Nepal Treks with International Mountain Guides

The Everest Base Camp Trek is a classic adventure! IMG offers treks through the Khumbu Valley of Nepal to the Everest South Side Base Camp as well as through Tibet to Everest North Side Base Camp. Dozens of companies offer Everest Treks, but we believe our experience, safety precautions, and solid record of trekking and climbing in the Himalayas make IMG your best choice for trekking Nepal and Tibet.

IMG also offers the opportunity to combine your Nepal trek with a climb of Lobuche Peak (20,075') or the unique chance to climb to the Western Cwm of Everest through the Khumbu Icefall and beyond. Please read on to find out what makes the International Mountain Guides Everest Base Camp Trek different from all the rest.

Classic Nepal Everest Base Camp Trek

March 29 - April 17, 2011

This is one of the world’s great treks. Accompany the IMG climbing team and see all the famous sights on the way up the Khumbu Valley. Climb Kala Pattar, rub shoulders with the climbers and see what a real expedition is like. Join in with the expedition puja ceremony at Base Camp, marking the beginning of the climbing. Then, trek back out to Lukla with our crack Sherpa team for the flight to Kathmandu. What a classic! We have a limited number of positions available for this program.

Sherpa Everest Base Camp Trek

May 2-19, 2011

Our Sherpa led Everest trek, with top notch support and logistics, this group also visits the team at Base Camp, near the end of the expedition, normally about the time of the summit bids. This is an exciting time to be there! After the Base Camp visit, trek back out to Lukla with our crack Sherpa team for the flight to Kathmandu.

Everest BC Trek and Lobuche Peak Summit Climb

April 5-28, 2011

If you would like to visit Everest Base Camp, and stay longer and go higher, bring your crampons and ice axe and add a climb of Lobuche Peak, over 20,000 feet. We first go to Everest Base Camp for better acclimatization, then our Lobuche climbers, guides, and Sherpas will drop one day back down the valley to climb this beautiful peak, with world class views of Everest from the summit. Afterward, trek back out to Lukla with our crack Sherpa team for the flight to Kathmandu. IMG has guided this climb many times and it is a favorite of ours! From the beautiful Lobuche Base Camp tucked up a side valley from the EBC trek route, the route climbs to a high camp, then from there up rock scrambling to the glacier, which leads to the summit ridge. The steeper parts of the climb to the ridge, on the summit day, are normally fixed with about 500 meters of rope. Lobuche Peak is a perfect objective if you are fit and have Mt. Rainier type skills. (ice axe, crampons, roped glacier travel). We will review use of fixed ropes for climbers who have not done this before.

Note on Dates

Dates are listed starting with the arrival day to Kathmandu to the arrival day back to Kathmandu at the end of the trip. The ending dates for the EBC Classic Trek, Sherpa Trek, and Lobuche Climb are FIXED. The ending dates for the Everest and Lhotse Climbs are flexible, depending on weather and conditions. It would be normal to add several contingency days to these itineraries. Normally climbers will change their departure flights from Kathmandu when they know exactly when the expedition is going to end. We plan to stay at Base Camp for climbing until approximately the end of May, or as long as it takes for us to be successful.

Expedition Organization and Leadership

International Mountain Guides ("IMG")
IMG is the oldest and most respected high-altitude climbing service in the world and its three principals, Eric Simonson, Phil Ershler, and George Dunn, have led and organized hundreds of expeditions worldwide. Each is an AMGA Certified Alpine Guide with Himalayan expedition experience including Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Shishapangma, and Cho Oyu. IMG's Himalayan mountaineering programs are organized and directed by Eric Simonson, one of the world's premiere expedition organizers. Under his direction IMG has conducted over 40 Himalayan expeditions. His teams include a group of professionals and Sherpas who are the best in the business. Since 1990, 450 IMG team members have summited the world's classic 8,000-meter peaks, including Everest, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.

IMG's Philosophy
Our goal is to safely help as many team members as possible reach their goal, and we invest in the people and equipment that will make this happen. We value our reputation as the premiere international climbing company, and we only put programs in place that measure up to our own high standards. If you would like to join a world-class team, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your goals and qualifications and secure an exciting role for yourself on our expedition!

Ang Jangbu and the IMG Sherpa Team
A veteran of dozens of expeditions and an Everest summiter, Ang Jangbu has worked with Eric Simonson on every IMG Himalayan program since 1991 and is a very popular leader. Ang Jangbu Sherpa and his staff put together one of the very best Sherpa teams for IMG. We are proud to have a group of Sherpas working for us who are among the best paid, best led, best equipped, and best trained in the business.

IMG Everest 2010 staff
We are happy to announce that for IMG's Everest 2010 we have now slated IMG guides Phil Ershler, Mike Hamill, and Greg Vernovage to be climbing with our team.

References

Joining a high-altitude trek or expedition is a serious decision. You should be completely confident in the organization and leadership before you make that decision. Many of you have climbed with us before, and because your experience with us was good, you're considering another climb with us. For those of you who haven't climbed with us before, we strongly encourage you to interview us thoroughly and also talk to our past clients. When you're ready to make the decision, we'll be happy to provide you with a complete list of references. Please also browse comments online from our trekkers and climbers.