Climbing Amadablam: What No One Told You About the World’s Most Photogenic Peak

I’ll never forget the moment I first thought I was too cool for frozen noodles. That was Day 3 at Camp 2 during Climbing Amadablam, and let me tell you: when your dinner is ice-cold pasta at 6,000 m, you realise your definition of “gourmet” has changed forever.

Why I chose this wild ride

The mountain called Ama Dablam stands at about 6,812 m (22,349 ft) above sea level. It’s one of the most beautiful peaks you’ll see in Nepal, earning the nickname “Matterhorn of the Himalayas”.

So yeah, it looked great in the photo. Little did I know how much sweat and laughter would come with that beauty.

The good parts (and the go-figure moments)

• Waking up in a tent at 4:30 a.m. for a sunrise that blasts gold on the ridges, pure magic.

  
  

• Strapping crampons on for the first time and thinking “Hey, I’m a mountaineer now!”, until I slipped and nearly hugged a snow-bank.

• Camp 2’s gourmet menu: again, frozen noodles. But under clear stars at 6,000 m, even that tasted like victory.

• The view from Camp 1, looking up at the steep ridge I knew I’d soon climb, scary but thrilling.

The hard parts (because yes, there are some)

• My nose turned into an ice-stick. Nights at Camp 2 got down to –20 °C without me really thinking “Oh, this is serious”. It just felt cold.

• My pack weighed more than I thought. Every step felt heavier after the first two hours, altitude will do that.

• At one point I looked down and realised how small I was compared to that mountain. Humbling doesn’t even cover it.

• And yes: the “What No One Told You” part: you will sit alone. Waiting for weather. Resting your body. Eating weird food. Wondering if you’ll reach that summit. It’s part of the deal.

What the stats tell us

Here’s something I looked up to keep myself motivated:

• For Amadablam, the “member ascent rate” (percentage of climbers who reach the top) is around 52.9 %. That means nearly half of people don’t make it,so I wasn’t just risking for fun.

• Base Camp sits around 4,600 m, and Camp 2 around 6,000 m.

  These numbers matter when every breath is a little harder.

Why I laughed, even when I was panting

• Because I started the climb thinking I’d be “that cool climber” telling stories later. Then on day one I realised I couldn’t do a simple step without huffing.

• Because when you’re eating noodles in the dark, you remember you left your toothbrush at home (yes, I did).

• Because I looked like an over-stuffed penguin with all my mountaineering gear—but I owned that look.

• Because reaching the summit felt like one of the most serious things I ever did and one of the most joyful.

If you’re thinking of doing it

Do it. But go in with open eyes. You’ll get the postcard pictures (they’re real), and the internal edits (they’re also real). Pack light but smart. Respect the mountain. Expect strange dinners. Embrace early mornings. And don’t forget to laugh when you slip (because you will). Because at the end of it, standing on that peak looking out, you’ll know you were there. You’ll know you pushed, you felt awed, you saw beauty you didn’t expect. And you’ll probably remember those frozen noodles with a weird fondness.

So yeah, Climbing Amadablam was wild, beautiful, scary, fun, exhausting. And I wouldn’t trade a single moment.