Climb Mera Peak With Alpine Ascents
Our last Mera Peak Team achieved 75% summit success!
Highlights of our trip
- The most accessible of all Himalayan climbs
- Includes helicopter travel to avoid quick altitude gain (often via a high pass where climbers have to stay at a higher than recommended altitude), a factor which causes many climbers to leave a Mera Peak trip early.
- Vernon Tejas is scheduled lead guide.
- One of the more remote valleys in the Everest area.
- Extra days for inclement weather.
- Expectation of climbers having prior skills.
Join guiding legend Vern Tejas on this classic ascent of Nepal’s Mera Peak. Mera has always been tough logistically, but Alpine Ascents utilizes helicopters (included) for the approach which helps shorten trip. This is an outstanding climb for the advanced beginner (graduates of our 6 Day Basic Mountaineering Course or those who’ve have strong performances on Rainier) and a chance to climb above 21,000 ft. This superb ascent takes us right through the Khumbu region (famed Everest region of Nepal) with some wonderful views of the major peaks in the area, including Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam.
By far, this was the best climbing trip I have been on. Local travel arrangements, Sherpa support staff, quality of guides and lodging were outstanding from beginning of the trip all the way to the end.
Following a much less frequented trail than the Everest Base Camp route, we cross a spectacular pass into the almost uninhabited Hinku Valley and then trek northward to approach Mera Peak, the highest trekking peak in Nepal at 21,247 ft. Whether you want to attempt the summit or just go along for the trek, you will feel as though you have taken part in a real Himalayan expedition. Mera is one of the few Himalayan climbs that can be done in three weeks. Those who opt for the trek only can reach up to 18,000 ft. Please note that the lodges are basic and do not have the level of accommodations found in more populated parts of the Khumbu. We will lodge in simple tea houses and tents. Alpine Ascents will also bring supplementary food for the trek and High Camp.
Our Climb & Trekking Route
The trek to Mera Peak also walks us through the countryside where we will be immersed in centuries-old Nepalese and Tibetan cultures. This part of the journey is filled with Buddhist shrines and offers some of the most striking scenery in the Khumbu. Unlike some routes, our route to Mera Base Camp offers views of the Himalayas each day of the trek as we wind our way upward through the valleys toward Mera Peak.
Lodging & The Khumbu Region
We lodge in Sherpa village tea houses, many of them remote, giving us a rare look into both traditional and monastic communities. While the environs are often primitive by Western standards, they are balanced by the warmth and tremendous support of the Sherpa people. We will stay in villages up to Khare, and then we will camp in tents at Mera Peak and on the mountain.
We work hard to have diverse menus, but meals on this trek can be limited by availability and the remoteness of the region.
Reading List
This is a highly recommended shortlist and we would be happy to pass on a longer reading list for those interested. These links will bounce to Amazon.com with reviews.
High Himalaya
by Art Wolfe, Peter Potterfield, Norbu Tenzing Norgay, Mountaineers Books
Everest; The Mountaineers Anthology Series
Foreward by Tom Hornbein, Peter Potterfield editor, Mountaineers Books
Everest
by Walt Unsworth, Mountaineers Books
Classic Hikes of the World
Peter Potterfield, W.W. Norton pub.
Fragile Edge : Loss on Everest
by Maria Coffey, Harbour Pub Co.
Coronation Everest
by Jan Morris, Burford Books
The Violet Shyness of Their Eyes : Notes from Nepal
by Barbara J. Scot, Calyx Books
Everest : The West Ridge
by Thomas F. Hornbein, Mountaineers Books
Eric Shipton: Everest & Beyond
by Edmund Hillary, Peter M.D. Steele, Mountaineers Books
Everest : The Best Writing and Pictures from Seventy Years of Human Endeavour
by Peter Gillman (Editor)
Life and Death on Mt. Everest : Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering
by Sherry B. Ortner, Princeton Univ Press
Tigers of the Snow and Other Virtual Sherpas : An Ethnography of Himalayan Encounters
by Vincanne Adams, Princeton Univ Press
Annapurna, First Conquest of an 8000-Meter Peak : (26,493 Feet)
by Maurice Herzog, The Lyons Press
Video Night in Kathmandu : And Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East (Vintage Departures)
by Pico Iyer, Vintage Books
The Snow Leopard (Penguin Nature Classics)
by Peter Matthiessen, Penguin USA (paper)
Trekking in Nepal : A Traveler's Guide
by Stephen Bezruchka, Mountaineers Books
Vern and Carol were exceptional guides. Vern Tejas’ decades of experience provided valuable insights and best practices for acclimatization, climbing skills, and self-care. Practice sessions using ascenders and goat-tail device for rappelling with gloves and mitts helped build confidence in critical skills necessary for the climb. – 2017 Climber
