Tuesday, October 27, 2026 - 8:26 pm PT

Ama Dablam! For those who have seen it, in picture or in person, the name evokes feelings of awe and wonder. A perfectly shaped mountain rising out of the lower Khumbu Valley. Pictures hardly do it justice. 

Two mornings ago, on October 25th we were fortunate to get to stand on top of Ama Dablam. A combination of hard work, skill and a heavy dose of luck got us there. 

Originally our plan was to leave Basecamp, spend a few nights up at Camp 1, then return to Basecamp to recover before making a summit push. This is a standard approach allowing each climber's body to acclimate to the altitude before making the final push. Unfortunately after looking at the weather, we realized that we would not have the number of days required to complete both cycles and decided to compress our schedule into a single push. 

Initially we made the five hour approach from Basecamp to Camp 1 with heavy backpacks and strong legs. We felt hopeful but intimidated by the terrain above. The next day we traversed the rocky slabs between Camp 1 and Camp 2, where we spent a uniquely uncomfortable night perched in a tent with part of the floor hanging over open air. On the third morning we made a single push to the summit. The climbing was a mixture of steep rock and ice, with the final 1,200' snow ramp to the summit pushing us to our limit. 

We opted to descend all the way back to Basecamp that same night. It was a long, slow process that required us to put our headlamps on for a second time, but the warm meals and comfortable mattresses in Basecamp made the effort worth it. 

A huge thanks to our Sherpa team, the Basecamp staff and everyone following along back at home. 

RMI Guide Eric Frank