Cho Oyu is situated on the Nepal/Tibet border, just 40 miles west of Mount Everest. The world’s sixth highest mountain, it is regarded as one of the more straightforward climbs of the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks. The Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. expedition to Cho Oyu enables climbers with high determination a chance to reach an 8,000 meter summit. The safety precautions and logistical expertise are the same as for Everest and the standard of equipment equally high. This program is a great way to train for a potential Mount Everest expedition or to simply break through the 8000 meter mark.

RMI offers an incomparable foundation for your Cho Oyu Expedition by joining our trusted guiding services with the unmatched outfitting expertise of Himalayan Experience (Him Ex).

Route Description:

Above ABC (18,500’) we establish three camps. Camp 1 (21,000’) is at the top of a long scree slope. From here the route is entirely on snow. We follow a gentle rounded ridge until we hit a short-but-steep ice cliff. We use a fixed rope to negotiate the cliff (normally about 60’) and then continue across a gentle glacier before we start another slightly steeper slope which we ascend via a fixed rope. Camp 2 (23,100’) is on an easy snow slope.

The day to reach Camp 3 (24,500’) is relatively short -- about 3 to 4 hours, climbing more gentle snow slopes. From here we can reach the summit in 5 to 7 hours and return to Camp 2 for the evening.

This final day consists of climbing intermediate snow slopes until we reach a series of rock bands, which we cross by way of their snow ledges. We come out onto a snow slope leading us to the summit ridge and then to what is often mistaken as the summit. The real summit is still about 1,200’ away on almost flat snow.

Expedition Highlights:

• Small team
• High guide to climber ratio
• High Sherpa ratio – 1 Sherpa to 1 guide/climber
• Great first 8,000 meter peak with less objective hazards and technical terrain
• Lead by experienced RMI guides who have stood on the summit of Cho Oyu
• Best Sherpa and support staff and logistics on Cho Oyu provided by Himalayan Experience.

Required Experience:

Participants on our Cho Oyu Expedition must have a solid understanding of mountaineering skills. We also require that each team member have previous high altitude experience, such as McKinley, Aconcagua, or other 7,000 or 8,000 meter peaks. Screening and final selection will be done on an individual basis after we have reviewed your climbing resume and our veteran Cho Oyu guides have spoken with you directly.

As you prepare for your upcoming adventure please feel free to contact our office and speak directly to one of our experienced guides regarding equipment, conditioning, the route, or any other questions you may have about our programs. We are available Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at (888) 89-CLIMB or info@rmiguides.com.

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