Imja Tse
Encyclopedia
Imja Tse, better known as Island Peak, is a mountain
in the Himalayas
of eastern Nepal
. The peak was named Island Peak in 1951 by Eric Shipton
's party since it appears as an island in a sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche
. The peak was later renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse but Island Peak remains the popular choice. The peak is actually an extension of the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar
.
Imja Tse summit was first climbed in 1956 by a Swiss team as a training exercise in preparation for Mount Everest
and Lhotse
.
Imja Tse is one of the most popular trekking peak
s given its difficulty (alpine PD+) and accessibility especially when supported by a Nepalese climbing guide.
and up through a broad open gully. At the top of the gully, glacier travel begins and proceeds up to a steep snow and ice slope. From here, fixed ropes may be set up by the guides for the strenuous ascent of nearly 100 metres (328.1 ft) to the summit ridge. The climb to the summit is somewhat difficult due to steep climbing. On top, while Mount Everest
is a mere ten kilometres away to the north, the view will be blocked by the massive wall of Lhotse
, towering 2300 m (7,545.9 ft) above the summit.
along most of the headwall leading to the summit ridge has sometimes caused teams to turn back. In April 2009, the Nepal Mountaineering Association
tasked the Nepal Mountaineering Instructors' Association with installing stairs (ladders) at the crevasse but these were not required in 2010 and 2011.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
of eastern Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. The peak was named Island Peak in 1951 by Eric Shipton
Eric Shipton
Eric Earle Shipton CBE was a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.-Early years:Born in Ceylon in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. His mother buried her grief by taking Eric and his sister Marge and travelling constantly for the next five years...
's party since it appears as an island in a sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche
Dingboche
Dingboche is a village in the Khumbu region of north eastern Nepal in the Chukhung Valley. Its populations was estimated at approximately 200 in 2011. Situated at an altitude of about 4,530 metres .-Tourism:...
. The peak was later renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse but Island Peak remains the popular choice. The peak is actually an extension of the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar
Lhotse
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is...
.
Imja Tse summit was first climbed in 1956 by a Swiss team as a training exercise in preparation for Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
and Lhotse
Lhotse
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is...
.
Imja Tse is one of the most popular trekking peak
Trekking peak
The Nepal Mountaineering Association has categorized the mountains of Nepal into various classifications, one of these being called trekking peak or Group B Climbing Peak as per the NMA. A trekking peak is a mountain under that is considered climbable by anyone with a moderate amount of...
s given its difficulty (alpine PD+) and accessibility especially when supported by a Nepalese climbing guide.
Climbing Route
To climb Island Peak, one has the option of starting from a base camp at 5087 metres (16,689.6 ft) called Pareshaya Gyab and starting the climb between 2 and 3 am. Another popular option is to ascend to High Camp at around 5600 metres (18,372.7 ft) to reduce the amount of effort and time needed for summit day. However, adequate water supply and concerns about sleeping at a higher altitude may dictate starting from base camp. Base camp to high camp is basically a hike but just above high camp, some rocky steps require moderate scramblingScrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
and up through a broad open gully. At the top of the gully, glacier travel begins and proceeds up to a steep snow and ice slope. From here, fixed ropes may be set up by the guides for the strenuous ascent of nearly 100 metres (328.1 ft) to the summit ridge. The climb to the summit is somewhat difficult due to steep climbing. On top, while Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
is a mere ten kilometres away to the north, the view will be blocked by the massive wall of Lhotse
Lhotse
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is...
, towering 2300 m (7,545.9 ft) above the summit.
Headwall crevasse
A substantial crevasseCrevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
along most of the headwall leading to the summit ridge has sometimes caused teams to turn back. In April 2009, the Nepal Mountaineering Association
Nepal Mountaineering Association
The Nepal Mountaineering Association is the national mountaineering association of Nepal. The NMA was founded in 1973 with the goals of promoting mountaineering activities in the Himalaya, providing safety awareness and mountaineering skills to Nepalese mountaineers and creating awareness of the...
tasked the Nepal Mountaineering Instructors' Association with installing stairs (ladders) at the crevasse but these were not required in 2010 and 2011.