Mountaineering Boots for Mera Peak climbing - Namas Adventure
Mountaineering Boots for Mera Peak climbing
Investing in the right boots is a must for any high altitude mountaineering activities. We highly suggest all climbers to not cut corners while purchasing these essential life-saving equipment. Comfort, support while carrying heavy loads, grip while climbing and scrambling on ice/rock, crampon compatible, warmth, sturdiness and should give you the confidence to walk comfortably on horizontal slopes. We recommend you go to your nearest store to try it on and give it a feel on how you feel when trying on these boots. In the end, you should feel comfortable with those boots. We have listed three of our favorite boots which are suitable for Mera Peak climbing.
La Sportiva G2SM
La Sportiva G2SM is one of the most versatile mountaineering boots performing extremely well at 6000M - 7000M altitude. The boot with it’s double-layered system can withstand up to - 30C keeping the feet warm during climbing days. The boots have a sturdy and quality feel and have BOA lace system for ease of tying the boots. This is especially helpful when tightening boots in extreme cold condition. Simply rotate the wheel to tighten the grip and plug off to loosen the boot. It’s only downfall maybe, the BOA system will be hard to replace or fix if for any reason it gets damaged, unlike traditional lacing system. (Boot Review link)
Scarpa Phantom 6000
Lightweight and more streamlined double boot designed boot, Scarpa 6000 is built for any 6000M - 7000M peak expedition. Providing incredible warmth and grip for any high climbing expedition. For a detailed review of the boot, you can check out the blog here by climbing gear review. (Click here)
GTX Mountaineering Boots 5000m
With classic style Kailas GTX performs well in the rugged conditions. Lightweight, insulated (able to withstand up to -30C, all crampons compatible, these boots are suitable for 5000M+ to 65000M mountaineering activities.
If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.
Namas Adventure team.
Mountaineering Boots for Baruntse Peak 7129M Expedition - Namas Adventure
Photo by - Mark Horrell
Mountaineering Boots for Baruntse Peak Expedition
Choosing the right footwear is critical to climb and summit higher peaks. Baruntse Peak standing tall at 7000M + peak demands climbers to wear appropriate mountaineering boots, which must fill in numerous roles. Comfort, support while carrying heavy loads, grip while climbing and scrambling on ice / rock, crampon compatible, warmth, sturdiness and should give you the confidence to walk comfortably on horizontal slopes. We have listed boots from several brands which is suitable for your Baruntse Peak expedition.
La Sportiva G2SM
La Sportiva G2SM is one of the most versatile mountaineering boots performing extremely well at 6000M - 7000M altitude. The boot with it’s double layered system can with stand up to - 30C keeping the feet warm during climbing days. The boots has a sturdy and quality feel and has BOA lace system for ease of tying the boots. This is especially helpful when tightening boots in extreme cold condition. Simply rotate the wheel to tighten the grip and plug off to loosen the boot. It’s only downfall maybe, the BOA system will be hard to replace or fix if for any reason it gets damaged unlike traditional lacing system. (Boot Review link)
La Sportiva Baruntse
The name itself suggest this boot particularly for Baruntse and any other 6000M-7000M peak expeditions. A sturdy built mountaineering boots specifically designed for high altitude mountaineering expedition. It is a double layered boot highly insulated boot with with tradition lacing style system. (Boot review)
Scarpa Pthanom 6000
Light weight and more streamlined double boot designed boot, Scarpa 6000 is build for any 6000M - 7000M peak expedition. Providing incredible warmth and grip for any high climbing expedition. For a detailed review of the boot, you can check out the blog here by climbing gear review. (Click here)
8000M Boots
For any climbers looking ahead for bigger expedition in near future, investing right away in a 8000M expedition can be a great idea, saving any extra expenses. Climbers normally use 8000M peak boots even during 6000M + expeditions. (Kailas Everest, La Sportiva Olympus Mons cube, Scarpa Phantom 8000)
Investing in a right gear is a must and a necessity when taking upon such great expeditions. We always advise our climbers to try them on when buying one and see which you feel most comfortable with, at the end it is your climb. If you want to take upon 7000M + peaks like Baruntse with Mera Peak expedition or Himlung Himal expedition , Namas team is here to be at your service and help you summit these amazing peaks while having a great time.
If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.
Namas Adventure team.
Mera Peak a treat of panoramic Himalayan vista - Namas Adventure
MERA PEAK A TREAT OF PANORAMIC HIMALAYAN VISTA
Now, I am not exaggerating by that headline for Mera Peak. In this blog post, I am trying to share the visual journey of the Mera Peak trek/climb. First let me admit, although Mera Peak is classed as a beginners peak, I was dead tired (exhausted) by the time I got back from Summit to high camp. To me, that climb did not feel like a beginner’s climb or maybe I just was not fit enough (gotta train harder). Every Sherpa leader that I met there was like yes, this is the easiest one and the only peak with a very wide 360 views of all the Himalayas. I could feel my whole body burning with tiredness and at the same time, I was ecstatic as well because I was back safely from the summit. It was not that I had doubts about making it to the summit but I wasn’t expecting the degree of fitness I needed to have to make that climb. I have so much respect for all the Sherpa leaders that can just march up these peaks like it’s a walk in the park and I could only imagine the level of fitness everyone has when they guide the guest to 7000 - 8000 M peaks. I have realized that I need to upgrade my level of fitness by some fold and have more experiences under my belt to climb higher mountains. Next stop Baruntse Peak 7129, Tilicho peak 7134, Amadablam (climbers consider this tougher than Everest) the tough one 6810 technically challenging, Manaslu 8156 in the next 2 years.
So first all the technical details about Mera peak. The peak stands tall at 6476 M tall in Makalu valley. The mountaineering association in Nepal considers Mera as a trekking peak rather than an expedition peak which is just about right.
Beginners/ Intermediate trekking peak. No mountain climbing experience is required for this trip. Although previous trekking experiences do help.
18 Days total climb. But can be shortened 12/13 days, Mera Peak express ( Taking helicopter from Lukla to Kothe or Khare to Lukla. Additional charges apply)
Fitness level required. Endurance and strength training suggested.
Pro tip: To better your chance of making it to the Summit, make sure your itinerary has Base camp 5200M and high camp day 5800M. Both are tented camping.
Gears rentals can be done in Khare but I would highly recommend getting your own gears. I rented their equipment ( sleeping bag ) for the sake of trying and I would not recommend it at all. You will need all the mountain climbing gear for this trek. Even the boots are made of plastic ones which do not provide enough protection from the cold.
Best time to visit. March-May ( less traffic ) September - November ( high traffic )
Next goal Baruntse or Tilicho Peak ( 7000+M) mountain.
360-degree views of the Himalayas from high camp all the way to the Summit. Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Nuptse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, and hundreds of small peaks are visible. On a clear day expect yourself to be completely blown away by the never-ending view of Himalayan vistas.
Mera peak trip was a job as well as an adventure. So the trekking trail separates from Lukla going south in the other direction than the Everest trail. That helps us avoid all the huge traffic that goes to the iconic base camp trail. The trek up to Nimgsa is pretty much walking one hilly trail, passing through small villages. But after that, the trail gets tougher and the snow made the trails even harder at some point. Mera isn’t a popular choice as Everest trails so the trails are not as well taken care of or are built like most on Everest base camp trails. On some part, we literally had to use our hands and feet to just climb the steep stairs and the trail wasn’t a gradual one. One minute it goes straight up and the other minute it’s a steep downhill but after Kothe camp, it was gradual uphill which was good.
The Himalayas are only fully visible after we left the Kothe camp. As we were gradually going higher the mountain tops with different shapes slowly appear and the next thing you know it’s on your right/left and slowly the Mera range appears right above on the right corner. We made a pit stop at a nearby glacier lake, which was 90% frozen. Kothe was our final tea house camp place. By the time we get to Kothe, we are now pretty much walking by the mountains. I could see this frozen sharp ice on the cliffs of the mountains. Finally, upon arrival in Kothe, we could see Mera peak and the other range just above. Our guide (Lopsang Sherpa) pointed to us the glacier we were to walk on before reaching high camp. To my surprise, the tea house in Kothe was the best one out of all during the entire trek.
So we acclimatized and rested in Kothe for a day then we set about for Mera Peak base camp. Now, this is the most tricky bit in Mera. Mera base camp is only built upon request and many will say oh! why did you have to have Mera base camp or it is not necessary or you can make your way to high camp directly. A lot of the operators choose not to do this because it adds an extra day to the itinerary or is only 3 hours walk from Khare camp. But when it comes to mountain and you want to better your odds of making it to the summit and completing your trek/ expedition rather than rushing and not acclimatizing properly. So, as a company, we choose to have Mera la Base camp in our Itinerary so that our clients and group has a better chance of successfully completing the journey. Then once we rested at base camp and moved on to High camp that’s when the real test began. From this day onwards we are on our harness, ropes, crampons, and mountain climbing shoes. Perfect practice for the next day’s summit climb. From the base camp, the terrains is completely different. We started off with a steep 80 degree walk up the snowy hill and then to the blue ice glacier climbing 4 - 5 hills to Mera high camp. You are walking slowly on those ice paths all the way to the Summit. Still, a tiring walk but the place they chose for a high camp has such a great view. It looks crazily dangerous as the campsite is just on the flat base side of the cliff and a 500-600 m drop after that, somehow it’s safe to station the camp there. So, the group arrived there and we rested in our camp waiting for the big day tomorrow. We briefed our team the next day as we had to start our climb to the summit at 4 am in morning.
The next day we were all set and ready to go at 4 am. We started in the dark and sunshine was scheduled around 4:30 am-ish, so as we were making our climb on the snowy slopes we could slowly see the sun rising just behind the Himalayan ranges. What a sight, to see the colors change and the white snow slowly light up making the whole climb shinier and brighter. Shades on and we started to move up to the summit. The walk to the top was a killer one. So on the high altitudes, anyone climbing is not supposed to stay out exposed out in the cold/ wind for long. Every break we took was a quick 30s to 1 min and then off we go again. I can’t remember the number of breaks we took but I am pretty sure we take a handful of one. It took us around 4 hours to get to the summit. Just when we were to reach the summit the final climb was a 90-degree vertical ice block and at that moment in my head, I was like how am I to climb this and then our climbing leader just took us a sideways walk from and slowly side-stepping we climbed the to the summit. I was exhausted, tired but joy overfilled me with what we had achieved. The whole group was at the summit and we spoke on the radio with our team at Kothe camp. There were congratulation, hugs, laughter, and tears. This was one of the hardest things that I had done but definitely worth it. This was it all the month’s worth of planning and preparation was for this climb. All the clients were at the top which was another achievement for all the Namas adventure team.
This was definitely a great experience for me because as a founder of Namas Adventure I want to understand as much as I can of work that goes during our tour operations which gives me the perspective of how our staff is doing while on tours and expeditions, as well as understanding in what ways we can improve in our services, having a great time with people with the same interest and enjoying my passion of climbing mountains, inspiring through our work and seeking for greater adventures.
This is the story I chose and it has been an amazing learning and developing so far. The story continues ahead and our message as a company leads with inspiring human individuals to choose to live their story.
Live Your Story.
See you in future adventures and good luck with many adventures ahead. The upcoming expedition that I will be joining Baruntse Expedition, Manaslu Expedition, and Amadablam Expedition.
If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.
Equipment checklist for Mountain / Peak climbing from 4000 - 7000M
EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST FOR MOUNTAIN / PEAK CLIMBING FROM 4000 - 7000M
Photo by David Ruiz Luna ( Island Peak, Nepal )
Good solid gears are an integral part of a successful peak or mountain climbing. We have listed the absolute necessities of mountain climbing gears to help you on your journey to the summit. Please consider each item carefully and be sure you understand the function of each piece of equipment before you substitute or delete items from your duffle. Keep in mind that this list has been carefully compiled by our Everest and other 6000+ expedition leaders. Don't cut corners on the quality of your gear. The listed gears below are for mountain and Himalayan peak from 4000 to 7000M. Expeditions which we operate at Namas adventure ( Mera Peak, Island peak, Mount Blanc, Aconcagua ), are the recommended essential gear for extreme conditions.
Climbing Gears
Helmet ( Black diamond, Petzel or similar brands)
Alpine Ice Axe (65-70cm)
A mountaineering harness, with adjustable leg loops.
Carabineers: 3 lockings and 6 regular
Rappel device: ATC or figure 8
Trekking Poles
Mountaineering boots
Mountaineering boots suitable for above 6000m; La Sportiva GSM2 or equivalent
Hiking shoes for the trek to base camp with ankle protection (North face, Salomon, La Sportiva, or similar mountain brands )
Gaiters
Thermal mountaineering socks or equivalent: 6 pairs
Liner socks or equivalent: 3 pairs
Flip flops / Slippers
Body Layers
2 merino base layers: top/bottom set
1 mid-layer top: breathable Underwear
Lightweight Nylon Pants: 1 pair
Hooded Soft Shell jacket To be worn over other layers
Soft Shell Guide Pants: Gore-tex and breathable
Hooded Hard Shell: Gore-tex and breathable
Hard Shell Pants: Gore-tex and breathable, big enough to wear over your guide trousers
Insulated Down Jacket with hood: North face Himalayan parka or equivalent with 600-800 down fills
Insulated synthetic Pants: Worn primarily when climbing below Camp 2
Long jones equivalent to Rab’s Polartec or equivalent: 2 pairs
Hiking Shorts
Headgear and Handwear
Wool hat (ski hat)
Sunhat: To shade your face/neck from the sun on a hot day
Buff: To protect your neck/face from the sun
Under helmet Balaclava
Glacier glasses: Full protection with side covers or wrap around
Ski goggles: To be worn on summit day in the event of high winds
Lightweight synthetic liner gloves: For wearing on a hot day; 2 pairs
Softshell gloves: To wear for moderate cold/wind
Shell glove with insulated liner: To wear for severe cold / strong wind
Expedition Mitts for bad weather
Equipment & Personal Gears
Expedition Backpack: 65L pack should be large enough.
25L - 35LTrekking Backpack: To carry on the trek to base camp. Simple and light.
Sleeping Bag: Rated to at least -20 to - 40°F. Goose down or synthetic
Compression stuff sacks: 3 large ones; for reducing the volume of the sleeping bag, down parka, etc., in your pack.
High-Quality sleeping pad (1 for base camp and 1 for high camps): Full length is preferred.
Closed-cell foam pad: To be used in conjunction with the inflating pad for warmth and comfort when sleeping.
Trekking poles with snow baskets: Adjustable poles
Cup: Plastic insulated cup for drinking
Bowl: A plastic bowl for eating dinner or breakfast
Spoon: Plastic spoon
Head torch: 1 normal for base camp and 1 with remote battery systems for climbing at night. This will be used whilst climbing at night
Multisport watch with Altimeter & GPS navigation
Sunscreen: SPF 50 or above
Lip balm with sunblock
Water bottles: 2 wide mouth bottles with 1-liter capacity
Water bottle parkas (2): fully insulated with zip opening
Thermos: 1 liter (buy good ones to keep your water warm for longer hours)
Pee bottle: 1-liter minimum bottle for convenience at night in the tent
Toiletry bag: Include toilet paper and hand sanitizer and a small towel
Hand warmers & toe warmers
Penknife or multi-tool (optional)
Camera: bring extra batteries and memory cards
Personal solar charging system (optional but recommended)
Travel Clothes
Duffel bags (2) with locks: To transport equipment
Base Camp extra Items: Kindle, I pad, smartphone, etc
Snack food: Please bring a few days of your favorite climbing snack food such as bars, energy gels, nuts, beef jerky, etc. A variety of salty and sweet is recommended to give you extra energy.
Small personal first aid kit: Include athletic tape, Band-Aid’s, Ibuprofen, blister care, personal medications, etc
Medications and Prescriptions: Bring antibiotics (Azithromycin, etc.), and altitude medicine such as Diamox and dexamethasone*
Apart from your personal clothes and shoes most of the mountain gears, sleeping bags, and mats can be rented when you are planning an expedition in Nepal, France, or Argentina.
Companies recommended
Climbing Gears - Black diamond, Petzl, Grivel
Mountaineering boots - La Sportiva, Kailas, Mammut, Scarpa
Trekking Boots - La Sportiva, Northface, Patagonia, Mammut
Body Layers - Northface, Mountain hardware, Mammut, Patagonia, Arctyrex, Marmot, Rab
Headgear and hand wear - Northface, Mountain hardware, Patagonia, Mammut
Glasses - Julbo
Other gear companies: Exped, Garmin, Goal zero, Bio lite, MSR Gears
If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.