Nepal in Winter

[Eric1980]

So my plans to leave in November for 6-7 weeks in Nepal have most likely fallen apart. My wife's school has dicked her over and she may not be able to graduate in time (BTW, don't give Lesley University your money :mad: )...so we're not buying any tickets yet. But we are thinking we may still be able to to away, perhaps in January-February.

So my questions are: what is Nepal like in the winter? Is teahouse trekking possible or do the lodges close? Which routes are best/least likely to be snowed in? How cold does it get/what extra gear will we need?

I know that it will be significantly less crowded, which is very appealing. I just don't really know if I like the idea of freezing my ass off for 6 weeks.

I appreciate all your advice. Thanks.

[thesilvertops]

Hi! It all depends on the weather. Recent winters have been very dry followed by sudden dumps of snow. So in the winter of 2005/6 there was nearly 5 months without rain (snow). Then on March 10th, I think it was, there was a heavy snowfall. I think places like Namche had about a metre and Annapurna had rather less. There are two main problems. The first is a heavy dump of snow whilst you are on trail and could result in you being stranded on trail. You need to be aware of the weather situation before you move on each day to try and avoid this. Allow extra days in case of being trapped in lodge somewhere waiting for the trail to be broken - usually with pack animals. Don't forget that it's very hard work walking through deep snow AND there is no visible trail to follow. The other problem is a heavy dump of snow followed by warm weather leading to avalanche risk.
There are other considerations such as how cold it gets at night - make sure your kit is up to it especially if you are going high. There is also the problem of crossing frozen streams. These require great care if you are not going to end up in a heap with a fractured limb. The Nepalis walk straight across them in their flip-flops but Vibram and othe boot materials can be low friction in these circumstances. If you can find some loose dirt/moss you can throw this onto the ice and it will absorb heat and melt into the surface of the ice providing grip. We met a short stretch - about 100 metres or so - of this icy ground on our Helambu trek years ago and it took nearly 30 minutes to cross!!

Many lodges close for the winter but each village has an arrangement by which a small number of them stay open to cater for the few trekkers. Don't expect to be able to pick and choose where to stay except in the bigger villages, i.e. Namche. If you are trying to get to a remote area then check at your current lodge that there is a lodge open at your destination. Take your down jacket, a good down sleeping bag and other kit for very cold/windy walking - hat, balaclava, windproof gloves, etc.,

Having said all of that, we had a great trip in late winter last year trekking in Everest region in February/early March - only saw about 12/15 other trekkers in the first 20 days - and then in mid/end of March we trekked in Upper Mustang in snow - very pretty. And, we've booked for mid-January to mid-March for next year aiming to do a long trek round Annapurna and into base camp.

Hope this is useful.

http://www.pbase.com/thesilvertops/nepal_2006

[yakshaver]

the silvertops has givem most of the good advice. I add my personal experience. 6 of my 8 treks happened in winter, in the Dec/Jan window. I enjoyed it all very much, appreciating the clear skies with exceptional visibility in the crisp and dry air. Lodges remain open in all the important stopping points on all major trekking areas, like Khumbu-Everest, Annapurna or Langtang. Chitwan is also excellent in winter.

You need very warm equipment, good sungasses, warm sleeping bag, beanie, sun hat. Good boots of course.

I will arrive in Nepal for my next trek on 26 December, God willing..., for my 7th winter trek.

[thesilvertops]

We will be coming in on January 16th for 2 months trekking. The current plan is to do Annapurna circuit and base camp with most of the side trips i.e., starting from Begnas Tal, Nar-Phu, Tilico lake and Titi lake. However, I don't have to confirm my flights until beginning of November and the decider will be the political situation at that time.