Island Peak Climbing

Island peak climbing is basically recommended for beginners willing to step into the world of mountaineering. Even then, climbing Island peak requires having an experience of trekking in high altitude. Island peak is a difficult climb at an extreme altitude with a steep ascent and thin air to breathe. The foot of the headwall is the hardest part of the climb. Nevertheless, the climbing route is safe with fixed lines all the way to the summit.

Although it is possible to climb Island Peak throughout the year except during the monsoon months, the best time to climb Island Peak is during the spring and autumn. Spring season runs from March to early June and autumn season runs from September to November, which are also the climbing seasons. When the temperatures are moderate and the weather is clear. However, the winter months can be very dangerous as it is extremely cold and the summer months can invite rain, and do not offer good views during the climb. Therefore, we do not recommend these months.

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You will be guided by experienced and knowledgeable local Sherpa climbing leaders who have been to the top of the peak successfully multiple times. Some climbing leaders have also summited Mt. Everest at least once or few times in their climbing career. Your guide will provide you with important tips and teach you the tricks while assisting you from day one. He will also provide you with pre-climbing training the day before summit at the base camp. Lot of cheap operators do not take this climbing trip seriously thereby risking your health or well-being, so be very prudent when you choose your climbing operator.

Island Peak is technically known as a ‘trekking peak’, but when it comes to packing, it requires a lot more than you might expect from a regular trek. The right kind of equipment and gear play a crucial role in successfully attempting to climb Island Peak. We recommend the following gear and kit for climbing Island Peak:

1. Waterproof Duffel Bag
2. 40L Back pack (daypack)
3. Shirts and t-shirts
4. Set of thermals (tops & bottoms)
5. Fleece Jacket
6. Shell Rain Jacket
7. Down Jacket
8. Lightweight hiking trousers
9. Waterproof/Windproof pants
10. Socks
11. Buff
12. Sun hat & sun glasses
13. Gloves & Mittens
14. Hiking boots
15. Mountain climbing boots
16. Flip flops and slippers
17. Sleeping bag
18. Water bottles
19. Sun cream & lip balm
20. Gaiters
21. Personal toiletries
22. Trekking pole
23. Scarf & warm hat

Besides the regular items that you would pack for a typical trekking trip, read more for other essential peak climbing equipment and familiarize yourself with the kits you will be carrying along for the trekking and climbing.

Island peak, also known as Imja Tse, is a mountain within the Sagarmatha National Park in the Khumbu region in eastern Nepal standing at an elevation of (9,189m/30,147ft). The peak got its name for appearing as an island in the sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche. Eric Shipton, a famous English Himalayan mountaineer named it as Island Peak in 1952 while exploring the Barun Gorge. The island peak was first summited back in 1953 by C. Evans, A. Gregory, C. Wylie, T. Norgay, and seven other Sherpas. Later in 1983, the peak was renamed Imja Tse by Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), but even then, the mountain retains its name as Island Peak.

You will enjoy 3 hearty meals each day. Generally, you will have your breakfast and dinner at the same lodge where you will be staying. Lunch will be provided at tea houses or small restaurants along the trail. However, while staying in tented camps during the climb, we will serve packed lunch along with tea or coffee. Nevertheless, both breakfast and dinner are freshly prepared by our own climbing cooks. The meals contain fresh fruits and organic ingredients sourced from Kathmandu or local villages throughout the trek. The meals include a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats designed by the nutritionist. The chefs are trained in hygienic food preparation. If needed, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher diets can be arranged with prior notice.

Sample Menu

✔ Breakfast
Beverage: black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, lemon tea, hot lemon with honey, black coffee, milk coffee, hot chocolate
Toast with jam or honey, toast omelet, pancake, Tibetan bread, porridge/ muesli
Eggs on your choices
American breakfast or Continental breakfast

✔ Lunch
Rice item: veg fried rice, egg fried rice, mixed fried rice, dal-bhaat
Noodle item: vegetable fried noodle, mixed fried noodle
Potato item: chips, fried potato, hash brown potato, veg fried potato, boiled potato
Burger: veg burger, chicken burger, veg sandwich, chicken sandwich
Pasta: spaghetti tomato sauce, macaroni cheese sauce
Pizza: veg pizza, tomato cheese pizza, chicken pizza, mushroom pizza
Momo (Nepali style dumplings): veg momo, chicken momo
Meat item: chicken sizzler, chicken steak, yak steak
Beverage: black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, lemon tea, hot lemon with honey, black coffee, milk coffee, hot chocolate

✔ Dinner
Soups: vegetable soup, mushroom soup, chicken soup, chicken noodle soup, Rara noodle soup, French onion soup, pumpkin soup, potato soup

✔ Main Meals
Rice item: veg fried rice, egg fried rice, mixed fried rice, dal-bhaat
Noodle item: vegetable fried noodle, mixed fried noodle
Potato item: chips, fried potato, hash brown potato, veg fried potato, boiled potato
Burger: veg burger, chicken burger, veg sandwich, chicken sandwich
Pasta: spaghetti tomato sauce, macaroni cheese sauce
Pizza: veg pizza, tomato cheese pizza, chicken pizza, mushroom pizza
Momo (Nepali Dumplings): veg momo, chicken momo
Meat item: chicken sizzler, chicken stake, yak stake
Dessert: apple pie, chocolate cake, carrot cake, apple fritter, canned fruit
Beverage: black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, lemon tea, hot lemon with honey, black coffee, milk coffee, hot chocolate

While on your trek, you will stay in the lodges, teahouses or hotels till Chhukung. From Chhukung to Island Peak base camp and until you finish your climb, you will stay in camping tents. You will have guest tents, dining tents, toilet tents, and kitchen tents fixed during the expedition.

Climb Island Peak can be done by following different routes and takes from 14 to 20 days depending on the route you choose. If you are an experienced climber with knowledge of high altitude and climbing techniques, then this climb can be completed in 14 days without a detour to Everest Base Camp. It is a very aggressive plan for which you must be well prepared. If you include a trek to Everest Base Camp allowing you proper acclimatization, then your overall trip will be 19 days including 2 days in Kathmandu for arrival and departure. As AlpineTrav Treks is open to tailor-make your trip, you can plan your expedition accordingly.

Island Peak is sometimes called ‘trekking peak’ because of its non-technical nature. Trekkers with good physical condition and some mountaineering skills could possibly accomplish this feat without difficulties. Moreover, people who have already done the Everest Base Camp trek or any other trek or climb up to 5,000 m (16,404 feet) can easily do the Island Peak climb. You need to be physically strong at the same time because you will be climbing on ice and rock on vertical slopes with ropes, snow boots and crampons. However, just being fit and healthy does not mean that you are ready to scale the peak. We recommend climbers going through a series of fitness routine several months prior the actual climb. Make climbing a regular part of your daily activity or simply start an outdoor hiking routine carrying around 20-25 pounds of backpack while ascending to build up stamina. Next, build up your overall body strength by doing free weight training and other body weight exercises. Incorporate some cardiovascular training to build up your body conditioning, including jogging, running, walking on an inclined treadmill, aerobic workouts, and walking up and down a hill.

As long as you are fit and strong enough to walk several hours for several days on varied terrains, hold the ropes, use ice pick, harness and ice boot on the slopes, you do not require other technical mountaineering experience for Island Peak climbing. Island Peak is technically a ‘trekking peak’ and comparatively very easy, hence we recommend enthusiastic beginners and experienced trekkers looking for something more than just trekking in the Himalayas. During Island Peak climbing, you will be dealing with high altitude, so it is advisable to be well prepared with the heights.

The cost of any trip in the Himalayas depend on a number of factors including the company you choose, the services they offer, number of days, various routes and more. The cost is something similar like buying an iPhone – some come with less features at a low cost while the latest ones with increased features will cost a bit more. In general, the price for climbing Island Peak ranges from $2900 to $4300 per person.

During the trekking from Lukla until Chhukung, you will be staying in teahouses or lodges at the end of your trekking day. So, you will be able to charge your electronic devices here at a small extra charge. But, after leaving Chhukung and until you climb Island Peak and get back to Pangboche village, we will be reliable on solar chargers as long as the days are sunny otherwise charging your device is not possible. We recommend bringing extra batteries and power banks.

All climbing members including guides and porters will walk together in a group so there is no chance of a climber or a crew member getting lost or left behind. However, when there is an emergency and you need to communicate with the office or a family member from a no coverage area, then satellite phone is the only and best mode of communication. AlpineTrav Treks is prepared with all kinds of communications including mobile and satellite phones so that we can always remain connected with our climbers and crew members. High up in the mountains, cell phones don’t always work so for emergency communications, we make use of a satellite phone.

Since Island Peak is a mountain that is above (6,000m/19,685ft), we recommend mountain air ambulance at least up to the altitude of the Island Peak, which is (6,189m/20,305ft.). Other insurance that we recommend are medical, trip cancellation due to pandemics, political riot, community violence, natural calamities, and flight delays or cancellations. For more information regarding our insurance policy, please read our travel insurance section or contact us for more details.

Drinking water issues have really been chronic in the entire country since a long time. The sources of drinking water in the mountains are river or stream water but we do not recommend these to our clients as far as possible. The water may be highly contaminated causing various illnesses during your journey. While trekking up to the base camp, drinking water will be available in the teahouses, either from taps, boiled water or bottled water. We also suggest for the use of steriPEN or other water purifying agents. During the peak climbing time, water is not available so it needs to be carried all the way up to the top. For our customers, we will provide bottled water or boiled and sterilized water to refill in the water bottles or water bladders.

Through immediate or long-term acclimatization, the human body can adapt to high altitudes. The main problem that can arise at high altitude is the Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and the symptoms vary from one person to another. When it comes to trekking and climbing in the Himalayas, altitude sickness has always been a major concern. Exposure to higher elevations means the lack of enough oxygen and more dry air in the atmosphere. This exposure causes increase in your metabolism while suppressing your appetite, vomiting, headache, nausea, lethargy, dizziness, cough, disturbed sleep, pneumonia, and hyperthermia. These symptoms are more prevalent in climbers who rush quickly to elevations above (2,500m/8,202ft). However, it is not the same for people residing in locations at high altitudes as they are used to these elevations all through their lives. AlpineTrav Treks has a great team of climbing leaders and crew members to ensure your safety and well-being. We suggest you to always listen to your leader and follow his instructions and always tell him if you are not feeling well on the way.

In Nepal, the highest peak climbing mountain in Mera Peak at 6,461m (21,190ft.) and for higher altitude than this, proper mountaineering boots will be required. We suggest three types of shoes – for camping section, for trekking section, and for climbing section on the trail. For camping, normal running shoes or trainers are required. For trekking section, a good quality, warm, waterproof hiking boot with good ankle support is needed. While for the climbing section, mountaineering boots, high-altitude boots or double boots B3 will be necessary. We recommend La Sportiva and Scarpa boots. Shoes for trekking and climbing section are compulsory and they must be of the right fit and previously broken so that you may prevent possible blisters and ankle injuries.

First and foremost, your fitness level, food and hygiene, regular exercise and workouts, immunity and your entire preparation for the trip affects how altitude sickness will respond to you. In fact, the prevention of altitude sickness starts right from the very day that you start planning your trip. Other factors that lower the chances of getting the sickness are your climbing leader’s knowledge, skills and experience, duration of the trip, and sufficient acclimatization. Reaching the top without any trouble related to altitude sickness, you should keep a few tips from our experienced leaders and travel consultants in mind, namely:

1. Slow ascend with proper rest and sufficient acclimatization
2. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other fluids
3. Eat enough balanced food and sleep well on the trip
4. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes or tobacco during the entire trip
5. Be head-strong and mentally prepared
6. Train your body sufficiently with uphill hikes or cardiovascular and gym workouts 3 months before your trip