The East Prow of Colangma, this will be a first ascent and a first ski descent.
༄The Buddhists of the high Changtang plateau of Tibet believe there are hidden valleys in the remote Himalayas, called Beyuls. Beyuls exist in the Himalayas from Bhutan to Pakistan, and are by legend guarded by snow leopards and snow storms. The Beyul concept is a segueway into the culture and way of life of the Tibetan people, and the theme goes along with the primary focus of this trip, skiing first descents in the Tibetan Alps (Himalayas). This expedition begins in Kathmandu, visiting some important Tibetan Buddhist cultural sights while also taking in modern day Kathmandu life. We fly over the Himalayas to Lhasa, the once lifeblood of the now far removed Tibetan diaspora. From Lhasa we overland into the high Himalayas, meet our yaks (that will carry all the expedition equipment), and go into the mountains to ski. The goal of this trip is to ski as much as possible, yet we will have some travel time on each end of the expedition. –Luke Smithwick
Cost Effective. Full Service. This peak climbing trek will be fully stocked with a variety of meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with snacks. Each member will have their own roomy 2 person Mountain Hardwear tent (4 person tent for couples). Meals are oatmeal, eggs, muesli, fruit, and tea/coffee for breakfast. Lunches are fresh fruit, salads, fresh bread (made each morning), cheeses, pasta/rice, cookies, and juice. Dinners are usually 3 to 4 dishes, with pasta or rice. Occasionally, we will have pizza and other western treats. The dining tent is set up with each member having their own camp chair, books pertinent to the trek/climb, maps, solar charging for electronics, and snacks as you would like them when we arrive to camps.
First Ascent? For many of the peaks in Tibet there are no records of prior ascents. We also oftentimes find no evidence of other humans visiting the summits of peaks before. Instead of looking at these peaks as our being the first to put bootprints on the summit, we like to simply enjoy the solitude of the region.
Trust. Climbing a peak at 6000 meters is no place to be short on resources. We make the proper advance preparations to ensure that our team will be properly cared for, from airport to summit to airport.
Features
- 6000m ski objective
- Changtang plateau culture
- Skiing the Tibetan Alps (Himalayas)
བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས Tashi Delek.
ITINERARY
Day 1 – arrive Kathmandu – 1400m
2 – China group visa day (visit Tibetan Buddhist sites of Kathmandu / relax from long flights) – 1400m
3 – fly Lhasa – 3700m
4 – Lhasa – 3700m
5 – Lhasa – 3700m
6 – drive Shigatse – 3800m
7 – drive Tingri – 4300m
8 – Tingri acclimatize – 4300m
9 – drive base camp – 5300m
10 – base camp – 5300m
11 – base camp – 5300m
12 – move Advanced Base Camp – 5500m
13 – skiing around ABC
14 – skiing around ABC
15-19 – ski objective – 6000m+
20 – walk BC – 5300m
21 – drive Kyirong
22 – drive Kathmandu
23 – Kathmandu
24 – depart or stay on Kathmandu
Dates
April - May (3.5 weeks)
Region
Tibet
Difficulty
Moderate
Price
Inquire
Trip Deposit: US$5,000
