Lobuche East Peak

What the adventure involves

If you’re looking to take your first steps as a Himalayan mountaineer, Lobuche East is the perfect peak to start on. This, in fact, was the path our founder Nimsdai took: before the Guinness world records, before the world first winter ascent of K2, before he’d established himself as one of the leading mountaineers of his - or indeed any, generation - Lobuche East was the first Himalayan peak Nimsdai climbed, while still serving as a member of the British Special Forces.

As with all Elite Exped’s treks and trips, our expedition plan on this peak has been set out by our leaders Nimsdai, Mingma David, and Mingma Tenzi. Taking 20 days from arrival in Kathmandu to departure at the other end, we give you plenty of time to acclimatize and to take in the sights and sounds of the incredible Khumbu region. The trek will take you through Namche Bazaar, the monastery town of Tengboche and Dingboche. We’ll also take a trip to Everest Base Camp. 

The bulk of our team at Elite Exped hail from the Himalayas, meaning that our collective knowledge of these mountains is second to none. This unparalleled experience makes us uniquely placed to introduce you to this range, and this climb is one of the perfect ways to do it.

Summiting Lobuche Peak requires a high level of cardiovascular fitness, but you don’t necessarily need advanced mountaineering skills. As long as you’re comfortable operating in high alpine environments, can use crampons and handle an ice axe, the climb shouldn’t present too many difficulties. For this reason, we often recommend Lobuche East as the first step for people who are looking to build up to more serious mountaineering objectives in the future.

Our team’s Nepalese heritage, and ability to bridge the gap between Western and Himalayan climbing cultures allows us to run every aspect of our operation smoothly, without fear of misunderstandings. We pride ourselves on our ability to control every aspect of expedition planning - from ferrying-in food, to fixing ropes - so we’re never dependent on third party.

As well as being hugely experienced mountaineers, our guides are trained in the latest mountain rescue techniques, and their operational rescue and recovery experience is second to none. Our intimate knowledge of these mountains, and extraction routes, enables us to move faster than anyone should something unexpected happen. We have evacuation plans in place, and helicopters on standby in case of emergencies. If you’re planning on climbing in the Himalayas, you couldn’t be in more experienced or safer hands.