Cho Oyu is the 6th highest peak in the world (8201 meters) straddling the Nepal and Tibetan border. Our Cho Oyu expedition begins at the ancient capital city of Tibet, Lhasa. From Lhasa to the village of Tingri, our final rugged and rural village before Cho Oyu base camp. We spent two nights at base camp before we hire yaks to transport our expedition supplies to ABC. On this two day journey, we will cross rivers, and hike over rocky moraine before we arrive at our primary base camp for 4 weeks.
First submitted in 1954 by a small Austrian/Tibetan expedition, Cho Oyu is technically easier than most other 8000ers and has historically had a better safety record than the other 8,000 meter peaks. Our guides have set routes and fixed lines for our climbers, leaving little room for error. This is a great first climb for those looking to break into high altitude climbing.
The climb ascends via the West Ridge/West Face, which has two short technical sections. Advanced Base Camp (ABC) will be established at 5800 meters (19,024 feet), Camp I at 6500 meters, Camp II at 7100 meters (23,288 feet), and Camp III at 7400 meters (24,272 feet).
A fun fact about Cho Oyu is the Tibetan folk tale of Cho Oyu (meaning Turquoise God) is that he fell in love with the Goddess Chomolungma (Everest), who later married her closest neighbor to the southeast, Makalu. Cho Oyu never married and he now faces the opposite way of Chomolungma.