Innovative Acclimatizing on Lobuche East

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By John Waechter | Last updated Apr 16, 2024 6:41 PM ET

The Village of Lobuche

The village of Lobuche is in the Khumbu region of northeastern Nepal, and is situated along the Mt. Everest Base Camp (“EBC”) trekking route, when climbing from the south side of the mountain. At approximately 16,000 ft., Lobuche is roughly a mile away from EBC, and another 1,500 ft. of climbing. At this point in the trek, the climbers have gained over 7,000 ft. of vertical feet since their Everest journey began in the town of Lukla. The process of acclimatizing to thinner air has begun. Most teams venture directly to EBC from Lobuche, where they will rest for several days before pushing up the mountain to higher camps, starting with the treacherous Khumbu Icefall.

However, some teams expedite the acclimatization process by tackling Lobuche East, a 20,075 ft. peak located just outside of Lobuche. Climbing teams tackle this technical and icy peak to test their fitness, and to push their physiologies at higher altitudes. Spending time above 20,000 ft., at this juncture in the process, dramatically improves their acclimatization prior to arriving at EBC.

Acclimatizing on Lobuche East

CLIMBING THE SEVEN SUMMITS (“CTSS”)led by Mike Hamill, has three teams of climbers seeking to climb the world’s highest peak. The ‘Western Guided’, ‘3 Peaks’, and ‘Sherpa Guided’ teams all recently summited 20,075 ft. Lobuche East as part of their acclimatization ‘rotation’. This climb is integral to their expedition strategy of mitigating risk by reducing time in the Khumbu Icefall, and to gain ‘Everest-specific’ training and super-charged acclimatization.

CTSS guide Josh McDowell noted that the climb to Lobuche's summit was strenuous, but highly successful for the team. Such strenuous climbing will serve them well higher in the Himalayas. CTSS’s plan adds an additional summit climb on their journey beyond 8,000 meters. The teams are now at EBC and feeling strong.

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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