8000m essentials

Everest preparation

This is a real expedition. Whether you are on a guide-assisted climb or with your own team remember you are in China/Nepal/Pakistan and high in the Himalaya, this is not Disney World. Please be considerate to all officials, your fellow climbers and all the climbers and crew on the mountain; treat them as you wish to be treated.

Fitness

The fitter you have been over the past several years, the better your chances, so train hard. It is useful to have good aerobic fitness and also some extra upper body muscle to lose. If you are of a lean build you might want to put on a few extra pounds, if you are already heavy then consider carefully whether to put on extra weight, you lose muscle but not fat at altitude. Some people lose a staggering amount of weight on a big climb, but at least some of this can be avoided with protein and energy bars.

Vaccinations

You don't need malaria prophylaxis for this climb or for the time spent in Kathmandu. Please discuss if you are travelling thru a malarial region prior to arriving in Kathmandu. Please read our page on health precautions and inoculations.

Acclimatization

Normally it takes several weeks before you really feel OK or good at high altitude. See our page on acclimatization issues.

Health

How to stay healthy while trekking-climbing? Read here.

Visas

You are responsible for obtaining your visa for Nepal - read our Nepal visa info page. We get your visa and permits for Tibet - read our Tibet (Chinese) visa page.

Eye surgery and climbing

Lasik surgery does not preclude climbing Everest, see http://www.escrs.org/eurotimes/April2003/lasik.asp. Four climbers with the surgery reached the summit of Everest. Note that some climbers experienced frozen corneas or something similar; we will discuss this.

Everest gear discussion

Everest is as real as it gets. You need a lot of gear, plan it very carefully and remember that you have to carry your personal equipment on the mountain. You can now buy some of the expensive/hard to find items in Kathmandu. This page is written specifically for Everest from the Tibet side.

What you are planning for

Basically you should plan with 5 specific climates/functions in mind:

+ 7000m and above

+ normal variable mountaineering conditions

+ intensely hot mountaineering conditions

+ base camp and ABC living

+ travel to the mountain

Obviously much of your gear will fulfill multiple roles.

Summit gear

Conditions en route to the summit vary tremendously from day to day and year to year. You have to be prepared for the worst. It is essential to be fully insulated with down all over and to be fully wind-protected. With so little oxygen in the air you have trouble keeping warm, even while exercising. It is normal for a midnight start, and 8300m nights can be rather chilly to say the least.

+ Primaloft mittens

The best are the top of the range mitts from OR (Outdoor Research), Black Diamond, Mountain Hardwear etc. They will be closer fitting and less bulky than down mitts (such as the Rab ones) but just as warm. Ensure they have a system for looping around your wrist or can be attached to your down suit. Black Diamond Mercury mitts are normally available in Kathmandu, and sometimes the OR mitts are available. Bulky down mittens (good spares) are easily purchased in Kathmandu. Wear liner gloves underneath.

+ Down suit

You normally use a down suit from Camp 2/7000m to the summit (applies to all mountains), but nowhere else on the mountain unless conditions are particularly bad. Underneath it is normal to wear a mid-weight thermal top next to the skin, a stretch fleece (sleeveless) body suit over that and then an expedition weight thermal or 100 weight .fleece over that.
Down suits are preferable but if you go for down pants and down jacket ensure the waist area is well protected. The down jacket should be one of the thickest made. Something thin like a North Face Nuptse jacket is NOT good enough. For pants, down bibs are better but down pants with braces will do.
Down suits are now available in Kathmandu for less than $300. Some designs are better than others (we will show you the best) but all are serviceable.

+ Ski goggles

Clear goggles are very useful for Everest, to protect your eyes from the wind on that midnight start, and darker goggles can be useful climbing above North Col.

+ water bottles and/or hydration system

You need to plan a system to keep in your down suit specifically for the summit attempt. If you have a system with tubes you MUST keep the tubes under your suit the whole time, only digging them out to drink, otherwise they will freeze, insulated tubes or not. Perhaps the safest system is 2x 0.5 litre (16oz) Nalgene bottles; they fit into chest pockets easily and are not as bulky and heavy as 1 litre bottles (because you are not carrying as much water, of course). These bottles are usually available in Kathmandu but bring from home if you are able to buy at home.
That is not a lot of fluid so many people prefer a camelback that goes under your down suit; be very careful with filling it and ensure the cap is screwed down properly.

+ Boots

You need the warmest boots available. Generally the best are the Millet Everest (red and black in colour) but the Lowe boots also look good. Thinsulate inner boots are NOT suitable, they can get wet. Please do discuss, boots are one of the most critical items.

These boots, used and new, are usually available in Kathmandu for around US$500 or less. They are surprisingly light and extremely warm but a bit clumsy. It is normal to use them above ABC. The boots should fit well but not tight as your feet can swell at altitude. Don't get boots two sizes too big.

ENSURE YOUR CRAMPONS FIT whichever system you are using. Grivel G12's and the latest Petzl's with the plastic strap system for heel and toe fit big boots well and are simple to put on.

+ Socks

2x brand new thick socks for the summit attempt, these should be mainly wool. One pair for using, one for backup. I don't recommend liner socks but if you do prefer them then Merino wool seem best.

+ Foot warmers

There are more and more solutions to help keep your feet warm. It is unusual to get frostbite in good boots but you feet definitely get very cold. The electric systems seem a hassle but are probably the most effective, see Explorers Web. I have used chemical warmers (see Wikipedia) and have had hit and miss results. Sometimes they have activated, other times not.

+ Summit day pack

This should be very light but capable of carrying nearly 8 kgs of oxygen - or use the pack for carrying gear up to the last camp.

General all weather mountaineering gear

ABC-North Col (7000m): when there's no wind and the sun is shining a thermal top is enough, backed up by a fleece or light down jacket for rest stops. When the wind picks up or the sun goes the temperature drops dramatically, have plenty of insulation handy.

For the head

high quality glacier glasses and cheapie spare glasses, good sun hat, warm hat that fully covers your ears, neck gaiter, thick balaclava and very thin balaclava. You will be able to change to exactly what suit.

Face mask, breath warmer - cold air coughs can become debilitating and investing in some sort of face mask is essential. a balaclava is the minimum but there are better products such as the Psolar range, the BX Balaclava or the more versatile Psolar LX Lightweight Facemask.

For the hands

brand new liner gloves, brand new fleece gloves/windstopper gloves, and perhaps some mittens or gloves that are in between the warmest Primaloft mitts and windstopper gloves.

For climbing

+ collapsible trekking pole (some people prefer to use a pair)

+ light ice axe. There are a couple of steep sections, both ice and rock, but it is better to go light than technical.

+ strong crampons with anti-balling plates. Aluminum crampons are only able to be used between ABC and North Col.

+ light harness (Black Diamond Alpine Bod is good, but there are others), jumar, belay device (ATC, figure of 8 etc, what ever you are familiar with and can be used in 'no brain' mode)

+ 2x locking karabiners, several plain karabiners, 1x prussic cord to complement your jumar, safety sling and 1x long prussic cord.

Sleeping bags

For climbing a reasonably new 4-5 season sleeping bag with at least 1kg/2.2lb of down is best. I feel that second-to-top of the range, usually around -29C/-20F, is enough but this is debatable; the top of the range bags with 1.2kgs of down are heavy and not necessary, although are very comfy. Good bags are available in Kathmandu but are only a little cheaper than the USA. You can rent reasonably good bags.
You will want two bags, and three is better. One for BC, and one for ABC and the mountain. For ABC you want a very warm sleeping bag, top of the range is not excessive.
A less expensive alternative to a second and third sleeping bag is to bring an older, less warm sleeping bag and either add a down liner, or better, a quilt/duvet bought in China over the top. There are several other strategies, do discuss.

Sleeping pads

Thermarest (or similar) and foam pad. Sleeping on a COLD glacier, a Thermarest isn't enough so the combination is better and safer. Pro-lite 4's are better than thinner ones, but any will do, just remember you have to carry it. The thinner your Thermarest, the better your closed cell foam pad should be. If you go with only a closed cell foam mattress then the Ridgerests are great, and should still have a very thin second closed cell foam mattress underneath. All are available in Kathmandu.

Clothing

+ expedition-weight set of thermals.

+ fleece body suit (best) or second set of thick thermals or thermal top and some fleece pants/bibs.

+ set of mid-weight thermals - white or light in colour can be useful - see below.

+ plenty of nearly new socks of various thicknesses, including light or mid-weight.

+ fleece or softshell jacket.

+ climbing jacket - windproof and breathable.

+ climbing bibs/sallopettes - windproof, breathable - and perhaps a thinner pair of windproof pants.

+ wind-suit. This is an alternative to using a jacket and bibs on the mountain. Some people like them and some don't and they are hard to find. If you bring a suit also bring windproof, breathable jacket and light windproof pants for the trek into ABC.

+ leggings/light trekking pants for warm conditions walking and climbing, especially between ABC and Camp 1.

+ Trekking boots

You need a set of strong a durable leather boots for walking from BC to ABC. The terrain is rough with a lot of rock to trip on. These boots should be broken in but still capable of lasting the expedition; they will see a lot of use. These will also do as camp shoes.
Do bring all leather boots, and if you are used to lighter cross trainers, you might want to bring them along as well for easier day trips.

Backpacks

+ big volume backpack, you carry a lot of bulky down gear moving between camps so you should have a large but relatively light big pack.

+ larger daypack (~45 litre) with a waist belt for our acclimatization day trips.

Accessories

+ water bottles/system for carrying 2-4 litres

+ pee bottle (that doesn't leak!)

+ headlamp. The LED multi-bulb ones are great around camp, with two-three sets of good batteries. For climbing the ultra-bright LED torches are the best, avoid all headlamps with normal bulbs. You definitely want at least two headlamps.

+ roll-on deodorant. You will be amazed at how approachable you still are after five days without a shower IF you have deo!

- helmet. Although there is minor rockfall above North Col to high on the mountain nobody uses a helmet to save weight.

Getting snow-fried

During the middle of the day at 6000-7000m on the snow, the sun can be INTENSE. Every expedition had a couple of days where you feel breathless in the sun. It really helps to have one set of white or light-coloured thermals, at minimum a white silk-weight top or airy, loose shirt.

+ white, collared cotton shirt or white set of thermals with long sleeves

+ optional nose sun protector for use with your sunglasses. Anything will do, home-made is fine, as long as it doesn't interfere with breathing.

+ good factor 20+ lipbalm (Dermatone or Bananaboat, both available in Kathmandu)

+ good sunscreen

+ sunscreen that doesn't freeze, like a Dermatone stick