal at the moment due to Earthquake (I'm in Australia).

My understanding is you need to get a permit ((US$125) for that peak in Kathmandu (takes a day or less).

This is correct, that Westerners need a permit from Kathmandu. That doesn't mean that your guide (if used) or porter has to be from Kathmandu and that you have to fly them there. Plenty of agencies in Kathmandu have contacts in Lukla. You can easily arrange to meet one there or even in places like Namche Bazaar or even higher. Even if you didn't arrange one in advance, you should be able to find one in Lukla, though many may be tied up for Everest expeditions if you go Pre-Monsoon.

If you are worried about the quality of a guide, you can ask for references, though most Sherpa are honest and hard working.