Nepal day 9: Acclimatisation day. Dingboche - Nangkartsang

Submitted by maria on Mon, 18/12/2023 - 11:30

Today is a day of acclimatisation, our goal is to climb to the summit of Nangkartsang at 5,085 metres above sea level.

Ama Dablam

Initially the acclimatisation was planned via Chukhung towards Island Peak base camp, but we love the idea of climbing another 5,000 metre peak.

This stage is short but has a very powerful level, we are at more than 4,000 metres and the altitude is very noticeable, the movements are slower and curiously the digestion is also slower.

Itinerary: Dingboche (4,318 m) - Dingboche (4,318 m) - Nangkartsang (5085 m)

Distance: 6 kms

Duration: 6 hours

Linear route

Elevation gain: 700 metres

Tips for good acclimatisation. Good acclimatisation is achieved by drinking plenty of water, walking slowly without getting tired, not climbing more than 500 metres per stage above 3,400 metres and always sleeping below the maximum altitude you have reached that day.

Always remember to take enough water with you, as it takes at least half an hour for the pill to take effect. Sun cream with full protection is essential. Batteries run down in the cold, so put them inside your sleeping bag.

Map

We had breakfast. It seems that the Ama Dablam is showing a bit more today. Tibetan bread with honey and roti with eggs and black tea. We are lucky enough to have a glimpse of Island Peak.

Today we leave later, at 8.30 am. We start the short climb up to the first stupa. Although in the acclimatisation stages it is not necessary to carry a full rucksack, don't forget to take warm clothes and enough water as there are no water sources to recharge until we get back to Dingboche.

Way to Nangkartsang

At the first stupa we stop to take photos, the day is beautiful but the Ama Dablam is still somewhat overcast. This stupa serves as a crossroads, straight ahead towards the bottom of the valley is the road to Lobuche and to the right begins our ascent to Nangkartsang.

We have to climb very slowly, the first slopes are steep and we make several stops. The views are magnificent.

Nangkartsang

We meet Miguel who has already reached the top and is coming down. We also meet an American and a Puerto Rican woman and we chat. The fog starts to roll in. We are breaking records, we have never been so high before.

Ama Dablam

On the way down we meet María and Sergio, they are not far from the summit although the fog doesn't let us see much. We meet them at Cafe 4410 for a drink in the afternoon.

Acclimatization is essential to make your trip more comfortable, don't forget that. It is not necessary to climb all the way to the top to acclimatise, although it is well worth the effort.

We have lunch at Sherpa Land lodge, of course dal bhat. They have prepared a table for us in the courtyard in the sun, it is wonderful.

With Sonam

We rest for a while and then we go to Cafe 4410. Every day in the afternoon they show films related to the mountains, in this case we watch Everest. It's warm, Sergio and María arrive and we chat.

Pizza

At 7 pm we have dinner at Sherpa Land lodge, today we share soup and a vegetable pizza. The dough is a bit raw and gives Joaquin a hard time in the evening.

We sit around the cooker, as we do every night, chatting with Sonam and Chiiring, we show them Carlos Soria and Killian Jornet´s instagram accounts and they are amazed. We have a good time, they are lovely. We also showed them our blog and the mountains in Spain, Sonam loved the Curavacas peak.