Cho Oyu stands high above the Tibetan plains on the Nepal / Tibet
border, and is an ideal choice for mountaineers ready to test themselves on
the eight thou sanders. The world's sixth highest mountain is to the
locals a holy mountain. It was first climbed by S. Moechler, H. Tichy and
p. Dawa Lama in 1954. On a good day the view from the summit plateau
is breathtaking, in a sweep you take in the entire panorama of Everest,
Lhotse, Nuptse, Chamlang, Ama Dablam and other peaks of the Khumbu.
The Austrians were the first to step onto the snow-dome summit of Cho
Oyu back in 1954. This massif is arguably the most technically traightforward, accessible and safe to climb. These days there are more than
four different routes on Cho Oyu with the Tibetan north side offering
several worthy first ascent possibilities. We enter Tibet via Zhangmu and then drive to Old Tingri, from where the
trekking begins. Base Camp, Chinese, is situated at an altitude of
5000m with the advanced base camp at 5700m and about three miles away from
the mountain proper. Base camp is established at Rongbuk glacier at
5180m though the real climbing starts at camp 1 at an elevation of 7000m.
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