Mountaineering Course in Nepal

Trip Overview

Trip Itinerary

Dates & Price

Cost Inclusion

Cost Exclusion

Essential Information

Who can take part in this course?

Anyone with mountaineering aspirations can join this course. This course is suitable for people of any age group and background with a good fitness level as this trip involves a longer duration of trek/climb. 

Who will be the Instructor?

Your instructor for this course will be a fully certified UIAGM/IFMGA guide with previous experience in training. There will also be a assistant guides to assist and provide additional support.

We possess a deep passion for alpine adventure & the outdoors, and with the small professional group we have on board, we’ve notched up experience that spans almost 3 decades on some of the most isolated trails and highest peaks. We take great pride in calling ourselves a ‘high-altitude adventure specialist’ and all this is due to our diverse and qualified team of guides. Most of our guides were born in these parts & have relatives living in other parts of the regions where they were born in.  Your trip will be led by an experienced mountain guide with and 1:3 sherpa guide to client ratio

Is this training good for me?

This training course has been devised keeping every aspect in mind and we are confident that this course is suitable for anyone looking to build a solid foundation of mountaineering skills. The course covers important topics of general mountaineering skills and we also have a peak ascent program after the training where you will actually climb the peak and apply all that you have learned.

Why Rolwaling as a training ground?

Rolwaling serves as a fantastic training ground due to its close vicinity with all types of terrains (Rock, Ice and Snow). Rolwaling is also the closest and easily accessible place as compared to other parts of Nepal.

Difficulty Level

Grading: 5-6 (Challenging)

Physically challenging, involving daily trekking of approximately 6–8 hours. No previous trekking experience is required but you should be moderately fit and must enjoy walking and be adaptable to high altitude conditions. This course is considered challenging due to a longer duration trek/climb in a remote and isolated area that goes above 5500m and you need to sleep at an elevation of 5000m for multiple days. Climbers are required to have an excellent physical level. On summit days, you will leave base camp at around 2 am and will only be back to base camp by late afternoon. This grade trip involves the usage of climbing equipment (Harness, Ice Axe, Crampons, Mountaineering Boots, Ascender).

Yalung Ri is graded as Alpine PD, which suggests it to be a challenging climb with very little technical climb and fewer objective hazards. The majority of the climb involves walking in a glacier at a relatively fair degree of steepness with the use of crampons and an ice axe. The final section of the climb involves an ascent following a ridge at a 4o degree angle with the use of a short rope system or ascender/jumar on a fixed rope system depending on the group size.

Accommodation on this course

Hotel: 5 Nights, Camping: 15 Nights

Kathmandu: 
In Kathmandu, we stay at Kathmandu Guest House, a well-known hotel where many famous celebrities like the Beatles, Ricky Martin, Jeremy Irons and others have stayed. Centrally located in Thamel, the hotel also boasts a beautiful garden where you can relax and enjoy the greenery. Breakfast will be provided in the hotel and your accommodation will be on twin sharing basis. If you would like to have a single room, upon request you are required to pay a single supplement price as stated in the trip costing.
Regardless of whether you're coming back from the mountains or touching base from the airport, come and unwind at the hotel's beautiful garden, request some fine Italian espresso or a chilled Beer, and escape in the memorable surroundings of Kathmandu's most adored guesthouse.

In the mountains:
In the mountains, your accommodation will be on fully tented camping. A tent will be provided for every 2 climbers. If in case of a single by default, then we will provide a single tent without any additional cost. There will also be a dining tent, toilet tent etc for your comfort.

Single supplement:
A single supplement will be charged if someone wishes to have their own room in Kathmandu. Especially when travelling in a group, we will always pair you with someone of the same sex and similar age to share the room with. If in case of a single by default, then clients don’t have to pay for the single supplement. Please note that on the trek, a single supplement is not available due to limited rooms

Meals on this course

All meals are included from Day 04 to 19 lunch. We will provide three meals a day (B, L, D) during the trek with hot water/tea/coffee provided. Our kitchen crew will freshly prepare the food for us and there will be a decent variety of meals.

In Kathmandu, only breakfast will be provided to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where what and with whom to eat for lunch and dinner.

If you have any special dietary requirements please let us know in advance and we will be sure to pass your message to your guide. For a gluten-free diet, we highly recommend you bring extra foods, especially for breakfast as your options for breakfast will be limited.

Group Size

Our emphasis is always on maintaining a small group of cohesive climbers so that it will be easy to coordinate and cooperate with each other. Our group size is small and we only take up to 12 pax in one group. Our group generally consists of climbers from different countries of any age group except minors. The size of the group varies, but on average our group size is 4-6 climbers with the support team of guides and sherpas. 

Min participant required to run this trip is 2.

Safety and emergency

Safety is always a priority while travelling with Highland Expeditions. Our itinerary for this course has been devised carefully ensuring safety and success. We carry a supplementary oxygen system and medical kit on our high altitude trip be it a group of 2 or 12. Besides, we provide a high staff-to-client ratio to ensure more support.

Do i need Insurance?

It’s mandatory and highly recommended to get travel insurance before embarking on any adventurous trips in Nepal. We advise all our clients to get travel insurance that covers emergency helicopter evacuation that may be needed in case of the occurrence of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) or any other reasons in high altitudes where there are no other means of transportation available. It is advisable to review carefully the insurance and its coverages before making the final decision. Carry proof of your insurance with you on the holiday and leave a copy next to your kin. You must ensure that your insurance provides an adequate level of protection and covers you for the activities involved.

More information: Travel Insurance

Can I rent climbing gears?

Yes, you can rent all climbing gear in Kathmandu. After you arrive, you can let us know and we will assist you with the gear rental.

Equipment List

The gear listed below is recommended for this kind of trip. We encourage you to get all equipment listed below for the trip and kindly ensure you check and try every piece of equipment.   You can also buy or hire the same in Kathmandu as they are available in the many trekking shops from branded to local manufacturers in Kathmandu.

Head gears:

- Sunhat X 1
- Warm hat (should cover head & ear comfortably) X 1
- Buffs X 2
- Sunglasses (High-quality, UV-blocking sunglasses with good all-around protection) X 1
- Headlamp with spare batteries (200-300 lumens output) X 1

Upper Body:

- Thermal or fleece base layer top X 2
- Trekking shirts/t-shirts (Breathable and quick-dry materials) – full sleeve x 2 and short sleeve x 2
- Mid-Layer Jacket X 2 (Lightweight downs are good as well)
- Soft-shell jacket X 1 (Water and Wind Resistant)
- Hardshell jacket with a hood X 1 (Fully waterproof shell jacket, must fit comfortably over mid layers)
- Insulated Down Jacket X 1 (provided by us at request) 

Lower Body:

- Thermal or fleece base layer bottom X 2
- Trekking trousers/pants X 3
- Warm trekking trousers X 1
- Hardshell pants X 1 for climbing days (Non-insulated and waterproof)
- Insulated down pants X 1

Underwear:

- 4 pairs of synthetic or wool fabrics only

Hand Wear:

- Liner Gloves X 1
- Midweight gloves X 1
- Expedition Down Mittens (Leather Palm) X 1

Foot Wear:

- Waterproof Hiking Boots (Preferably full to protect/support your ankle) X 1
- Double Layer Mountaineering Boot X 1
- Hiking socks X 4 pairs medium to heavy (synthetic and wool)
- Summit socks X 2
- Liner socks X 2
- Gaiters X 1 Pair

Climbing Gears:

- Helmet
- Ice Axe
- Crampons
- Harness
- Carabiners (2 X Screw Gate and 2 X Snap Gate )
- Belay Device X 1
- Ascender/Jumar (Large Handle)
- Prussik Cord
- Safety Cord (2 m length) 

Gears / Personal equipment:

- Daypack 40-45 litres (To carry water and personal items that you may require while trekking and climbing)
- Duffel bag (provided by us at request)
- Down Sleeping bag (-20 C rated) with compression sack (provided by us at request)
- One litre capacity water bottle X 2 (Nalgene)
- Insulated Cover for Water bottle X 1
- Trekking poles X 1
- Camera with charger or spare batteries
- Personal snacks, comfort foods, energy bars and gels
- Laundry bag to keep the dirty clothes
- Padlock
- Large plastic bags to keep the clothes dry
- Extra clothes to wear in Kathmandu when you come back from the trek.
- Flip flops 

Toiletries and hygiene 

- Quick-drying towel
- Small face towel
- Toothbrush &Toothpaste
- Face mask
- Water treatment tools
- Soap and Shampoo (Smaller bottle)
- Face and body moisturizer
- Sunscreen SPF30+ and Lip balm SPF 30+
- Hand sanitiser/Antiseptic wipes
- Hygiene products
- Basic first aid kit (Pepto Bismol, Cipro (500mg tablets), Metronidazole, Hydration salts, Eye drops for dry ears, Azithromycin (250mg tablets), Diamox (250mg tablets, approx. 35 total), and a variety of standard painkillers including Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc) 

Documents: 

- Passport with validity of 6 months.
- Credit cards in case of emergencies
- Driving ID or any other ID in case of loss of your passport
- Travel Insurance (Please refer to the general information page for more detail about it)
- Flight tickets

Which boot is best for peak climbing in Nepal? https://highlandexpeditions.com/best-boots-for-nepal-peak-climbing/

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