Day 1 – Arrival in Kath­man­du (1,400 meters / 4,593 ft)

Upon arrival in Kath­man­du, Nepal’s chaot­ic but charm­ing cap­i­tal, you’ll be immersed imme­di­ate­ly in the col­or­ful life of Thamel, the expe­di­tion hub. Expect streets filled with trekkers, moun­taineers, gear shops, prayer flags flut­ter­ing from rooftops, and the aro­ma of momos (Nepali dumplings) waft­ing through the air. In the after­noon, you’ll attend a com­pre­hen­sive brief­ing with your expe­di­tion leader, cov­er­ing every­thing from the trek to Base Camp to high-alti­tude climb­ing strate­gies. Gear checks are manda­to­ry to ensure every cram­pon, down suit, and oxy­gen mask is up to stan­dard. Final shop­ping for essen­tials like extra gloves, snacks, and toi­letries hap­pens here before leav­ing the com­forts of the city.

Day 2 – Fly to Luk­la (2,860 meters / 9,383 ft) and Trek to Phakd­ing (2,610 meters / 8,563 ft)

Your expe­di­tion tru­ly begins with a heart-stop­ping flight to Luk­la — often described as one of the most exhil­a­rat­ing airstrips on Earth. The tiny Twin Otter planes weave between tow­er­ing Himalayan giants before touch­ing down on a short slop­ing run­way. After col­lect­ing your duf­fels and meet­ing your Sher­pa team, you’ll start trekking through scenic trails lined with rhodo­den­drons, cross­ing rivers via thrilling sus­pen­sion bridges. The trek to Phakd­ing is an easy intro­duc­tion, descend­ing slight­ly through pine forests along the Dudh Kosi Riv­er. The night is spent in a cozy tea house, pro­vid­ing your first taste of moun­tain life.

Day 3 – Trek to Nam­che Bazaar (3,440 meters / 11,286 ft)

Today’s trek is more demand­ing, with sev­er­al sus­pen­sion bridges and a long, steady uphill climb into high­er ele­va­tions. The high­light of the day is cross­ing the famous Hillary Sus­pen­sion Bridge, a sway­ing, prayer-flag-draped cross­ing sus­pend­ed high above a roar­ing gorge. After a final steep ascent, you reach Nam­che Bazaar, the vibrant Sher­pa town shaped like an amphithe­ater into the moun­tain­side. Nam­che has every­thing from bak­eries to gear shops and even cof­fee hous­es. It’s a cru­cial acclima­ti­za­tion stop — and a chance to enjoy a cap­puc­ci­no before the real hard­ships begin.

Day 4 – Acclima­ti­za­tion Day in Nam­che Bazaar

Acclima­ti­za­tion days are vital on Ever­est. Today, you’ll hike to high­er alti­tudes to stim­u­late your body’s adap­ta­tion to the thin­ner air. A typ­i­cal excur­sion climbs to the Ever­est View Hotel (3,880 meters), offer­ing stun­ning views of Ever­est, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam. Some trekkers ven­ture fur­ther to the Sher­pa vil­lages of Khunde and Khumjung, vis­it­ing the famous Khumjung monastery. After enjoy­ing the views and a packed lunch, you descend back to Nam­che to sleep at a low­er ele­va­tion, cru­cial for min­i­miz­ing alti­tude sick­ness risks.

Day 5 – Trek to Teng­boche (3,860 meters / 12,664 ft)

Leav­ing Nam­che, the trail con­tours the hill­side, offer­ing breath­tak­ing views of Ever­est and its sur­round­ing peaks. After descend­ing to cross the Dudh Kosi again, you’ll face a steep, relent­less climb through rhodo­den­dron forests to reach Teng­boche Monastery. Teng­boche is a serene and spir­i­tu­al place — monks chant dur­ing after­noon prayers, and the mighty bulk of Ama Dablam tow­ers above. Climbers often find this spot hum­bling, a moment of reflec­tion before the increas­ing­ly harsh envi­ron­ment ahead.

Day 6 – Trek to Ding­boche (4,410 meters / 14,468 ft)

The scenery tran­si­tions today from lush for­est to sparse alpine scrub. As you ascend into the Imja Val­ley, you’ll be greet­ed by sur­re­al land­scapes of glacial moraines, icy rivers, and dis­tant snow-capped peaks. Ding­boche, a windswept ham­let at the foot of Ama Dablam, is your next stop. The air is notice­ably thin­ner now, and even short walks feel effort­ful. You’ll begin to notice your body’s reac­tion to alti­tude and must stay vig­i­lant for symp­toms of AMS (Acute Moun­tain Sick­ness).

Day 7 – Acclima­ti­za­tion Day in Ding­boche

Anoth­er acclima­ti­za­tion day is spent ascend­ing Nangkartshang Peak, climb­ing up to around 5,000 meters. The trail is steep but rewards you with panoram­ic vis­tas of the world’s high­est peaks, includ­ing Makalu and Island Peak. This hike boosts your red blood cell count and strength­ens your acclima­ti­za­tion. After reach­ing the view­point, you descend back to Ding­boche for rest and prepa­ra­tion.

Day 8 – Trek to Lobuche (4,940 meters / 16,207 ft)

The trail grad­u­al­ly climbs high­er into des­o­late, rocky ter­rain. Along the way, you pass through the sober­ing Thuk­la Pass, where stone memo­ri­als hon­or fall­en climbers from Everest’s past. The air is cold, and every breath feels heav­ier. The small clus­ter of lodges at Lobuche offers basic but wel­come shel­ter for the night as you pre­pare for the final push to Base Camp.

Day 9 – Trek to Ever­est Base Camp (5,364 meters / 17,598 ft)

Today is a long and emo­tion­al­ly charged jour­ney. Mov­ing along the glacial moraine of the Khum­bu Glac­i­er, you nav­i­gate rocky ridges and shift­ing ice. After hours of trudg­ing through sur­re­al, lunar-like land­scapes, you crest a final hill — and there it is: Ever­est Base Camp. A maze of col­or­ful tents, expe­di­tion ban­ners, and prayer flags stretch­es out beneath the tow­er­ing face of the Khum­bu Ice­fall. Here, you’ll meet the full expe­di­tion team, set­tle into your tent, and begin life at the foot of the high­est moun­tain on Earth.

Days 10–30 – Acclima­ti­za­tion Rota­tions and Train­ing

The next three weeks are ded­i­cat­ed to strate­gic acclima­ti­za­tion, crit­i­cal train­ing, and build­ing strength and con­fi­dence for the sum­mit attempt. Climbers com­plete mul­ti­ple “rota­tions” up the moun­tain, grad­u­al­ly expos­ing them­selves to high­er alti­tudes:

• Rota­tion 1: After a few days rest­ing at Base Camp, you’ll make your first for­ay into the noto­ri­ous Khum­bu Ice­fall. This ter­ri­fy­ing labyrinth of tow­er­ing ser­acs, deep crevass­es, and unsta­ble ice blocks is con­stant­ly shift­ing. Using fixed ropes and alu­minum lad­ders, you’ll climb through the ice­fall to Camp 1 (6,065 meters / 19,900 feet), locat­ed in the flat, heav­i­ly crevassed West­ern Cwm. After rest­ing a night or two at Camp 1, you’ll con­tin­ue high­er to Camp 2 (6,400 meters / 21,000 feet).

• Rota­tion 2: After descend­ing back to Base Camp for recov­ery, you’ll under­take your sec­ond and more aggres­sive acclima­ti­za­tion rota­tion. This time, you sleep at Camp 2, then ascend the steep, icy Lhotse Face to reach Camp 3 (7,200 meters / 23,600 feet). Fixed lines are essen­tial here as you haul your­self up near-ver­ti­cal blue ice slopes. Some teams sleep a night at Camp 3, oth­ers touch it and descend, depend­ing on weath­er and oxy­gen use strate­gies.

Through­out these rota­tions, your body con­tin­ues to adjust. Blood thick­ens, lungs become more effi­cient, and you’ll learn cru­cial tech­ni­cal skills: tra­vers­ing crevass­es, self-arrest­ing falls, and using sup­ple­men­tal oxy­gen sys­tems. After fin­ish­ing these rota­tions, climbers return to Base Camp for a full week or more of com­plete rest — allow­ing the body to heal and pre­pare for the final push.

Mean­while, con­stant weath­er mon­i­tor­ing begins. Teams watch for the “sum­mit win­dow” — a few pre­cious days of low­er winds and clear skies fore­cast­ed usu­al­ly between May 15–25. Flex­i­bil­i­ty is key; readi­ness to move when the win­dow opens can be the dif­fer­ence between suc­cess and dis­as­ter.

Days 31–40 – Sum­mit Push

When the weath­er win­dow appears, climbers launch their sum­mit bids:

• Day 1: Climbers leave Base Camp ear­ly and move steadi­ly through the Khum­bu Ice­fall to Camp 1, push­ing through shift­ing tow­ers of ice and crevass­es by head­lamp.

• Day 2: From Camp 1, climbers tra­verse the flat but crevasse-rid­dled West­ern Cwm to reach Camp 2. It’s oppres­sive­ly hot dur­ing the day, and tem­per­a­tures can swing wild­ly.

• Day 3: A steep ascent up the Lhotse Face brings you back to Camp 3, now car­ry­ing sup­ple­men­tal oxy­gen. From here, the air is bru­tal­ly thin.

• Day 4: Climbers clip into fixed lines and climb across rock bands and steep ice to reach Camp 4 at the South Col (7,950 meters / 26,085 feet). This is a bleak, wind-swept sad­dle between Ever­est and Lhotse, often called the “Death Zone” because humans can­not sur­vive long at this alti­tude.

• Sum­mit Night: After rest­ing a few hours at the South Col, climbers don oxy­gen masks, down suits, and head­lamps. Around 8–10 PM, they begin the gru­el­ing sum­mit push. You’ll pass land­marks like The Bal­cony (a wide rest­ing plat­form at 8,400 meters), then con­tin­ue along an exposed ridge to the South Sum­mit (8,749 meters). The final hur­dle is the Hillary Step — once a sheer rock wall, now more of a rocky slope fol­low­ing the 2015 earth­quake. From there, the knife-edge sum­mit ridge leads to the world’s high­est point: 8,848.86 meters / 29,031 feet.

Reach­ing Everest’s sum­mit is over­whelm­ing: bril­liant sun­rise over the Tibetan Plateau, the cur­va­ture of Earth vis­i­ble on the hori­zon, and a pro­found sense of achieve­ment. But the dan­ger isn’t over. Most acci­dents occur on the descent, so climbers move quick­ly back down to South Col and low­er camps, exhaust­ed but tri­umphant.

Day 41 – Descend from South Col to Camp 2

After reach­ing the sum­mit and sur­viv­ing the bru­tal con­di­tions of the Death Zone, the descent becomes a race against time, exhaus­tion, and weath­er. You’ll start ear­ly, pack­ing your oxy­gen bot­tles, repack­ing gear, and prepar­ing for a long and dif­fi­cult day.

Leav­ing the bleak expanse of the South Col, you care­ful­ly down­climb the steep snow and ice slopes lead­ing back to Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face. Even with the assis­tance of fixed lines, every step demands com­plete focus; mis­takes are easy when bod­ies are drained and cog­ni­tive func­tion is impaired by alti­tude and fatigue. Upon reach­ing Camp 3, many climbers switch off their sup­ple­men­tal oxy­gen for the remain­der of the descent, though some choose to con­tin­ue using it to con­serve strength.

After a short break, the descent con­tin­ues rapid­ly down the Lhotse Face. Mov­ing low­er brings some relief, as each meter of descent restores strength. The day usu­al­ly ends back at Camp 2, a rel­a­tive­ly “safe” loca­tion out of the worst dan­gers of the Death Zone. Upon arrival, exhaust­ed but relieved, you final­ly allow your­self to rest deeply with­out the con­stant threat of alti­tude-relat­ed col­lapse hang­ing over you. Most climbers sleep heav­i­ly here, expe­ri­enc­ing vivid dreams and over­whelm­ing hunger as their bod­ies begin the recov­ery process.

Day 42 – Descend from Camp 2 to Base Camp

After a hearty break­fast at Camp 2 — usu­al­ly instant noo­dles, rice, or soup — you’ll pack up the last of your gear for the descent back through the Khum­bu Ice­fall. By now, the once-ter­ri­fy­ing lad­ders, ser­acs, and rope cross­ings seem almost famil­iar, though com­pla­cen­cy remains your biggest ene­my.

Tem­per­a­tures in the Ice­fall rise sig­nif­i­cant­ly dur­ing the day, increas­ing the dan­ger of col­laps­ing ser­acs and avalanch­es. For that rea­son, climbers depart ear­ly, often before sun­rise, to min­i­mize risk. Mov­ing method­i­cal­ly through the crevass­es and ice tow­ers, you even­tu­al­ly hear the famil­iar noise of Base Camp oper­a­tions — gen­er­a­tors hum­ming, radios crack­ling, cooks bustling — sig­nal­ing that you’re close.

Return­ing to Base Camp is emo­tion­al: Sher­pas and team mem­bers cheer your arrival, and there’s often an impromp­tu cel­e­bra­tion of hugs, high-fives, and tears. Many climbers are moved to tears by the sim­ple lux­u­ry of clean tents, warm meals, and oxy­gen-rich air at a mere 5,364 meters. You have sur­vived Ever­est.

Day 43 – Rest Day at Base Camp / Pack­ing Gear

This day is all about rest, recov­ery, and logis­tics. Your body will crave calo­ries, and the Base Camp chefs often pre­pare cel­e­bra­tion meals — yak steak, fresh veg­eta­bles, end­less cups of cof­fee and tea, and even cakes baked at alti­tude to mark your suc­cess.

Emo­tion­al­ly, it’s a day of reflec­tion: grat­i­tude for the Sher­pas’ tire­less work, mourn­ing for those who did not return, and a grow­ing excite­ment for reunit­ing with fam­i­ly and friends. Pack­ing also begins: sort­ing climb­ing gear, ensur­ing rent­ed oxy­gen equip­ment is returned, and prepar­ing duf­fels for the trek out. Expe­di­tion lead­ers orga­nize loads and sched­ule depar­ture times.

For many, it’s the first time they can relax in weeks, soak­ing up the sur­re­al beau­ty of the Khum­bu Glac­i­er, the tow­er­ing ice ser­acs, and the sur­round­ing peaks with­out the pres­sure of sur­vival hang­ing over them.

Day 44 – Trek from Base Camp to Pheriche (4,371 meters / 14,340 ft)

Hav­ing accom­plished what few have, you begin the long trek back to civ­i­liza­tion. Leav­ing the col­or­ful maze of Base Camp behind, you retrace your steps down the moraine of the Khum­bu Glac­i­er.

The descent to Pheriche is phys­i­cal­ly eas­i­er — your lungs feel like they’ve been tur­bocharged at these “low­er” alti­tudes — but men­tal­ly, your body is still worn down. It’s crit­i­cal to walk slow­ly, avoid injuries, and stay well-hydrat­ed. Along the way, you’ll encounter trekkers on their way up to Base Camp, often exchang­ing know­ing smiles or offer­ing con­grat­u­la­tions.

Pheriche feels almost like a lux­u­ri­ous resort after the hard­ships of the high­er moun­tain. Sim­ple stone lodges, wide val­leys, and abun­dant oxy­gen cre­ate a stark con­trast. You sleep well, deeply, and warm­ly for the first time in over a month.

Day 45 – Trek from Pheriche to Nam­che Bazaar

Today’s trek cov­ers a lot of ground, drop­ping thou­sands of feet in ele­va­tion. You’ll pass through Pang­boche and Teng­boche again, stop­ping briefly at the monastery if tim­ing allows. Descend­ing through alpine mead­ows and forests burst­ing into spring bloom, the trail feels more vivid and col­or­ful than you remem­ber.

Your body feels stronger by the hour. Oxy­gen lev­els rise dra­mat­i­cal­ly as you drop below 4,000 meters, reju­ve­nat­ing mus­cle and brain func­tion. Nam­che Bazaar, once an excit­ing but exhaust­ing climb dur­ing the trek in, now feels like a well-earned lux­u­ry.

Upon arrival in Nam­che, most climbers head straight for real cof­fee shops, bak­eries, and even WiFi to con­nect with loved ones. Some buy small gifts: prayer flags, yak wool scarves, or “Ever­est Sum­miter” t‑shirts. A final din­ner with your Sher­pa team in Nam­che — often filled with laugh­ter and shared mem­o­ries — caps the evening.

Day 46 – Trek from Nam­che to Luk­la; Fly to Kath­man­du (Weath­er Per­mit­ting)

The final leg is an emo­tion­al march: down the end­less stone stair­cas­es, across sway­ing sus­pen­sion bridges, through thick forests, and back into the low­er, green­er val­leys of the Khum­bu.

You arrive in Luk­la, where the famil­iar buzz of small air­craft fills the air. Book­ing a cel­e­bra­to­ry drink at a lodge and shar­ing laughs with oth­er trekkers and climbers becomes tra­di­tion. Depend­ing on weath­er con­di­tions, you might catch a flight back to Kath­man­du the same after­noon or the fol­low­ing morn­ing.

The flight itself is thrilling — one last swoop through the Himalayan giants before descend­ing into the warm chaos of the Kath­man­du Val­ley. Upon land­ing, climbers are often over­whelmed by the sen­so­ry over­load of city life: traf­fic noise, spicy food, and warm show­ers. The jour­ney is over.

Back at your hotel, you’ll hand over rent­ed gear, reunite with friends, and per­haps even plan a final farewell din­ner with your expe­di­tion team. The sense of accom­plish­ment — and relief — is pro­found.

Clos­ing Reflec­tion

Climb­ing Ever­est is nev­er just a phys­i­cal chal­lenge — it is a men­tal, emo­tion­al, and spir­i­tu­al jour­ney unlike any­thing else. Whether you stood on the sum­mit or not, the hard­ships endured, friend­ships formed, and lessons learned in the shad­ow of the high­est moun­tain on Earth will stay with you for­ev­er.

Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa (3,650 meters / 11,975 feet)

Your jour­ney begins with your arrival in Lhasa, the cap­i­tal of Tibet, after fly­ing into the city from Kath­man­du or oth­er major cities. Lhasa, locat­ed at 3,650 meters (11,975 feet), serves as the start­ing point for acclima­ti­za­tion before head­ing toward Ever­est Base Camp. The day is spent explor­ing the city and its famed land­marks such as the Pota­la Palace and Jokhang Tem­ple. While Lhasa offers a chance to take in Tibetan cul­ture, the pri­ma­ry focus will be on adjust­ing to the alti­tude. You’ll have time to rest, drink plen­ty of flu­ids, and ensure that your gear is ready for the climb ahead. Alti­tude sick­ness can affect any­one, so it’s essen­tial to stay hydrat­ed and take it easy.

Day 2: Dri­ve from Lhasa to Shi­gatse (3,900 meters / 12,795 feet)

After a rest­ful day in Lhasa, you’ll dri­ve from Lhasa to Shi­gatse, Tibet’s sec­ond-largest city, locat­ed at 3,900 meters (12,795 feet). The 6–8 hour dri­ve takes you through spec­tac­u­lar land­scapes, pass­ing by Tibetan monas­ter­ies, yak herders, and rugged moun­tain ter­rain. While the dri­ve offers breath­tak­ing views of the Tibetan Plateau, it also pro­vides an oppor­tu­ni­ty to begin accli­ma­tiz­ing to the high­er alti­tudes. The dri­ve is rel­a­tive­ly smooth, but keep in mind that alti­tude effects can begin to become notice­able, so take time to stop, rest, and hydrate along the way. Upon reach­ing Shi­gatse, you’ll spend the night in a hotel, where you’ll con­tin­ue to adjust to the alti­tude before mak­ing the final jour­ney to Ever­est Base Camp.

Day 3: Dri­ve from Shi­gatse to Rong­buk (5,000 meters / 16,404 feet)

This is one of the most sig­nif­i­cant days of the trek, as you will dri­ve from Shi­gatse to the Rong­buk Monastery, which is locat­ed at 5,000 meters (16,404 feet), the high­est monastery in the world. The dri­ve is approx­i­mate­ly 6 hours, pass­ing through arid land­scapes, yak herders, and remote vil­lages. As you approach Rong­buk, the mas­sive North Face of Ever­est comes into view, offer­ing a dra­mat­ic glimpse of what lies ahead. Upon arrival at Rong­buk, you’ll stay in basic accom­mo­da­tions such as tents or guest­hous­es. This is a crit­i­cal acclima­ti­za­tion stop, as the alti­tude is begin­ning to become a fac­tor. After set­tling in, you may take a short walk around the area to help with acclima­ti­za­tion, but it’s essen­tial to rest and hydrate.

Day 4: Trek from Rong­buk to Ever­est Base Camp (5,200 meters / 17,060 feet)

Today marks the begin­ning of the climb itself, as you trek from Rong­buk to Ever­est Base Camp (EBC), which is locat­ed at 5,200 meters (17,060 feet). The 2‑hour trek fol­lows a rough dirt path through a dry, rocky land­scape. The jour­ney offers incred­i­ble views of Ever­est’s mas­sive North Face and the sur­round­ing peaks. Upon reach­ing Base Camp, climbers are greet­ed with a sense of awe at the mag­ni­tude of the world’s high­est peak. At EBC, you will meet your guides, check in for the acclima­ti­za­tion process, and spend time orga­niz­ing gear. You’ll also set up camp and begin prepar­ing for the high­er-alti­tude rota­tions that will fol­low. The focus now shifts to accli­ma­tiz­ing and get­ting ready for the ascent to the high­er camps.

Day 5: Acclima­ti­za­tion Day at Base Camp

A cru­cial part of the North Col Route climb is acclima­ti­za­tion. After arriv­ing at Ever­est Base Camp, you’ll spend a full day rest­ing and accli­ma­tiz­ing to the alti­tude. This is vital for avoid­ing alti­tude sick­ness. Through­out the day, you’ll hydrate, eat high-calo­rie meals, and rest. It’s also a good time to go through your gear one more time, check­ing every­thing to ensure you have what you need for the jour­ney ahead. You’ll have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to walk around Base Camp, explore the area, and inter­act with oth­er climbers, but you’ll most­ly stay close to camp. Alti­tude adjust­ment is key, so don’t overex­ert your­self.

Day 6: Trek to Advanced Base Camp (6,400 meters / 21,000 feet)

Today, you will begin your ascent by trekking from Base Camp to Advanced Base Camp (ABC), which is locat­ed at 6,400 meters (21,000 feet). The trek takes about 4–5 hours, cov­er­ing a dis­tance of around 6 kilo­me­ters. As you climb, the ter­rain changes, and you’ll cross through glac­i­ers, rocky ridges, and snow­fields. The ascent is steep but man­age­able, with a grad­ual increase in alti­tude. Upon reach­ing ABC, you’ll set up camp and begin the process of accli­ma­tiz­ing to the high­er ele­va­tion. The sur­round­ing views are noth­ing short of spec­tac­u­lar, with Ever­est tow­er­ing above. The phys­i­cal demands of the day are sig­nif­i­cant, so it’s essen­tial to take your time and hydrate well.

Day 7: Acclima­ti­za­tion Day at Advanced Base Camp

Anoth­er crit­i­cal day for acclima­ti­za­tion, you’ll spend today at Advanced Base Camp to rest and pre­pare for the high­er alti­tude camps. Dur­ing the day, you may engage in light activ­i­ties such as short walks to high­er points, help­ing your body adjust to the thin­ning air. Rest­ing, eat­ing, and stay­ing hydrat­ed remain para­mount. This day is also used for gear checks and prepa­ra­tion for the next phase of your climb. At this alti­tude, fatigue can set in quick­ly, so don’t push your­self too hard. Your guides will review sum­mit plans and make sure all logis­tics are in place for the upcom­ing rota­tions to high­er camps.

Day 8: Move to Camp 1 (7,000 meters / 22,965 feet)

Today, you will begin the climb to Camp 1, locat­ed at 7,000 meters (22,965 feet). The ter­rain is chal­leng­ing, involv­ing a mix of rock scram­bling and glac­i­er trav­el. The route will take you past crevass­es and tech­ni­cal sec­tions where fixed ropes are used. Camp 1 is typ­i­cal­ly set up on a rocky plateau, offer­ing incred­i­ble views of Ever­est’s North Face. The camp is basic, but it offers essen­tial shel­ter and rest after a long and tax­ing ascent. You will spend the night here to allow your body to adjust to the high alti­tude. The next day’s goal will be to push for Camp 2, but for now, focus on hydra­tion and rest.

Day 9: Acclima­ti­za­tion Day at Camp 1

At Camp 1, you’ll spend anoth­er day to help your body adjust to the increased alti­tude. It’s impor­tant to avoid rush­ing your ascent and to allow your body to recov­er. Many climbers will take short hikes around the area to high­er ele­va­tions, return­ing to Camp 1 to rest. Your guides will con­tin­ue to mon­i­tor your progress and help you stay on track. The weath­er con­di­tions at this alti­tude can be extreme, with high winds and low tem­per­a­tures, so be sure to dress warm­ly and pro­tect your­self from frost­bite. The key is to pre­pare men­tal­ly and phys­i­cal­ly for the next stages of the climb.

Day 10: Move to Camp 2 (7,800 meters / 25,590 feet)

The climb to Camp 2 is often one of the most demand­ing on the North Col Route. Locat­ed at 7,800 meters (25,590 feet), Camp 2 is a stag­ing area for the sum­mit push. The route to Camp 2 involves a more tech­ni­cal climb, requir­ing climbers to nav­i­gate through rock faces, ice, and snow. The ter­rain is steep­er and more chal­leng­ing, with the Sec­ond Step pre­sent­ing a for­mi­da­ble obsta­cle — a ver­ti­cal rock face that requires the use of fixed ropes and a great deal of moun­taineer­ing skill. Once at Camp 2, climbers are only a few hun­dred meters from the final push to the sum­mit.

Day 11: Acclima­ti­za­tion Day at Camp 2

Anoth­er cru­cial acclima­ti­za­tion day is spent at Camp 2. This allows your body to adjust to the alti­tude before push­ing for high­er camps. Dur­ing this day, you’ll rest, hydrate, and check your gear for the final sum­mit push. The weath­er can be harsh at this alti­tude, so it’s vital to be pre­pared for wind and snow. This is also a good time to do final men­tal prepa­ra­tions for the sum­mit, as the psy­cho­log­i­cal demands of the climb become more intense.