Option #3: Island Peak - 6189m

The fact that you see a number of major summits from the Island Peak makes it difficult to be sure whether the photos you find on the internet are the Island Peak or another mountain which you see if you're stood on the Island Peak... I'm pretty sure the photo below is the Island Peak, and you even see people ascending what seems to be the normal route.


If you're looking for a 6000m peak to climb in Nepal, the Island Peak comes as the first obvious option. That's why it went directly to my list. With 6189m of elevation, it's slightly higher than the Kilimanjaro, but it is climbed with crampons, and it's in freaking Nepal!!! As most mountains it has a local name: Imja Tse. Below a picture of climbers reaching the summit. Looks just slightly more difficult than Mont Blanc, just that it's 1400m higher =)

Picture from adventurepeaks.com


+ Nepal, I have to go there before I die. This is a big, big plus. Climbing a mountain is something different when you're in the middle of magical mountains and all you can see is white landscapes. I experienced the magic of this in the Mont Blanc range, Nepal is just the next level (or the one after)
+ From the summit, you have a sight on the amazing Ama Dablam (6812m), Mount Everest (8848m) and the Lhotse (8516m). Wikipedia argues that the Lhotse hides the Everest, but any case the panorama from up there must be pretty awesome!
+ There are 2 seasons. One of them seems to be in October/November time, and would pass perfect for my project.
+ Although you will read below that a number of people might undermine this mountain as a climbing objective, it also means it is safely doable...
- As I explained in my previous post, I might struggle to get more than 3 weeks off-work. Most trips in Nepal require 4 weeks, this one 26 days.
- It's technically classed as trekking, although ice/crevasse/snow/cold are daily companions on this peak. It seems to be "Himalayas for begginers" or "6000m peaks for dummies".  I can't claim to be a lot more than a beginner, and you don't find every day somebody who climbs in Nepal to tell you this, but still that's slightly annoying. I like the feeling that I'm doing something totally extraordinary, and if most of the people I come across in the area tell me I'm a beginner because I'm "only" attempting the island peak, I won't feel as good as I could! In any case the photos of the "normal route" seem challenging enough for me for that altitude!
- Because it seems to be the classic option of a first 6000m, it could be that it's a pretty commercial summit as my Chamonix guide says, and therefore possibly crowded. Don't want to go to the Himalayas to climb in a line behind many other climbers...
 
Wikipedia overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imja_Tse

Moutain Madness expedition: http://www.mountainmadness.com/adventures/expeditions/asia/nepal/island-peak#trip-overview/description
Adventure Peaks expedition: http://www.adventurepeaks.com/expeditions/islandpeak.html