Mount Everest, the greatest challenge, is more than the most famous mountain on earth. It has a unique beauty, mystery and mood. A successful Everest expedition leaves one with the sense of being in the elite class of adventurers. It commands respect from all those who see her. Standing incredibly tall silhouetted against the shared sky of Nepal and Tibet, this mountain has many names: Everest, Chomolungma, Sagarmatha. Whichever name one chooses, most mountaineers have the dream of reaching its summit in their life time.

Each climber will be accompanied by a climbing Sherpa throughout the climb, with a second Sherpa to carry a gear between the camps. From the South Col the route ascends slopes of snow and ice to the Balcony (8500m) on the crest of the Southeast Ridge. The climb continues up the wide ridge past rocky sections to the South Summit. From here the route descends slightly and continues up the narrow, exposed ridge to the Hillary Step. After surmounting this 40 foot obstacle, a mixed chimney, the summit is close. Most climbers leave Camp Four sometime between 9 pm and midnight, planning to summit by 10 am if possible. On summit day the accompanying Sherpa will carry extra oxygen for each climber.

We will provide enough oxygen for the ascent. Normally it would be budgeted as follows: One bottle for the climb from Camp Three to Camp Four, one bottle for sleeping at Camp Four and three bottles for summit day.

The Khumbu Icefall is the most technically demanding portion of the climb, and is encountered right out of base camp. Here, climbers must be able to negotiate fixed lines quickly and without supervision. Skills required include the ability to ascend and rappel vertical to overhanging fixed lines. A special team of Sherpa’s will establish and maintain the route through the icefall. This team will span numerous crevasses with ladder bridges. Above the icefall, most of the route is equipped with fixed lines, with the exception of large flat and crevasses-free areas in the western CWM.

Makalu, the world's fifth highest peak in the world rising to 27,765 feet (8,463 meters). This beautiful and impressive massive is situated just 14 miles east of Everest in the Khumbu region. Its size alone is impressive, but its perfect pyramid structure with four sharp ridges makes this mountain all the more spectacular. Makalu is actually a double peak. The subsidary peak rising just north of the main summit connected by a saddle is called Chomolonzo (25,650 ft.) It is interesting to note that the summit ridge is the demarcation point indicating the border between Nepal on the Southern side and Tibet to the North.The name of the mountain was probably taken from the Sanskrit word Maha-Kala, which means Big Black and is a by-name of Shiva - one of the most important gods of Hinduism. Shiva is sometimes an evil, cruel destroyer but at other times he tends to be gentle and kind-hearted. The mountain has another name in the local dialect - Kumba karna, which means The Giant.Makalu has proved to be a challenging climb, as only five of its first sixteen attempts were successful. To date, there have been a total of 206 successful ascents of Makalu and a total of 22 fatalities. There have been no known winter ascents of this peak.

Baruntse