Mount everest how much to climb

Not only do you have to get yourself to base camp but also all of your gear — tents, food, oxygen, etc. Large operators will hire helicopters and the expense is bundled into the overall price. On the Tibet side, all transportation is included in your climbing permit and monitored by the government.

On Denali, the permit includes helicopter evacuation. Nepal implemented in a new rule that requires every foreign climber in Nepal to hire a local Sherpa Guide. It is still there for the season. I saw climbers in October climbing peaks with zero porters or Sherpa support so this policy is enforced unevenly if at all. In , one person climbed without a permit was caught, deported and banned from climbing in Nepal for five years by the Nepal authorities.

Both sides are cracking down on unauthorized climbing, so beware. Most guide companies on the Nepal side will require at least evacuation insurance and most require medical coverage. One of the best investments you can make is to add trip cancellation to the policy. Travelex is a popular choice but expensive. Most people upgrade that basic coverage for a few hundred dollars.

RipCord is another popular evacuation company. With all these policies you must follow their rules exactly or you will not be covered — and I mean exactly, one misstep and you are not covered. Again, exactly. Also, most do not cover searches and those that do have low limits. However, many of the traditional evac companies will not cover you if CPVID is involved, so once again, double check the policy and get everything in writing.

This is not a big deal for independent climbers since many guides are glad to have you on their permit for a small fee and not provide any support. This price includes transportation from the entry point in China usually Lhasa or Zhangmu—Kodari to base camp, hotels, liaison officer, trash fee, five yaks in and four yaks out per member.

The Tibet side is more complicated for evacuation insurance since a centralized team does the rescues. A person being rescued is on the hook for an unspecified and unlimited amount of money. Helicopters are not allowed but are rumored to be offered in the next few years, maybe by It would be wise to double-check everything with your provider to understand the details when climbing in China. You can carry your own extra oxygen to the high camps, but most people use the Sherpas to cache them at the high camps.

Finally, you will need climbing gear including boots, down suit, clothing layers, gloves, sleeping bags, packs and more. You can often find lightly used climbing gear on eBay. See my current gear list. With all the previous costs broken out, it can be overwhelming. But that is changing. In the last few years, there has been intense competition from Nepali owned and operated companies. However, in , we are seeing Sherpas receiving ay similar to Westerners so the price gap is much narrower today.

But some Nepali operators are well-known for underpaying their staff thus offer climbs that are half to a third of traditional western operators. One common trend is that almost all the Nepali guides will privately negotiate and discount while most foreign operators will not.

Many of the lead Sherpas are now have a subset no ski qualification for example UIAGM certified with more summits than many of the Western guides. This trend will drive the cost of the Nepali companies up over time as more and more Sherpas become certified.

With all this as background, I used public websites and my own research to compile the Everest fees from the major Everest guide companies.

I looked back at their summit rates and historical numbers where available using my own research, their websites and the Himalayan Database. Remember, there were virtually no climbers on Everest in This is not a complete list of all guides and I did not look at small one-person operations or those who do not run climbs each year for more than one or two members. No commentary is implied by exclusion or inclusion on this list and is to be used for reference only.

Check with the operator for details and questions. Without a doubt, climbing with a Nepali owned company is half the price of a foreign operator with multiple western guides. Some foreign companies do offer Sherpa lead trips. Prices usually include full logistics support, gear, food, Personal Sherpa, oxygen, mask, and regulator. You can see my thoughts on Everest guides on my main site at Selecting a Guide.

View Results. Anyone can call themselves a guide in Nepal, however, there are three options for supported climbs: Sherpa supported, Sherpa guided and a western foreign guided commercial expedition. All leverage group costs such as deposits, cooks, and tents across multiple climbers.

Please note this is Sherpa supported , not guided and what most Nepali owned companies offer. The company organizes all the logistics: food, group gear, transportation plus Sherpa support but does not provide western guides or, in some cases, even a lead Sherpa guide. The Sherpas may or may not speak English very well and will most likely follow your lead as to pushing forward or turning back. You must be extremely careful when selecting amongst these options as some are excellent and others lacking.

A Sherpa will climb with you on summit night but you might be on your own with random teammates throughout the rest of the acclimatization climbing process, including preparing meals at the high camps. It is quite common to find yourself climbing only with a Sherpa or even by yourself. The Sherpas may have attended a climbing school but will usually lack basic medical training and may not be of significant help in a health crisis other than getting you lower, which is substantial and often life-saving.

Asian Trekking specializes in this style of climb and is outstanding. Seven Summits Treks is another option at a lower cost and many small one-man Nepali companies offer even lower prices. This is a good option for the climber with significant high altitude experience including previously on Everest.

It is not for the novice or first-timer on an meter peak. Please note this is Sherpa guided , not supported. Usually, they depend on a Sirdar a highly experienced senior Sherpa to make big decisions such as when to go for the summit or when to turn-around. Also, there is usually a Westerner overseeing the expedition in Base Camp, but not climbing.

These Sherpas have gained significant experience and training in dealing one to one with western members. Their English skills are usually very good but similar to a Sherpa supported, they may lack medical training but you will never climb alone. While they will not carry all your gear, they may offload some items from time to time.

They will be with you exclusively on your summit night even if you turn around before the summit. This style is appropriate for climbers with previous meter experience, unusually strong, but again not for the novice. This includes all the services of a Sherpa guided climb plus sharing one or more western guides.

The major point of this approach is you are climbing in close proximity to a western guide who most likely has summited Everest several times. There is no language barrier and the guide will make all the decisions as to turn around times, weather and manage emergencies. On these higher-end expeditions, you should have a high quality of food ranging from better prepared to exotic. One service likes to promote their sushi, another their 5 Star chef.

It includes:. Do I have to take the standard routes? You can get a permit to climb any of the 30 named routes on Everest or make up your own.

If you want to traverse from Nepal to Tibet or the other way, you will need to get permits from both countries however China has refused to issue permission from their side for many years now.

In a climber illegally made the traverse and was deported and banned for 5 years. He claimed it was a medical emergency. Officially no. The Nepal Ministry of Tourism requires every climber to hire a Sherpa guide. The CMA has a similar requirement. But like everything around Everest, there are exceptions and most rules are never enforced. As previously addressed, it is almost impossible to climb Everest completely alone on the standard route.

However, you can climb independent with no oxygen, Sherpa or cook support but using ladders and ropes on the south side. Summit Sherpas will get a summit bonus, generally provided by the client they assist. Any camp will have ancillary staff coming and going with fresh food supplies and doing a number of jobs to keep the expedition going. We had a Sherpa whose job it was to deliver film footage to Lukla so it could be flown out to New York every week.

I tend to use the same people on all my trips and we have all worked together long enough to create a happy and harmonious atmosphere. My team on Everest in - myself, two clients, three Sherpas and our cook. Great team and good summits. Base Camp facilities are expensive, with tentage and cooking equipment, generators and all manner of equipment like climbing gear, toilets, showers, radio communications, wooden flooring, heaters, fuel, mattresses, flags, shovels, tables, chairs and even plastic flowers.

Some camps are luxurious! Many teams now have extensive group camp facilities at Camp 2, weather havens with heaters and computers receiving the latest weather reports. Everest Base Camp becomes a tented city with each team creating a home from home environment. My trips in , and were like that, I was climbing by myself or with a friend and without bottled oxygen and just one Sherpa, so our camp was very minimal.

In I climbed by myself on Everest and I used the original Base Camp that John Hunt chose which is quite a bit further down the valley. I was the only tent there, and I used the lodges at Gorak Shep for my meals and the occasional shower.

The Government still required me to have a toilet though, so I paid the famous Apa Sherpa to use his one at Base Camp.

This is a mountain you might climb after many seasons at altitude building up a solid track record of ascents. This Mail Online article about climbing Mount Everest is all about Gavin and his experiences climbing the mountain. All rights reserved. Toggle navigation High Adventure Expeditions. Yaks carrying climbing gear to Everest Base Camp.