Dole-Lhabarma-Machherma

Many ice flows found along the Gokyo trail can be comfortably climbed out of the above mentioned villages.
T - trailside climbs, 1-6 - Dole drainage, M - Machherma climbs.

Dole trailside climbs

You can start climbing right from the trail! About midway between Portse-Tenga and Dole the main trail is intersected by three frozen streams (easier access from Dole, ~30 min). Waterfalls just next to the trail form at least three two-pitch climbs at WI3-3+ level. These training climbs are used by the Khumbu climbing school held every winter in Portse. Some incredibly long (mostly low-angle) lines could be climbed by rappeling along a streambed to the bottom of the gorge, climbing back to the trail, and then continuing upwards.

One of the trailside climbs.

Dole - Labharma

Climbs in the Dole drainage, with the exception of the first climb listed below, are more easily accessed from a lodge in Labharma. The climbs are listed from left to right, starting from the one nearest to Dole.

1. WI3+, 150m (or more depending on where you start and end climbing). This hidden gully is almost invisible from most angles but can be seen quite well from the top of the moraine ridge across the river. From Dole, follow the river upstream, then acsent a streambed branching left to the base of the ice (~30 min). Two low-angle pitches are followed by a steeper one consisting of two steps. Thereafter, low-angle ice continues for an unknown number of pitches. Rappel descent.
View from Dole and from the moraine ridge. The final headwall.

At the head of the valley (approximately opposite Lapharma) there are several ice flows.

2. Arjun's Playground, WI4+, 3 pitches.

3. In Sickness and in Health, WI3+, 250m. The first two pitches are exposed to the morning sun. P1: Climb a steep column (~5 m) to easier climbing above.
P2: Continue up the low angle ramp to boulder field.
P3: Scramble up boulders past the first curtain on left to the second ice flow P4-5: Climb the second flow, several short steep sections. Descent on foot (obvious).

The initial column. Photo by Susan Ruff.

4. Desconnor, WI4+, 150m. This route is not always there as it gets a lot of sun.

Further north, there is another bowl with more ice:

5. Some short steep climbs, no information.

6. WI3+, 100m. The first pitch (starting on the right) follows easy bulges, the second one is slightly steeper and has a short headwall that can be avoided. Other variations are possible. Descent on foot.


Machherma

Above the village of Machherma, one can see a headwall with a number of ice climbs (~ 1hr. approach) well known to local climbers. The climbs were out of condition when we visited and the only information available is that ice and mixed routes up to 3 pitches in length have been climbed there.
Machherma headwall.

Historical record.
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