I looked up airline tickets, and then changed my mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Felicia
Its now on my wish list.
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I looked up airline tickets, and then changed my mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Felicia
Its now on my wish list.
I may be interested too. Carpool? I'll see if I can get out of the city in time to meet up. Cool stuff Bruce. :2thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by Sombeech
Felicia talk to Scott P or Bruce. Both have done some treking there. I remember Scott said the most expensive thing was the airline tickets. Food, guides, housing was very cheap over there. There is a thread about it somewhere on Bogley.Quote:
Originally Posted by Felicia
/hijiak
My beta will be 25 years old, but I'm sure it is still a very worthwhile place to visit.
Robin and I did a month trekking in the Khumbu as part of our honeymoon. We did it on the cheap, but yes you do have to get to Nepal somehow. If you have more time than money you might put together cheaper flights via bucket shops after you left the US. We pieced our trip together over several months that way. After that, you can guide yourself or hire a local porter (not guide) without paying through the nose.
I don't think you can climb up the ice fall at all without a climbing permit for either Everest or Lhotse. Those will add significant cost. But there are other other so-called trekking summits that have cheap permits. Island Peak which is "around the corner" of Lhotse is a popular one.
I highly recommend visiting the Gokyo valley which is one valley further west from the Khumbu Valley. The view from the top of the hill in Gokyo is better, IMO, than from Kala Patar next to the ice fall. Plus you can hook up the two valleys via a glaciated pass that's off the beaten path a bit and stunningly beautiful.
I really enjoyed being able to wander at our own pace and stay a day or two at villages we liked. Maybe once our son is grown we'll do it again...
ststephen's beta is spot on. You can't go into the icefall without a climbing permit - $10,000 if you can get someone to add you to their permit, otherwise much more than that. Pretty much rules the icefall out. The icefall is such a dangerous place I can't imagine you'd want to go into it if you weren't going to the summit. The trek to base camp is a great experience though and base camp is right at the foot of the icefall. There are what Nepal refers to as treking peaks that have fairly inexpensive permit fees like Island Peak you could consider if you want to climb something while you're there.
I'm probably sticking my neck out here but I would guess that the trip would cost somewhere around $3000 - $4000 per person depending on how you put it together. That cost would include the flight and a treking outfitter but it certainly can be done on the cheap without the outfitter which could save maybe as much as a couple of thousand dollars.
I'm trying to talk my wife into returning there with me next year. No commitment yet but I'm working on it.
if anyone has two empty places and is going from the ogden area, let me know... would be willing to help with gas, and i will even buy mtn. dew!
If Beech and I end up going you could prolly thumb a ride for some dew. :naughty:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mtnman1830
I'm pretty sure I'm heading up. :2thumbs:
Sweet! We should figure out where to meet, what time and then pick up Mtnman somewhere. :popcorn:Quote:
Originally Posted by Sombeech
bump
I'm halfway thru High Crimes. Looks like you chose wisely in signing on with Russell Brice. Did you eventually encounter any of the "shennigans" that Michael Kodas details or is larceny and other misbehaviors mere aberrations on the climb?
If my son is good in school all year, I promised to take him to Base Camp (unless he wants to go somewhere else more).Quote:
What type of money are we talking about?
Anyway........
Guides and porters are really easy to pick up in Nepal and typically cost arouond $5 a day, plus tip (possibly more in certain regions or seasons) If you have a choice, a porter is preferable over a guide as well. The popular trails in places like the Annapurna and Everest regions are very easy to follow and navigate. If you can navigate to climb Mount Elbert, you can navigate to Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit. Some books have maps describing the entire route in lots of detail. The one below is really good:
http://www.amazon.com/Trekking-Evere...3397891&sr=8-1
An average budget would be $10 a day and you can live pretty good on that. Spending more than $15 is pretty hard.
Total cost for the trek itself (food, lodging, porter/guide) should be $225 for 15 days + round trip airfare Kathmandu to Lukla (about $225) or if you walk in from Jiri total cost for the trek itself should be $315 for 21 days + one way airfare Lukla to Kathmandu ($120) unless you have the time to walk all the way out.
$550-$600 plus airfare SLC to Kathmandu should be more than enough including the trek, hotels and in Kathmandu, shopping, permit, extra luxuries, etc.
Right now, airfare is currently $1400 for a really nice airline and $1000 for the cheaper ones, but this changes from week to week. The $1400 is for one of the nicest airlines I've flown, but hopefully the prices don't rise much by the end of next year.
(Of course if anyone is interested in joining us, they are more than welcome).
Basically if anyone wants to go to Everest Base camp, it would be wise to budget around $2000 including everything (airfare and everything else) SLC to SLC. Expensive maybe, but very much worth it. You can do it for cheaper, but budgeting that much would allow for extra luxuries, nicer airlines and any incidental items that might come up. If you budgeted that much you would likely have money left over at the end of the trip, but sometimes it's better to bring a little extra.
Most of the underhanded things that Kodas describes occur on the north side. The south tends to be a bit more civilized, which is the side I climbed from. I never witnessed any of it while I was there, so from my experience it would appear to be an aberration.Quote:
Originally Posted by erial
I had mixed feelings when I read High Crimes. It seemed like Kodas had an agenda and I wondered how accurate the picture was he painted. When you're finished reading it I'd recommend Dark Summit by Nick Heil. I think it does a better job of portraying the true situation.
Thanks Bruce, that was a great presentation.
We hit the Factory Pizzeria afterward.
Great information! It actually sounds doable - not this year - but totally something to set as a goal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott P
Are you going this year?
:2thumbs:
I really enjoyed taking the extra time to hike in from Jiri. The sociological cultures of Nepal are stratified by altitude; different clothes, food, religions that extend "horizontally" across elevation bands. By starting low and hiking that distance you'll encounter many different types of people which greatly added to the charm of the experience.
I would also suggest a little more time in the high mountains. Have some extra days to explore side valleys and rest or lay-over if you are either not feeling well or just enjoying a place too much to rush on.
We spent about 30 days total including travel to Jiri and then flying out of Lukla. The bus/truck ride to Jiri was an adventure itself (at least 26 years ago it was)!
Also factor in some time to visit temples and general tourist stuff in Kathmandu. Watch out, the monkeys can bite or scratch!
Thanks to all of you who came up to see it. It meant a lot to me. I hope you felt like it was worth your time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sombeech
Hey Bruce, one question I've been meaning to ask for a while:
Did you experience and "post achievement depression" after you finished this huge accomplishment? ie, the planning is over, no more preparation....
I thought it was a great presentation. It was perfect for the audience. I learned quite a bit and I have read and seen a bunch of it on TV. I just cant imagine what you went through, but I imagine a little more now. Thanks again and congrats! :2thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by Partly Animal
Yes, my wife tells me I was a bear to live with for the first month or two after I got home. It definitely was a bitter sweet experience. The Seven Summits was a goal I had worked on for so long and had become such a motivating force that when it was over it left a huge hole.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sombeech