Mount Everest Base Camp Trek

Following in the footsteps of Mallory, Norgay and Hillary, Silvia und René from HouseBerg.at leave soon to hike from Lukla to Mount Everest Base Camp this September.

The tale is of course best heard from the horse’s mouth – in this case, the team at HouseBerg.at:

„Because it’s there“

This was the answer that George Mallory, outstanding alpinist of his age, gave at the beginning of the last century when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest (8,848m).

Unfortunately, it is believed that Mallory never made it to the top. It took another thirty years before Nepali Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary became the first people to stand on Mount Everest, on 29th May 1953.

Unlike these days, when diligent sherpas set up ladders and ropes at the start of every season, Norgay and Hillary had to climb the Khumbu Icefall without safety mechanisms in place.

Every expedition up Everest sets out from Everest Base Camp at 5,380 metres. Climbers either fly to Base Camp in a helicopter or they start their hike on foot from Lukla airport, 2,840m.

Our journey begins in Vienna, from where we fly via New Delhi to Kathmandu. A few days later we will fly on to Lukla, from which point we will rely on our own two feet.

It will take us two days to hike to Phakding and then on to Namche Bazaar, which sits at a proud 3,440m. This village of 1,647 inhabitants is the administrative centre for the Khumbu region. The third day of our adventure will give us the opportunity to undertake an acclimatisation hike to sherpa village Thame, where Tenzing Norgay spent part of his childhood.

It’s not the altitude – it’s the attitude.

Days five and six take us through Tengboche and Dingboche to the Chhukung valley at 4,730m, where we will allow our bodies time to adjust to the altitude.

The following two days bring us to the village of Gorak Shep which, at over 5,200m, is the highest populated village in the Everest region. If energy levels allow, we will climb Kala Patthar. Despite standing at 5,675m, Kala Patthar is seen less as a peak than a view point! The panorama across Everest and Lhotse is said to be indescribable. We can’t wait.

Day nine is the culmination of our trek; we reach Everest Base Camp (5,380m). Whilst this is of course the interim goal of the trek, we will still need to make our way back. It will take us a further four days to hike back to Lukla, where a plane will return us to Kathmandu for the last few days of our stay.

Our bags are packed, our first aid kits are jam-packed with electrolytes, travel sickness tablets and everything we might need at that altitude. In order to train, we climbed the Großglockner (3,798m) and the Ortler (3,905m), but we have never been above 4,000 metres.

As always, we will use FITAPP to track our hike and will keep you posted.

Is it really such a good idea?

Of course!

Will we have fun?

What do you think?!

Why are we doing it?

Because it’s there.

You can view the whole route here

Follow our journey on HouseBerg.at

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