Cholatse 2024

Cholatse is one of the most stunning mountains in the world. Located in the Everest Region (the Khumbu), it stands at over 21,000 ft. and is steep on all sides. The first ascent of the mountain was completed via the SW Ridge in 1982 by Vern Clevenger, Galen Rowell, John Roskelley, Bill O'Connor and Peter Hackett. In 2011 Ueli Steck, a famous Swiss alpinist, and Freddie Wilkinson, a talented American alpinist, made the mountain famous when their ascent of the north face was documented in the Mountain Hardware film, "Himalayan Speed". The ascent documented in this short video is via the SW Ridge. The difficulty of the SW Ridge climb clocks-in at grade VI, AI 2 to 3, 5.5 to 5.8 depending on the conditions at the time of the climb. Although no section is especially difficult from the perspective of a rock or ice climber, the high altitude, heavy packs, and sheer amount of steep terrain (more than 20 pitches of ice climbing) make the climb formidable. Many consider this mountain a step-up in difficulty from AmaDablam, though this may change in coming years as guided ascents of the peak become more popular and fixed ropes become more plentiful and reliable.