It seems a common thing with people I meet who walk/climb to either have done the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal, or want to do in the future and have lots of questions about what’s involved, the training needed, what the altitude is like etc etc. So I thought I’d write a series of articles to cover…
- The training I put in prior to Everest Base Camp and the sort of fitness I began the trip with.
- My Everest Base Camp kit list for the trek, what worked well and what didn’t. What else needed organising/sorting.
- What was hard and what wasn’t so bad.
- What I’d probably do differently if I went back.
- And throughout answering the practical stuff, importantly what the trek was like and a couple of personal highlights.
I’ll start soon with a bit of background on why I chose to sign up for the trek and the initial day out to gauge fitness before thinking about proper training.
And after finishing all of that I’ll cover where it left me and also consider the impact of mountain tourism/guided trips.
#1 by Melinda on February 25, 2010 - 2:57 pm
Hi,
I am planning for EBC trek, I found your kit list super helpful, it is so hard to know what I really need, just wanted to know when it came to t shirts did you get by with just 2 and your baselayers? I plan to bring the 2 tech t shirts, 2 trousers then 2 sets of baselayers, 1 fleece, 1 waterproof poncho (breathable and can’t really afford the expensive jackets) plus our trekking company provides a down jacket, thats just my clothing list. Would you reccomend anymore? We are on a budget so don’t want to spend too much money on gear we don’t need.
Thank-you,
Mel
#2 by Ian on February 25, 2010 - 3:42 pm
Hi Mel,
Glad you found the kit list useful as you prepare!
I went to EBC in November and the weather was surprisingly warm so the first few days wore just a t-shirt but as we got higher switched to base layer and t-shirt. Only one the final day did I put the thermal base layer on. Difficult to say what you should do without knowing when and what conditions may be like but there’s not a massive need to take lots of clothing. I had a weight limit and knew that likelihood of showers/washing was low as we went up so wasn’t overly concerned by only using a few bits of clothing.
- Ian
#3 by Andy on August 16, 2010 - 1:14 am
Hi Ian,
I really would like to have a crack at this but not a one off trip but whilst on a World Trip. Due to this I would obviously have a big backpack with me along the whole trip so would this be a problem? Where would your main luggage be kept? Would that be carried by the porters or kept somewhere at lower altitude?
Also, can you recommend a tour agency to book this trip through or did you organise all of this yourself?
Many thanks,
Andy
#4 by Ian on October 4, 2010 - 6:34 pm
Hi Andy,
Sorry for late reply, hopefully my answers are still of some use to you.
In terms of a big backpack, this should be fine for out on the trek. I took a 80ltr hold all but my friend took a large backpack and we were both fine. If you are in a group with porters then a weight limit is often imposed, I think of around 10-15kg.
When we went to EBC I left a suitcase with a few bits in at the Kathmandu Guest House (a common place for trekkers to go from I think) in a large baggage room so I guess this is common for many hotels, it’s best just to ask ahead.
I booked with Intrepid for the trek but they used a local company (forget the name I’m afraid) and were good. There’s a huge number of companies both international and local running the trip, so if you can be flexible I’m sure you could work a good deal that gives you time to do it at your own pace and even add things like the Gokyo Lakes etc.
Hope that helps, let me know if there’s anything else
- Ian