Island Peak or Imja Tse (6,189m / 20,305 ft) lies in the centre of the Everest Region of Nepal and is the most popular of Nepal’s 33 designated trekking peaks. It’s a great summit for first-time climbers who are looking for something a little more challenging than the Everest Base Camp Trek and a good peak to start with for those with more mountaineering ambitions in Nepal. The peak was first climbed in 1956 by a Swiss Team and was named in 1951 by Shipton’s party, who viewed it from Dingboche described it as “Island in a sea of Ice.” The summit itself sits almost in the middle of a large valley and is surrounded by giant peaks with Everest to the North, Makalu to the east and Ama Dablam to the west. What follows are nine tips to get you.
1. Proper Acclimatization is Key. Any peak over 6000m is a real challenge and proper acclimatization is a must. Our regular climbing schedule includes a trip to Everest Base Camp before heading to Island Peak primarily in order to give you time to acclimatize. Regardless, of the schedule, the best advice is to average about 300m or 1000 feet a day in elevation gain from Lukla onwards. Here are some helpful tips on Acclimatizing for Base Camp.
2. Allow enough time in your schedule. Our normal Island Peak schedule is 17 days but it’s best to schedule several extra days at the end of your trip in case of flight delays or bad weather on the summit day. If you’re having problems acclimatizing the best solution is just waiting a few extra days at a lower elevation until you are feeling better.
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