Ama Dablam - Mother of Pearl Necklace
There are a number of absolutely breathtaking mountains in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal but Ama Dablam is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. This stunning mountain is crowned by two different peaks. The higher or ‘main peak’ is 6 812 m (22 349 ft) high while the lower peak is 5 563 m (18 251 ft) high. Because of the mountain's beauty it receives a lot of attention from visitors who often consider it to be the most beautiful mountain in the region. Appropriately the name ‘Ama Dablam’ means ‘Mother of Pearl Necklace’ which is not only a reference to the two peaks and the mountain's beauty, but also to the perennial hanging glacier which can be found on this breath-taking mountain.

The summit of Ama Dablam is generally encrusted with snow and ice, so anyone wishing to climb it should definitely keep this in mind. The mountain was first climbed in 1961 and many others have attempted to climb it since. Most people will start their climb by ascending the southwest ridge, stopping at three camps along the way. The third camp is situated perilously right below the glacier. However, this is usually not a problem since any ice coming off the glacier usually makes its way away from the camp. The climb is certainly not an easy one and climbers should ensure that they get a climbing permit and book a liaison officer to travel with them before trying to climb the peak. Of course, thorough training in mountain climbing is also a must and climbers must have a high level of fitness. The best time to climb Ama Dablam is during the months of April and May as well as September and October when the weather is most favorable.

For those who get a little squeamish at the thought of an avalanche rolling down on them, it is wise to keep in mind that a particularly devastating avalanche has occurred on Ama Dablam before. It happened late at night on the 13th of November 2006 when a large piece of the hanging glacier broke off sending debris crashing through Camp 3. The avalanche killed all six climbers stationed at the camp, sweeping away anything and everything in its path. While this is not a common occurrence, the fact that it has happened once means that it could easily happen again. However, it is unlikely that it will happen any time soon and those working in the area will likely be more alert to avoiding catastrophes such as this one in the future.

Amadablam, one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, is a technical mountain for climbing. Although the height is only 6812m it requires steep ice, rock and snow climbing. Normally, three camps are set in the approach above the base camp (4,570m), however, only two camps are used to spend the night. The normal route for climbing is South-West Ridge. The ascent from Base Camp to camp one is considered one the difficult days of the expedition. We follow old grassy moraine ridges passing through a saddle and then turning to north climbing up rocky ground and through boulders to the ridge where camp I is set up. From camp I, we cross a rocky bowl and climb the ridge frequently alternating the sides along the fixed lines to the camp II. Climbing the ridge involves severe rock climbing which leads to the top of a yellow tower. The climbing route here from camp II changes significantly with the steep mixed gully's of rock, ice and snow. The route leads to the ramp and climbs to an amphitheatre and then passes through steep snow and ice runnel and finally, along the snow ridge to reach camp III. The summit from camp III requires steep climb on snow and ice to the right of a huge hanging glacier.

Experience Required: The Amadablam expedition is one of the most technically difficult expeditions. The climbers need to have good skills on rock and ice climbing and technically competent. On most parts of the routes there will be fixed rope, however, the climbers should posses skills to climb through steep rock and hard water ice.

Country/Region: Nepal
Total Days: 40
Area: Everest Region
Activities: Expedition
Grade Level: 5
Season: March - May, Oct - Nov.
Highest Point: 6,812 m.

Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival Kathmandu treansfer to Hotel on BB basis.
Day 02: Sight Seeing of Kathmandu
Day 03: Day free to organize gears and breifing on the trip.
Day 04: fly to Lukla. Trek to Phakding.
Day 05: Trek to Namche Bazaar 3,410 m.
Day 06: Rest day in Namche.
Day 07: Trek to Tengboche.
Day 08: Trek to Dingboche.
Day 09: Rest in Dingboche
Day 10: Trek to Lobuche
Day 11: Kalapathar & back Lobuche.
Day 12: Trek Back Pangboche
Day 13: Trek to Amadablam BC 4,480 mtr.
Day 14: Rest on Base Camp
Day 15-28: Amadablam Climbing Period
Day 29: Back to Base Camp and clean Base Camp.
Day 30: Trek back Tengboche
Day 31: Trek back to Namche Bazaar.
Day 32: Trek back to Phakding.
Day 33: Trek back to Lukla.
Day 34: Fly to Kathmandu.
Day 35: Free day in Kathmandu.
Day 36: Free day in Kathmandu.
Day 37: International departure.........................