Useful Info

Island Peak Climbing Difficulty

Peak climbing is a dangerous sport and adventurous practice. It is not an easy piece of cake. Island peak is a difficult climb at an extreme altitude. Island Peak is a physically challenging and demanding Peak. The level of oxygen in the air becomes less at high altitudes. So, you must acclimatize to the oxygen deficiency gradually along the trail. The first part of the ascent is physically very hard. You will trek through a rough terrain at over 5000m. Once you reach the glacier field, you must rope-up and wear crampons. The foot of the headwall is the toughest part of the climb. The ascent is very steep and the air at its thinnest. However, the climbing route is safe because of fixed lines. The climb from summit ridge to the top is a short and easy ascent. The route to Island Peak Base Camp (5,100m) itself is a challenging task. If you choose to climb Island peak on a 10-day trip, you are lowering your chances of easy success. But if you choose to spend more days on the trek, the climb will be easier. Be familiar to mountains, the weather, and climatic conditions there. This aids to your climb.

Island Peak Climbing Season

Peak Climbing in Nepal is a seasonal activity. Autumn and Spring are the best seasons for climbing most of the mountains in Nepal. Autumn Season (September, October & November) and Spring Season (March, April & May) is the perfect time for Island Peak Climbing. During these months, the days will be sunny and warm in the Himalayas. The skies will be clear and the atmosphere of the Himalayas will be alluring. Thus, we can have great views of the mountains. Nevertheless, some adventure-seeking clients who don’t like hustle and bustle during the journey also can choose December, January, and February months for this trip. Monsoon season (June, July, and August) will be pretty difficult time for climbing in the Himalayas because of monsoon. During monsoon the trails will be slippery, muddy and there will be landslides too.

Island Peak Climbing Preparation

Good preparations are must for the successful peak climbing. You need to consider several things before going for this adventure. For the successful Island Peak Climbing, your physique plays a vital role. So, you must prepare yourself before the climb. You would better join a mountaineering course for 4-6 months. Otherwise, you can join gym and have aerobic training, cardio, stress endurance training etc. You can also practice jogging, cycling, hiking, on a regular basis. Your previous experiences on mountaineering are also important. Similarly, you should be careful about your diet. You must include plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals in your diet. A balanced diet is very important for physical fitness. Moreover, you must be mentally ready to cope up with the adverse situations in the mountain. The weather is unstable at high altitude and you should also spend couple of days in a camp. Hygiene matters a lot for the success of the climb. In addition to all these, you must also go through Island Peak Gears checklist and have enough collection of them.

Island Peak Climbing Gears and Equipments

Island peak is a popular mountain peak of the Everest region. Island Peak is a difficult ascent. Therefore, you need to have many technical gears for the successful climb. Here is the list of the must to include equipments.

Climbing Helmet: Choose a good quality climbing helmet. Make sure your warm cap fits under your helmet.

Climbing Boots: High altitude, Insulated stiff-soled climbing boots.

Crampons: C2 crampons that fit the climbing boots.

Climbing Harness: Good quality climbing harness.

Ascending device or Jumar

Descending or belay device

Tape sling: UIAA tested 220cm open tape sling or 2 x 120 cm closed tape sling

Carabiners: 2 x lockable carabiners. 2 x non-locking carabiners

Prusik loop: Best quality prusik loop

Ice axe: An ice axe with a wrist strap for climbing

Accommodation during Island Peak Climbing

Our Island Peak Climbing itinerary includes the price that covers three-star accommodations during the stay in Kathmandu – the category of accommodation can be easily upgraded or degraded as per the preference of clients. During the entire trekking (after and before the climbing period) there is the availability of tea house/lodges. And during the climbing period of a couple of days, we need to set up tented camps. So we will provide tea house accommodation at available places and camping accommodation for not accessible places. We concern for your comfort and safety.

Meals during Island Peak Climbing

Our Island Peak Climbing itinerary is inclusive of all meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner during the entire trekking and Breakfast plan in Kathmandu. We will have Dinner and Breakfast in the same teahouse/Camp where we spent overnight and Lunch will be en-route of trekking towards next destination since we have to leave our accommodation after breakfast to continue the trek. You can enjoy the taste of varieties of cuisines; Nepali food, Tibetan, Continental, Indian, Italian etc by choosing in the menu. During the camping period, while we are in Island Peak Base Camp, our kitchen team will prepare hygienic foods to serve you. There might not be several choices of foods during the camp as in the tea houses and restaurants; you have to understand that our crew have to carry all camping gears and kitchen equipments from available places but we are sure we will provide as much services and facilities as we can do to make your adventure holiday awesome.

Island Peak climbing Permits

You need a climbing permit to climb Island Peak. You will need permits to enter the Sagarmatha National Park as well. En -route, there are regular security checkpoints. You must show your permits to pass through them. Basically, you must have the following permits for Island Peak climbing:

Local (Everest Region) Area Permit: NRS. 2000 (US $20)

Island Peak climbing permit cost according to the four seasons:

March, April, and May: US $250

June, July, and August: US $70

September, October, and November: US $125

December, January, and February: US $70

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is the effect of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues at the high altitude. It is the negative health effect of high altitude due to the rapid exposure to low amount of oxygen at high elevation. The common symptoms of Altitude sickness include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping and dizziness.

Altitude Sickness generally referred as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) occurs only above 2500m. The main reason of altitude sickness is rapid ascent and decreasing amount of oxygen at the high altitude. There are mainly three types of altitude sickness: Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High Altitude Cerebral Edema.

Altitude Sickness can become a medical emergency if ignored. The best way to prevent altitude sickness is to travel to high altitude slowly. It normally doesn’t take long for your body to adjust into a changed altitude. At the higher altitudes, the air pressure and oxygen level is comparatively lower. Our body takes time to adjust to such change. We suggest you to keep you hydrated, not to smoke or drink alcoholic substance, eat hygienic food, sleep low, take it easy, use Diamox tablets etc. to prevent yourself from Altitude Sickness.

Tips for Island Peak Climbing



Pack right gears and clothing

Climb with a qualified and professional climbing guide

Choose an itinerary that offers enough acclimatization

Have right climbing trainings

Avoid spring snowfall and winter winds

Climb steadily

Keep drinking plenty of fresh water

Avoid smoking and drinking

Eat hygienic food

Have technical climbing knowledge: use of gears, techniques of knot etc.

Don’t attempt high hastily, climb as low as possible if you have symptoms of Altitude sickness.

Conclusion

Climbing Island Peak is technically difficult. But anyone who has previous trekking experiences or no experience can ascend the peak. But, you must prepare well. If you are physically fit, have got enough physical training and have all the required gears, you can attempt Island Peak Climbing without any hesitation. Keep in mind, the trekkers must be physically fit and conditioned. However, we do not recommend you to try Island Peak as your first climb.

If you have any other queries regarding Island Peak Climbing, feel free to contact us or visit our website.