As per the experience of majority climbers who attempt or summit Mount Shishapangma, the Shishapangma Expedition (8,013m/26,289ft) is one of the safest and easiest 8000m expeditions after the Cho-Oyu Mountain. Satori Adventures makes it clear that how easy to climb Mt. Shishapangma or how difficult to climb Mount Shishapangma or any other 8000m peaks can only be said through comparisons to other peaks. It also depends on your age, physical fitness, previous climbing experiences, weather, and climbing season.
Shishapangma Expedition
Especially mount. Shishapgnamga Expedition is normally climbed from North-west Ridge, North-east Ridge, and South-Southwest route. There are two summits of Mt. Shishapgnama. The main summit is climbed via south, southwest ridge, and the northeast climbing route which is the height of 8,027 m (26,335 ft). The summit can also be climbed from the north-west through false summit (8,013m/26,289ft.) but you are to ascend almost 250m in the knife-edged ridge – really technical and carries high risks. That is why north-west ridge is a commercial route and (8,013m/26,289ft.) is taken as the standard summit.
Shishapangma Advance Base Camp
Shishapangma Advance Base Camp is located at a height of 5,600 m/18,372ft. After a couple of days rest and preparation at the Advance base camp, you set out for the first and second base camp acclimatization.
Shishapangma Camp 1 at 6400m/20,997ft is located on a flat snowfield with plenty of space for several tents and free from risks of avalanches and rock-fallings. It takes around four and a half hours for the climbing Sherpa guide and five and half hours for you (generally) to reach Camp 1 of Mount Shishapangma from the advance base camp. It takes about one and a half an hour to cross the glacier of Shishapangma from Advanced base camp to reach the crampons point.
The climbing route at the glacier is rough with many ups and downs. From the crampons point in two and a half hour ascending steep 25-30 degrees slope, you come to the comparatively flat part where you walk about one hour and arrive Camp 1. Satori Adventures’ climbing Sherpa guide fixes about 200m rope in the difficult part of the glacier and 150m rope at the end of snow part before reaching the flat area.
From Camp 1, it takes about four hours to reach camp 2, if you are a climber with average stamina. The camp2 is located at an altitude of 7,100m/23,300ft in the Col of Small Mountain. It all depends on your acclimatization, weather condition, physical fitness, and walking pace how long you take to climb. After 30-40 minutes to flat ascent on the ice you will reach to the slope of 40-45 degrees ice wall to climb. This section is fully fixed with the main rope. Satori Adventures expert climbing Sherpa Guides fix static rope of about 400-500m of high quality on this section and you climb using both ice screws and snow bar for safety. After crossing the ice wall, you will reach the yellow ridge from were 30 minutes of flat ascent to reach the Second Camp on the Col of a small hill.
The Mount Shishapangma climbing from Camp 2 (C2) to Camp 3 (C3) takes about four hours for average stamina climbers. Camp 3 is located at the height of 7,100m/23,300ft – 7,200M/23,622ft. The climbing route from Camp2 to Camp3 has about 10-15 degrees slope vertical ice for about three and half an hours. Almost half of the expedition teams pitch Camp3 at the ridge here and rest half of the teams ascend another 120m with the help of fixed-lines 40-45 degrees slope above. It crosses a ravine between two small mountains and lands on the back lawn – and takes some 30 minutes to reach the upper part of Camp three from this bottom camp. If you think your climbing pace is comparatively slow in this height, you can push to this upper part to camp that eases you the next day for the summit push.
Mount Shishapangma Summit
Getting to the top of the mount Shishapangma from Camp3 and return back to the same camp or even climb down to Camp 2 (some strong climbers can do it) is, without doubt, the most difficult and longest journey in this climbing expedition (you will end to camp 2 only if you are of the strong stamina other while you return back to Camp 3). Almost 90% climbers target and end the summit at false central summit 8,013m/26,289ft. There is another two hours ascent at the snowy knife-edge ridge to the real summit which is the height of 8,027m/26,335ft.
You may leave for the summit push at about 11:00 pm-00:00 am and reach the summit between 06:00-09:00 am (based on your stamina). Almost 100% of the climbing route from Camp 3 to the summit requires climbing on a fixed rope. It requires about 700m Korean rope if there are less number of climbers – less than 60 climbers – and dynamic rope for larger than this. . The climbing is roughly about 40-45 degrees slope from camp three to reaches the false central summit.
After the summit of Mt Shishapangma, 98% of climbers descend down to Camp three from the central summit. However, if you choose to submit the real summit the greatest challenge for you is traversing the knife-edge ridge between the two summits. If that is to be considered then the weather forecast must the perfect – 0% chance of wind, snow, or low visibility – in which the ridge would be very risky in bad weather conditions.