High Peaks with surprises

• Valentin Groza

During the winter in my country, rummaging through the bunch of photos took in past holidays brings a good energy into the dull times.

Nepal, Himalaya, April 2019. I search into the photos for surprises, hoping for details  that I missed when the pictures were taken.

The classical trail to Everest Base Camp (EBC) goes through Dingboche village at approximately 4100 meters altitude. This is one day stop for acclimatization at high altitude, before going to upper places in the days to come. Early in the morning I go up the hill to a place where you can see in all direction.

high peaks 001 Dingboche med

Tent camping in Dingboche

high peaks 004 tent camp Dingboche med

Dingboche village is dominated by one the most beautiful mountains in the world, Ama Dablam (6856 meters).

pano Dingboche procesat_230419_05 med

This is Ama Dablam viewed from west in a different day.

Mong La_30apr19_Ama Dablam la apus 01 med

Mong La_30apr19_Ama Dablam la apus 02 med

The view to the north is wide open. There is Tabuche peak and Arakam Tse to the left and Lobuche East peak to the right. Far away, in the upper part of the valley there is the Cho La Pass which we will visit later in our journey.

high peaks 005 north west 01 med

Tabuche peak (6367 meters)

high peaks 002 Tobuche 01 med

high peaks 003 Tobuche 02 med

But I start to believe there is a first surprise in the north view. There is a very distant white peak in the back of the image.

high peaks 006 north west 02 med

I zoom in and I start to believe is the mighty Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world (8,188 meters).

high peaks 007 north west 03 med

high peaks 008 Cho Oyu med

I compared the details of the peak to obvious photos of Cho You took a few days after, when we traveled to Gokyo Ri.

Cho Oyu seen from Ngozumba Glacier

high peaks 009 Cho Oyu from Ngozumba Glacier med

Cho Oyu seen from Gokyo Ri peak.

Gokyo Ri 29apr19_02 Cho Oiu med

Surprised is confirmed: in a very clear day you can see Cho Oyu from Dingboche area.

Therefore there are three eight-thousanders visible from Dingboche: Lhotse (I don’t count Lhotse Shar which is just a secondary peak 8393 meters high), Makalu and Cho Oyu.

Lhotse giant (8410 m) showing its dreadful south face.

high peaks 016 Lhotse South Face color med

high peaks 017 Lhotse med

Makalu peak (8485 meters) far to the east.

high peaks 018 Makalu med

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But I’ve found a second surprise hidden in my photos.

To the north stays the majestic Lobuche East peak (6119 meters).

high peaks 010 Lobuche East 01 med

I zoom in and I notice a strange line in the snow covering the slope of Lobuche.

high peaks 011 Lobuche East 02 detail med

There are climbers on Lobuche!

high peaks 012 Lobuche East 03 detail med

High altitude climbers use often Lobuche as an acclimatization training before going to Everest or Lhotse and now it is the right season.

high peaks 013 Lobuche East 04 detail med

I’ve spotted a small tent camp at the base of Lobuche slope.

high peaks 014 Lobuche East 05 detail med

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There is a tiny religious seating above Dingboche, a gompa. People found a simple manifestation of the perfection and framed it.

piatra 23apr19_02 med

 

 

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