INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
Ama Dablam is stunning from every angle. Photo: Cristina Podocea.
Marvelling at the icy beauty while catching my breath on the descent. Photo: Cristina Podocea.
“It’s not
possible to
stay up there
for long. The
way back is
almost as
exhausting as
the way up.”
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I chose to hire a guide only for the peak
days, and trekked to Island Peak Base
Camp independently. The trek follows
the Everest Base Camp trek route. I was
happy to have a guide for the climb as
I wouldn’t have wanted to try to find
my way up in the middle of the night.
Ascents begin around 12.30am.
In the dark, I could only see the
whiteness of the glacier. Billions of
stars were frozen in the stillness of
the kerosene sky. We put on the
equipment—harness,
rigid
boots,
and helmet—tied our ice axes and
crampons to our backpacks, packed
lunch and started off. It was taking me
some time to get comfortable in my
rented boots. Ideally, I should have had
my own equipment. However, carrying
it for two weeks—the time needed to
reach Island Peak Base Camp and
properly acclimatise—was not an
option. Luckily, the equipment was
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included in the package I purchased,
and I chose my gear in the small village
before Base Camp.
Gradually, I fell into my guide’s footsteps.
We seemed to be moving incredibly
slowly but I could barely catch my
breath. At 5000 metres the oxygen is
thin, and you constantly feel thirsty for
it. That is why the pace has to be even
and slow. The climb was steep, and we
could only see the beam of bright light
cast by our headlamps, round, in front of
our heavy steps. From time to time we
stopped and tried to make sense of the
dense darkness around us. The moon
was faint so there was not much to see
other than phantasmal silhouettes of
huge, silent mountains.
After about three hours of mind-
consuming, steep ascent on rock, we
reached the crampon point. This is where
things get really exciting when climbing a
Getting ready to cross the first ladder over a crevasse. Photo: Cristina Podocea.
mountain, so I was really looking forward
to this. We roped up together to cross
the glacier. From here, the ascent was
a bit gentler. The cold was more biting
though. My feet and hands were numb.
Around me was a frozen world that I
could barely see through the timid light
of the approaching sunrise.
This section is the most exciting when
climbing Island Peak, as you must
climb an ice wall up about fifteen
metres. I must admit that the guide
almost pulled me up it. Then came
the infamous ladder crossing over the
open mouth of the crevasse. The last
part is the most daunting. A 200 to
300-metre climb that seems vertical,
even though it is at an angle of about
75 degrees. Everything else before that
seemed easy in comparison.
I could barely breathe as I was pulling
myself up the fixed ropes. The air felt
empty and I was constantly struggling
for oxygen. However, this was why I
had chosen to climb this peak. From
the three most popular peaks above
6000 metres that can be climbed in
the Khumbu region—Mera, Lobuche
and Island Peak—the latter is the
most technical. Mera Peak is the
highest, at more than 6400 metres,
but it’s only a walk up. It is said that
Lobuche has better views, but it is still
less technical. Island Peak seemed
like the best compromise between
technicality and views. Dablam was rising. In front of me, the
silhouette of the 8516-metre Lhotse
was rising above the ‘small’ peak I
had just conquered. I started to feel
alive again.
I expected to be exulted when
reaching the peak but, the truth is, I
felt exhausted. I threw myself on the
ground and breathed big gulps of
empty air for minutes on end. And I did! I came down safe and
sound. Once again, I looked humbly
up at these giants, covered in glaciers,
who had allowed me to touch their
foreheads. Most people only get to
see them from below, but few of us are
allowed to climb them.
The rising sun started to cast its light
on the white beauty around. Behind
me, to the right, the intimidating Ama
It’s not possible to stay up there for long.
The way back is almost as exhausting as
the way up. The dehydration, altitude-
induced headache and exhaustion
made the return long and difficult. You
can only celebrate climbing a mountain
once you’ve successfully come down
from it.
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