Anyone who’s spent some time up in the mountains has imagined climbing it. After you ascend from the base camp, there are panoramas of extensive valleys from ridges.
As Buddhist prayer flags flutter in the cool breeze, you wipe your perspiring brow as you keep ascending towards your destination. There’s more to climb but the vastness of the mountains humble you as you surge towards the top until the cloud hover below you and you stand over the world and breathe.
Yet this dream is distant from those who do not carry any mountaineering experience. Or maybe it’s just reserved for those with access to hundreds of dollars worth of technical climbing equipment and years of experience. But what if we told you that you don’t need to be an expert climber to conquer a mountain in the Himalayas? Here’s a list of six great summits for the every man and woman to conquer in the Nepal Himalayas.
These peaks don’t necessarily require any kind of special skills (or years of experience) to climb, although being in good physical condition can help make the climb easier and enjoyable.
Island Peak (6,189m)
Imja Tse, also popularly known as Island Peak is a recurrently climbed peak in the Himalayas. It is a non-technical peak which means that not much expertize is required to climb it. This peak provides a stunning sight of the world’s highest mountain, Everest that towers above it at 8848m, You can also see other giant peaks like Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse and Mt. Makalu along with a host of other mountains in this range.
Island Peak forms the south ridge of Mt. Lhotse-Shar. The base camp at situated at 5,087 m and is also called Pareshaya Gyab. The best time to climb this mountain is from April to May and October to November. It might not take more than three days to climb it.
Mera Peak (6,476m)
Mera Peak is in the Everest Region and climbing it might give you a lot of experience. Although it is not considered technical, it can certainly help you understand mountaineering in a practical way. You need to first hike up to the base camp from which the climbing will take you about 2-3 days. From the top of the mountain there are excellent views of almost all the mountains in the Everest region.
There are two high base camps located respectively at 5385m and 5800m. The ascent is quite straightforward but you might have to acclimatize. The normal route taken from the northern side includes glacier and climbing steadily and the reward is the excellent view of Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Cho-Oyu and many other Himalayan peaks.
Pisang Peak (6,091m)
The highest camp for Pisang Peak climbing is at 5,400m. Although it’s not a technically challenging mountain, it does require some serious glacier walking. Towering above the tiny village of Pisang, this peak stands on the northern border of the Manang valley. This incidentally also is a part of the Annapurna range towards the east. In order to reach here, you will have to trek, beginning from Besisahar right up to the Manang valley and then to the base camp. The famed Thorong Pass at 5416m has to be crossed. From the top, there are excellent views of Manaslu, (8163m) to the north east; Annapurna II (7937m) and IV (7525m) to the south; Gangapurna (7454m) and Annapurna III (7555m).
Lobuche East (6,119m)
Lobuche has two different summits, also known as Lobuche East and Lobuche West, with an elevation of 6119m and 6145m respectively. While Lobuche East is a fairly easy mountain to climb, West is technically challenging and can be climbed only as an expedition. This peak is in the Khumbu region and you will have to trek up to Lobuche village in order to reach this mountain.
The mountain does require some technical climbing though. From the top you can have a glorious view of Mt. Everest, Amadablam, Makalu,Nuptse, Lhotse and other mountains. Lobuche almost resembles a pyramid and climbing it is no minor task. You will have to take a glaciated route right up to the top. But the peak can only be reached by descending a marked notch and then climbing up through steep snowy slopes.
Chulu West (6,419m)
First climbed in 1952 by a Japanese team, Chulu West has been attracting climbers and trekkers alike, over the years. This does require some strenuous trekking and reaching the summit requires you to set up two high camps. It is therefore recommended that you be physically in shape, to climb it.
Like Pisang peak, you will have to cross the Thorong La pass to reach right up the Manang valley. From the top, you will be able to see Mt. Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Annapurna among others. The best time to climb this mountain is either in March-April-May or September-October-November. The entire during including the trekking portion might require a little above 20 days.
Yala Peak (5,700m)
Yala Peak is in the Langtang region and requires you to make good use of use crampons, ice axe and rope because the last 400 meters is sheer ice. From the summit you will be able to see the magnificent view of Shishapangma(8,046m) and the famed Gangchempo(6,388m) along with various peaks of the Langtang range.
You can begin this trek either from Bhunche or Syabrubesi. The trek will require you to travel to Langtang Valley and visit the famed Kyanjin Gompa(3,800m). You will have to set up the base camp on beautiful a meadow at 4,800m. The entire trek and climbing will not take you more than 15 days. Climbing the Yala peak is a beautiful experience that you will always cherish.
