UKH

Hi all,


I am looking to climb a 7000m peak before I hit 50.....I'm 42 now. Ideally I want to it to have a view of Everest but this is not a 'deal breaker'.

It would have to be an organized commercial expedition, the cost is not that important though.

I don't want a snow plod but on the other hand nothing too technical.

My background, I have done about 20 alpine ascents up to AD grade and also 4 in the Bolivian Andes at a similar grade to 6400m altitude so 'experience' should not be an issue.

On the downside I have not done any alpine stuff for 7 years....

Can anyone recommend any suitable peaks?

Thanks

In reply to Blunderbuss:

Pumori - 7161m, directly across from Everest - the views will be spectacular. Good looking mountain. It is reasonably technical, not just a snow plod, but it is offered commercially.

In reply to Cathy:


Not so much anymore, because the normal route is quite dangerous and several people have been killed in more recent times.

If you want Nepal side, there's really only Baruntse, which is a little off to the south east, or (shorter) Ama Dablam, which is closer and steeper but totally fixed with ropes in season. Both are guided regularly.
http://www.adventureconsultants.com/adventure/Baruntse/
https://www.summitclimb.com/climb/baruntse/

On the Tibet side you go for Lhakpa Ri, near ABC on the Everest route, or even Changtse, above the North Col. LR has been guided much more than Changtse though.

https://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/climb/exp/i/lhakpa+ri.html
http://7summits-club.com/news/all/item_3165/

In reply to Blunderbuss:

I climbed Ama Dablam in 2013 with Tim Mosedale's company at the age of 52

http://timmosedale.co.uk/ama-dablam/

It's below 7000m, but pushed me to my limit and the quality of the route is amazing. Terrific view of Everest from the top

Fixed ropes on all the technical/exposed sections but you do need to be fit

In reply to Blunderbuss:
Himlung Himal and Putha Hiunchuli both get climbed by commercial teams, though neither are near Everest. I believe the former can be quite crevassed low down, whereas the latter we've climbed once - it's technically easy but remote and just getting to base camp is an achievement. I don't know how often Baruntse actually gets climbed to be honest. The summit ridge is fairly avalanche prone. Cholatse might be worth considering - not 7000m but with views of Everest (from the top) and less busy than Ama Dablam. The SW ridge is offered by a couple of companies. We're going there this Oct for the first time.

In reply to Blunderbuss:

Spantik in the Karakoram might be worth considering. Gets commercial expeditions. Much shorter approach than the Everest region, although weather generally less predictable in the Karakoram. No 8000m peaks in the immediate vicinity but lots of 7000m peaks, and more impressive mountain scenery generally I'd say.

In reply to Tom Briggs:

We turned back at 6800m on Baruntse due to avalanche risk.

In reply to Tom Briggs:


Yes, I think it's misrepresented as an 'easy' peak by some guiding companies. But it's also because the crux of the route is a crevasse/ice cliff thing very high up toward the summit. It has been a problem since the first ascent of the route. A few friends have failed on Baruntse and others have succeeded. The ones who did it said that crack/cliff was pretty tough, given the altitude and position. Nowadays, teams who don't have Sherpas to climb and fix that section usually fail, if they get that far.

Avalanche danger, on a route like that, will always be a possibility, but unfortunately almost all commercial guiding itineraries don't allow enough time to wait a few days for things to settle - they usually only allow one shot on a tight schedule.

As I understand it, your last Putha Hiunchuli trip (2013?) was a bit unfortunate with the massive storm dump (I was a bit further east at the time) and the horse/porter situation there with the locals is a bit of an issue, whereas before it was not. PuthaH should be a good trip, I reckon, but would be tough work in deep snow with no Sherpa support.

In reply to Damo:


That's right. The men of Kakkot were tricky to deal with both times we've been. PH would be a great peak to ski.

In reply to Tom Briggs:

>. PH would be a great peak to ski.

Hmm. Has it been skied? Looks interesting - I could be up for that!

In reply to Tom Briggs:

Ah the men of Kakkot. Tricky is an understatement!

In reply to Blunderbuss:

Lhakpa Ri sounds like the obvious candidate. Other candidates not mentioned:

Tukuche
Annapurna IV
Satopanth

Dare I mention that some people used to get permits to go to Camp 3 on Everest. Not sure if this is still an option.