Mt. Kanchenjunga Expedition (8,586m) - 60 days

Mt. Kanchenjunga Expedition - Brief Introduction

Mt. Kanchenjunga (8,586m) is the 3rd tallest mountain in the world situated in the eastern part of Nepal at 8,586m and it was first climbed by a British man Mr. George Christopher on May 25th, 1955. It is located on the border of Nepal and Sikkim, just 46 miles northwest of Darjeeling. It is the most easterly of the great 8,000 meter peaks of the Himalaya. It is an enormous mountain mass. The peak consists of four summits. The west summit, Yalung Kang, is 8,420m high and some people classify it as a separate 8000m peak. It stretches southward from Jonsang La to LangpoPeak, Pyramid Peak, and NepalPeak - all on India's border. It continues further from TalungPeak and Kabru North and South Peaks to the Twin Peaks of Rathong and Kokthan. To the west of Jonsang La, on Tibet's border, are JongsangPeak, Outlier, Lashar, Chabuk, and OhnmiKangri. This then is the Kangchenjunga Region which is also called the "GREAT SNOW MOUNTAIN OF FIVE TREASURES". Further south lies Nupchu and Sharpu.

British botanist JD Hooker is the first westerner to explore Kanchenjunga, who visited the area twice in 1848 and 1849. Exploration of the Sikkim side of the peak continued with both British and pundit explorers mapping and photographing until 1899. In that year a party led by Douglas Freshfield made a circuit of Kanchenjunga and produced what is still one of the most authoritative maps of the region. 

In 1976, 1973 and 1974, the Japanese took up the challenge and they climbed Yalung Kang. A German Expedition climbed Yalung Kang in 1975, and in 1977 an Indian army team had made a second successful expedition to the main peak of Kanchenjunga. 

The climb of Mt. Kanchenjunga begins from a charming base camp in the meadows of Panorama at 5,475 m. This provides the most challenging climbing of the expedition. Mt.Kanchenjunga is considered as one the difficult and challenging 8000m peak and to climb this peak, the climber needs extensive experiences & skills in mountaineering. Therefore, before attempting this peak, a climber must have climbed at least one 7000m & 8000m peaks. To put the fixed lines and establishment of the three & four high camps are the most challenging parts of this expedition. So the supports of Sherpa are the most essential for the success of this expedition. Using Sherpa support and oxygen, you can move higher and higher up the mountain at a systematically slow velocity. This is a highly satisfying climb for expert Climbers. 

Climbing Routes and high Camps

We climb the Mt.Kanchenjunga via the normal route (South Face), but we can also climb the peak via the North Face route. 

Our expedition to Mt. Kanchenjunga begins with a flight to Bhadrapur and drives to Tharpu. We will start our walk from Tharpu for 10 days to Kanchenjunga Base Camp at 5,475 meters. We'll ascend via the South Face/normal route establishing 4 high camps on the mountain. Our strong & professional high altitude climbing Sherpas will fix ropes as required. Depending on our fitness, we'll be moving up and down the mountain several times, acclimatizing and stocking the higher camps. This expedition is fully supported with all the base camp & high camp logistics. Teamwork is vital for successfully scaling the summit of Mt Kanchenjunga. 

TRIP HIGHTLIGHTS

• Expedition will be finished after summiting the Mt Kanchenjunga
• Expert & experienced cook and crews
• Excellent & comfortable logistics at base camp
• Medical back up Oxygen set and Gamow bag at base camp
• Oxygen cylinders and Mask set for climbing purpose
• Unbelievable and amazing trek into the deepest to Kanchenjunga (ideal environment for musk beer, blue sheep and the infamous yeti)
• 1:1 Personal Climbing Sherpa to each client
• Climb the world’s 3rd highest peak, Mt. Kanchenjuna with professional and already summited Sherpa Guides

Fitness requirement for Mt. Kanchenjunga Expedition

Climbing at and above 8,000 meters is inherently dangerous and is not the place to be learning mountaineering and climbing skills. Any expedition that goes to 8,000m requires a very high level of aerobic fitness. Being fit will certainly improve your chances of reaching your chosen summit. Your resting heart rate should be below 60 but preferably below 50. You should be able to run 50km on flat ground in approximately6 hours. Endurance and the ability to carry a heavy pack of up to 25kg is more important than sprint ability.
In order to get ready for this challenge, you need to be trained at least for about 8 to 12 months to prepare yourself as a strong candidate. You can go to the fitness center every morning for about 2 hours, do hiking every weekend with increasing weights on your pack (i.e. 10kg, 15kg, 20 kg, and up to 25kg), manage some time for cycling for a couple of hours for 3 or 4 times a week.    On the summit push, extra effort is required walking on ice and climbing up to 10 – 14 hours. On our all-8000m expeditions, we supply excellent logistics; good ratios of climbing support sherpas and a standard quantity of oxygen, which plays a vital role in the success and safe climb of the peak.

Experience Required for Expedition

Dream Himalaya Adventures strongly suggest that you must climb a number of 6,000m peaks in order to gain mountaineering proficiency and also undertake a trip to one of the 7,000m peak or one of the technically difficult 6000m peak i.e. Mt. Amadablam or similar, where you experience expedition camping, higher altitude, and how to deal with the cold. If you are fit and motivated but lacked technical climbing skills or suitable experience, we have options to keep you safe and get you high. This might be a personal Sherpa or a pre-trip training course.
You must have well knowledge about using of mountaineering gears, good with rock climbing and ice climbing, will increase the chances of reaching the summit and also previous mountaineering experiences is mandatory but doesn’t really require any high level of technical experience.