maoist activity on EBC trek

[ANDY]

I am trekking all the high passes around everest in october this year ,,just wondering if anyone has heard of any rebel activities in this area

[yakshaver]

I don't know about anyone, or everyone, but...

...No Maoist activity is reported above Lukla in the Khumbu area. However I want to point out for the one hundredth and fifty second thousand three hundred and twenty first time that the Annapurna region is safe for tourists too. And much less visited now, given the silly paranoia many have. O person who posted here has emailed me two days ago telling of her excellent experience of the ABC trek finished last week. The Everest region was very crowded for me last year, and I was sorry I did not go to Langtang or Annapurna.

[Katinkaowen]

Hi All
Yes, I've just got back from ABC/Poonhill and there is absolutely no trouble there whatsoever!!! I really don't know what all the fuss is about. In fact now is a really good time to go because you have no trouble finding accommodation along the trail and the locals are more pleased then ever to see you. I highly recommend going before the end of the season, it's truely fantastic!!! I also heard from many other EBC hikers that I'd met that there is no sign of any trouble there either.
Katinka

[seh]

Hey,

I wanted to let you know that I was on an EBC trek from March 5th to March 19th. If anybody was a skeptic(sp?)...it was/is me. There was nothing but friendly and energetic people on the trail. There was some military presence, which I found to be friendly. I thought it added to the fun of the trip. They only gave you a sense that there is a security force to protect you. Please, don't worry.

SEH

[Unregistered]

hi i'm planning a trip in nov to do a trek to ebc,does any one know how to get in contact with thirdpole trekking i hear they are highly recommended,thanks Bigcatter2005

[yakshaver]

Here's thirdpole's website

http://www.expeditionnepal.com/

The contact email is in there.

Please say hello to Raj and Deepak from me. I have employed them twice, in 1999 and 2000. Email me if you have any other questions
dionita@optusnet.com.au

[Unregistered]

thanks yakshaver for your help,regards Bigcatter

[Unregistered]

just got back from EBC, no moaist activity at all and trails extreamly quiet.

[ANDY S]

I am trekking all the high passes around everest in october this year ,,just wondering if anyone has heard of any rebel activities in this area


I am also doing the high passes around everest in October,good to hear theres not to much rebel activity,are you travelling with an organised tour group or did you find it easier to arrange it yourself ?
regards Andy S

[Unregistered]

Hi all

Just got back from and EBC gokyo RI and Island Peak trip at the end of this May. No maoist anywhere, there is a huge army base, around Namach and lots of security. I was orginnallly woried but it was very safe.

[Sharon]

Michael? Is that you? How did Island peak go?

[Unregistered]

Yes this is Michael. Everthing was great , thanks so much for recomending Pemba, He was an excellent guide. Island Peak was great it was the best part of the trek. It was my first time mountain climbing and now when I go back to Nepal again I want to climb something bigger now, I'd like to start training and climbing back home and go back to climb Ama Dablam I think in a couple of years.Send me your email again, I lost it and I will send you some of the pictures.

[Sharon]

Wow! Pemba said you had a good time! I am climbing Island Peak this November. We are going over Rolwaling and then Kala Patar and then Island Peak. I have never climbed before so I am a bit freaked but I feel very comfortable with the fact Pemba says I can do it. marquise@whooshnet.com

[Unregistered]

Hello seh
this is your friend we got time to complete the interesting ebc trip. do you remeber who were with you?
it is good posting. keep on touch .
yehhh....
seh was in ebc with his friend and at that time he didi not encountere with maoist. till this moment not any influence of maoist. so be asure to go there in any timeand enjoy your holiday

[Unregistered]

I never climbed before either Sharon, and the highest I ever was before that was 13,700. I took diamox 24 hours before going to Island peak as a prevenitve, because I did'nt want to have problems up their. It was the off season so there was no one anywere. I was scared because if something happened , we were a long way from help. When you are climbing in November there will most likely be a few teams on the mountain to assist in case of emergency. The Diamox worked great, Summit day was the best I felt on the entire trek and it was 2,000 feet higher than anything else before. Its not that bad at all climbing Island peak, it took a while 16 hours from high camp to summit and then all the way back to Chukung. there are some crevases and it is a bit steep, upper body and leg strenght I think will help with the steepness of the Summit Ridge. OH MOST IMPORTANTLY, coming down was the hardest. You have to keep the line taughnt and always hold on. practice before hand. I had too much slack at one point and slipped and fell a few feet on the steep ridge, I continued to slide until I remembered to grab the roap. looking back it could have been very bad and even deadly. It was my firts time as I said and I had was inexperienced. We climbed with Pemba, Mingmo, and Heran and they all took excellent care of me. They were responsible and knowledgable, and all very experienced I would highly recomend them to anyone new too climbing. As a matter of fact I want to return to Nepal either this fall or this spring and Climb Ama Dablam. I am training myself here and looking into seeing if those guys are interested in providing support.

[Escher]

Be careful on Ama Dablam it is considerably more difficult than Island Peak. I know I have climbed both.

Whereas on IP there is only one section of 60 degree snow/ice which is pretty easy to climb even by novices. Ama Dablam has some steep and technical rock climbing and ice climbing. You should practice and be proficient in climbing ice up to WI4/5 and rock climbing up to HVS 5a (I am not sure what nationality you are - so I am not sure what grades will make sense to you). The rock climbing is actually only Severe 4a technical level but at altitude, in big boots with a pack on it will feel a lot harder.

The ice is as steep as 80 degrees in places. And also very exposed. Do not underestimate how difficult Ama Dablam is, it is no place for the novice that is how people get killed.

Before you attempt it you should have done some lesser peaks that involve a fair proportion of mixed climbing (rock, ice and snow) e.g the Matterhorn. You also should be proficient at rope work, belaying, protection, abseiling, using fixed ropes, jumaring, daggering, using two axes and you should have very efficient crampon skills, you should have done a fair amount of rock climbing, ice climbing and snow plodding too. Island Peak is literally a walk in the park in comparison.

Good luck
Escher