Ama Dablam

Overview

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An ascent of the highly-coveted 'Matterhorn of the Himalaya'

Introduction

Ama Dablam is one of the most beautiful peaks in the Himalayas. Situated in the heart of Everest's Khumbu Region, it lies directly above Thyangboche Monastery on the well-worn path to Everest Base Camp. The SW Ridge is like a long Alpine Difficile, but at over 6,000m. It is a beautiful route, on mainly good rock, with sections of mixed climbing and a snowy finale. We go in the late autumn season/early winter, when there are fewer people on the mountain and the weather is typically cold but stable.

The expedition is not a "guided" ascent. It will be a professionally-led team of competent mountaineers who have enough experience to climb one of the world's most sought after mountains without undue risk. This approach ensures that team members are suitably experienced, reasonably self-sufficient, capable and willing to move between camps unsupervised.

Join us on Ama Dablam

• NEW Return Helicopter charter from Kathmandu to Lukla.
• UK expedition leader (2025 and 2026: Jamie Holding IFMGA / BMG, leader of our 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 expeditions)..
• High quality base camp with single sleeping tents.
• Late season climb when the mountain is quieter.
• Financial Protection - Jagged Globe is a fully licensed and bonded tour operator.

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Experience Required

The expedition is graded 5D. Please download the Expedition PDF and read the section on 'The Nature of the Challenge'.

The expedition grade reflects the technical nature and physical toughness of the climb. Although ropes are fixed the whole way to the summit, you need to be able to climb steep rock, ice and snow without direction supervision. You need to be psychologically prepared for living high on a precipitous mountain in cold conditions. The route is extremely exposed in places, where a small mistake or fall could be fatal.

To join this expedition and have a good chance of success you must have:

• Confidence climbing British Severe in mountain boots and having climbed VS (UK) or 5.7 (USA) in rock shoes.
• Confidence on mixed Alpine AD routes and Scottish Grade IV.
• The ability to climb on steep ground carrying a pack of 10 - 15Kg.
• Experience on mountains in the European Alps above 4000m.

In addition, we recommend that you have:

• Previous expedition experience on mountains at altitudes above 6,000m.
• Experience using a handled ascender/jumar.

Our Alpine Ice course and our Alpine Climber course would provide good training for this expedition.

Additional Information

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the expedition or your suitability for it, please phone +44 (0)114 276 3322 or contact us.

Dates & Prices

Date	With Flight	or Meeting in	Availability
Fri 6 Nov – Sun 6 Dec 2026	UK	Kathmandu	Trip Guaranteed Book now »
Expedition Leader Jamie Holding Expedition Guide Pem Chhiri	£10,445	£9,195
Fri 5 Nov – Sun 5 Dec 2027	UK	Kathmandu	Available Book now »
2 places left with £500 early booking offer	£10,295 £9,795	£9,095 £8,595

Our Trip Guarantee

This expedition is available to book in GBP, USD and EUR.
Click to Change currency for prices on this site.

Group size: 5 – 12 people.

Single room supplement: £250

For comparison, this expedition starts from £303 (GBP) per day (price Without Flights).

With Flight pricing

Our 'With Flight' price includes an Economy class return airfare from the UK. The cost is based on a group fare that we have already reserved, or individual seats that we have budgeted for. Note that in some circumstances, the earlier you book, the less expensive the airfare and the 'With Flight' price.

Know Before You Go

Jagged Globe supports the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign. We recommend that you read the FCDO Travel Advice for Nepal on the FCDO Website.

What the price includes

• Economy class return airfares from the UK (unless Land Only).
• UK airport taxes.
• One in-country, return flight between Kathmandu and Lukla by chartered helicopter.
• Return transfers between Kathmandu airport and the hotel (one on arrival and one on departure of your international flight).
• Return transfers between the hotel and Kathmandu Airport to meet your helicopter charter.
• 3 nights' bed and breakfast accommodation at a 4-star Hotel in Kathmandu on a twin-sharing basis.
• 9 nights' full-board lodge ("Tea House") acccomodation on the trek to/from base camp.
• 17 nights' full board accommodation in tents on the mountain (single tents in base camp).
• Emergency equipment (oxygen for therapeutic use, Portable Hyperbaric Chamber (PAC), Satellite Communicator (either phone or InReach)) – see trip PDF for more details.
• All porterage costs.
• All costs for leaders, guides and local helpers..
• Jagged Globe kitbag or Fleece top.

What the price does not include

• Visa fees.
• Overseas airports taxes not paid in advance through the international airline ticket.
• Any costs associated with you leaving the expedition early or spending additional nights in the valley in lodges, whilst the expedition is resident in base camp.
• Any costs associated with arriving back in Kathmandu early, for example, having climbed the mountain ahead of schedule.
• Bar bills and laundry.
• Travel insurance.
• Lunch and evening meals in Kathmandu.
• Optional trips and sightseeing tours.
• Tips.

Tailor Made Trips

We can organise this expedition on a ‘tailor-made’ private basis for groups of friends, families, clubs, charities or any other group. The cost of going private can be surprisingly reasonable. Please contact us to discuss the itinerary and your preferred dates. We will then send you a quote, with no obligation.

Insurance

You will need a travel insurance policy that caters for the activities you will undertake on your trip with Jagged Globe. It is a requirement of our booking conditions that you have such a policy. For a list of insurers who specialise in mountaineering, trekking and skiing, please see our Travel Insurance page »

Itinerary

Here is an outline itinerary for this trip. A more detailed day-to-day itinerary is available as a downloadable PDF »

Outline Itinerary

Day 1 - 2:	Fly to Kathmandu Team members joining on a “land-only”, please plan to arrive in Kathmandu on Day 2 no later than 1630, when your services will begin. Overnight hotel.
Day 3:	Fly by helicopter from Kathmandu to Lukla Early morning flight by chartered helicopter to Lukla (2,840m), the gateway to the Khumbu Valley. Trek to Phakding. Overnight lodge.
Day 4 - 8:	Walk to Pangboche via Namche Bazaar You have five days to slowly walk to Pangboche (4,000m), which is the village nearest to base camp. The trek takes you through Namche Bazaar and Thyangboche, with its famous monastery. The team may choose to trek beyond Pangboche to Pheriche (4,300m), or alternatively, to base themselves at Pangboche for a couple of nights and trek to c4,300m above the village before moving to base camp.
Day 9:	Move to Base Camp (4,570m) It is a 3.5 hour walk to base camp from Pangboche. Base camp is a large open grassy area, where you will be accommodated in twin-sharing tents.
Day 10 - 11:	Organise food and fixed rope practice You will have a couple of days to get organised. There will be a fixed rope session and the team will walk to 5,000m on the ridge above base camp.
Day 12 - 18:	Acclimatisation to Camp 2 (5,900m) En route to the summit you will utilise camps at 5,300m (ABC), 5,700m (Camp 1), 5,900m (Camp 2) and 6,300m (Camp 3). Most climbers choose to climb as far as Camp 2 as part of their acclimatisation, prior to a summit attempt. Initially, you will walk to ABC, sleep there, then carry a light load to Camp 1 before returning to BC. On your second rotation you will sleep at Camp 1, with the aim of climbing along the ridge to Camp 2. Some teams have a final rotation, where they sleep at Camp 2.
Day 19 - 24:	Summit push The route from BC to ABC is simple walking, unless there is ice and snow on the scree. ABC is located on a large plateau and not all teams use this, as water needs to be portered to it. The height gain from BC to Camp 1 is nearly 1,200m, so it is a good idea to split this initially by using an ABC. Above ABC is the infamous talus field, which must be traversed to reach the fixed ropes that lead up slabs to Camp 1. Camp 1 to Camp 2 is typically 70% on rock in dryish conditions, with sections of British Grade 'Severe'. It culminates in a 15m vertical section to reach the top of the 'Yellow Tower', just short of Camp 2 (this is normally jumared, using a foot loop). Camp 2 to Camp 3 is mixed rock, snow and ice, which is loose in places, with the hardest part being below the Grey Tower. Above Camp 3 snow and ice on the summit slopes is as steep as 50°.
Day 25 - 28:	Return trek to Lukla
Day 29:	Fly by helicopter from Lukla to Kathmandu Charter helicopter flight. Transfer to hotel.
Day 30:	At leisure in Kathmandu
Day 31:	Depart Kathmandu Airport transfer. For those joining “land-only”, you should book your flight home today.

PLEASE NOTE: Every effort will be made to keep to the above itinerary, but as this is Adventure Travel in a remote mountain region, we cannot guarantee it. Weather conditions, road conditions, vehicle breakdowns and the health of climbers can all contribute to changes. The Expedition Leader and our local agent will try to ensure that the trip runs according to plan, but an easy going nature will be an asset!

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• Ama Dablam South West Ridge Expedition

Reports & Reviews

First Expedition: April 1992
Total: 19 trips

Have you been on this trip? If you'd like to contribute a trip report then we'll post it up on the site.

Team Member Reviews

• “

  The entire trip was a blast from start to finish, with the team, in and out of country, I imagine that there’s is no other possible outcome. J S-W

  ” Ama Dablam 2019
• “A technically difficult climb but extremely satisfying if you retain your focus and remain resilient on summit day.” RT, Ama Dablam 2016
• “Jagged globe have always come across as a professional outfit. I believe that they proved this, certainly to myself on this expedition.” ML, Ama Dablam 2013
• “The quality of the food and the unparalleled support on the mountain from the Sherpas exceeded my expectations.” AB, Ama Dablam 2013
• “Could fairly be described as the trip of a lifetime” AB, Ama Dablam 2013
• 1 more review »

• “The leadership and enthusiasm which Andy Owen had for the expedition turned a group of people into a very strong and self-sufficient climbing team!” GM

Leader Reports

• Ama Dablam 2019 The Bakery Team
  “The Ama Dablam team were privileged to participate in our expedition’s puja ceremony at Base Camp, delivered by the local lama and orchestrated by our Sirdar Pemchhiri. We enjoyed settled weather, trekking from Namche to...”
  report added 03/Jun/24
• Ama Dablam 2023 report
  “Ama Dablam 6856m and the South West ridge. A big climb on a beautiful mountain. After Jagged Globe’s successful expedition in 2022 I wrote up an account that detailed the phases of the trip, illustrated with many photographs...”
  report added 29/Dec/23
• Ama Dablam 2022
  “"What Makes a Dream Team? Ed Chard once quipped that Pem Chhiri Sherpa and me were the dream team, both IFMGA Mountain Guides, combining Pem’s vast experience, on the world’s highest mountains, with my decades of...”
  report added 03/Feb/23
• Ama Dablam 2018 - Fire and Ice for the Khumbu Regulars
  “Tony, Ewan, Mark, Hannah and Fatima all had previous form in the Khumbu, including Everest, Island Peak, Kyajo Ri and Cholatse. Only Andrew was a newbie to these climes and altitiudes. Khumbu regulars we might be but we were all...”
  report added 19/Dec/18
• Ama Dablam, November 2013
  “It's often said that a successful trip is about having the right people in the right place at the right time with the right weather. This was certainly what happened for the Jagged Globe Ama Dablam 2013 expedition. Many trips this...”
  report added 05/Dec/13
• 7 more reports »

• Ama Dablam 2008
  “It was not until arriving at the Summit Hotel in Kathmandu that the expedition members finally all met each other. Bill, Barry, Archie, Rob and Andy had travelled from the UK. From Australia and New Zealand came Marty, Mark, John...”
  report added 15/Dec/08
• Ama Dablam 2007
  “My expedition goal was to get everyone to the top. This is rarely achieved on mountains like Ama Dablam with variables such as weather, ability, health and motivation, impacting on a climber’s chances of topping out. However it...”
  report added 04/Mar/08
• Ama Dablam 2006
  “Ama Dablam (Mother's Charm Box) 2006 Team Members: Neal Short (Leader) Tom Briggs (Assistant Leader) Chris Goddard Angus McDonald Ian Hicks Hadley Weight Dean Wheeldon Andreas Timmer Arie Verudenhil After enjoying a...”
  report added 19/Dec/06
• Ama Dablam 2005
  “All members of the 2005 Ama Dablam Expedition have now returned to Kathmandu having enjoyed a fantastic few weeks of settled weather. We took a circuitous route to reach base camp in order to acclimatise on the way, finally...”
  report added 13/Dec/05
• Ama Dablam 2004
  “The 2004 Ama Dablam team members; Peter Huskins, James Ellson Simon Triger, Frank Wigley and their leader, Adele Pennington, finally met up in Namche Bizarre on 18 November where they spent the day enjoying their first views of Ama...”
  report added 16/Dec/04
• Ama Dablam 2003
  “News from Kathmandu Team Members; Rick Marchant Isabelle Santoire Arie Vreugdenhil Sandra Rutherford Katja Staartjes Henk Wesselius We're now all safely back from Ama Dablam. Indulging ourselves in the delights of...”
  report added 16/Dec/03
• Ama Dablam 2000
  “Team members; Andy owen, Stephen Hayward, Jon Howell, Garry Murrell, Rob White, Gunnar Bjolseth, Ildi Morris, Paul Morrow. Climbing sherpas; Nima Gombu Sherpa, Wangshhu Sherpa and sirdar, Wangshhu Sherpa. Andy, Jon and Wangshhu...”
  report added 19/Dec/00