Why Climb Cho-Oyu with Alpine Ascents?
Alpine Ascents Success on Himalayan Peaks
Our 2003 Cho-Oyu Expedition met with outstanding success with 6 team members reaching the summit. Our success on Everest is only a part of our expertise in the Himalayas. Previous Alpine Ascent’s Cho-Oyu expeditions have placed 11 members on the summit! This included the first South African to summit an 8000m peak. Our reputation for leading climbs in the Himalayas is superb and includes summits of Cho-Oyu, Ama Dablam, Pumori and nine successful guided climbs of Mt. Everest with a record 70 climbers reaching the summit of the world’s highest peak.
Our Guiding Team
Our guiding team is comprised of world-renowned guides and full-time professional climbers. Many of these guides have historical climbing achievements synonymous with their names. They are part of Alpine Ascents because they understand and share our climbing principles. These individuals are dedicated to sharing their excellence with others. The role of an Alpine Ascents guide is to impart knowledge, use calculated judgement and assist individual climber development. Our guides are experienced educators who evaluate their strengths by monitoring climbers’ achievements. Thus we stress our acute ability to provide expedition members with personal attention, realizing the commitment to assist each climber in obtaining their goals. Our 2001 Cho-Oyu Guide Staff included Todd Burleson, Neil McCarthy, Dave Morton, Eric Larson and Luis Benitez. Our 2002 Guide team was headed by Eric Larson and Lakpa Rita Sherpa. Our 2003 Guide team was Eric Larson, Lakpa Rita Sherpa, and Andy Tyson.
Key Elements of Climbing Cho-Oyu
with Alpine Ascents
Climber-to-guide ratio: Low climber-to-guide ratio.
Acclimatization: Slow acclimatization schedule. We believe there is no point in moving to a higher elevation unless climbers feel good where they are. Given this, we take the time needed early in the trip to establish a sound base of acclimatization.
Base Camp: A permanent Base Camp is established for the duration of the Expedition.
Communication on the mountain: All guides are equipped with radios for communication on the mountain.
Oxygen: High-altitude oxygen systems are used for the summit attempt, during the night at High Camp, and for medical emergencies should the need arise.
Satellite telephone system and cybercasts: A Satellite telephone system is set in Base Camp. This provides direct emergency contact with home and is our regular link to the Alpine office, where we receive regular messages that are then posted on our web site. This depth of contact can only be had with a well-established, long term guiding company.
Administrative staff: Our tightly knit staff is always available to answer questions and address concerns. It is not uncommon for family members to contact us during the climb for information about the climb and climbers. There is always someone available, on cell phone during non-office hours, who can address concerns, handle lost luggage, make arrangements if flights are missed or delayed, relay messages directly to the team, or mitigate any of the numerous situations that may arise before, during and after the climb.