Putha Hiunchuli Expedition with International Mountain Guides

Travel to Nepal and climb Putha Hiunchuli in Autumn 2023 with IMG!

For years we had been looking for another high Himalayan mountain that can be climbed in the Autumn season without unreasonable avalanche hazard, and we're happy to say that Putha Hiunchuli (pronounced "POO-ta hoo-en-CHOO-lee") fit the bill. We have now run two very successful expeditions to this beautiful mountain and are looking forward to doing it again.

If you're adventurous and want to climb a remote mountain in the Dhaulagiri Range in Nepal, look no further!

For the best possible chance of summiting this 7246-meter peak (23,773 feet) we will look to take advantage of the window of good weather that follows the end of the monsoon, but before the cold winter winds start picking up. We are also going to use oxygen for summit day which proved to be very beneficial to our Team on a windy cold summit day that saw other groups forced to turn back.

This climb is fantastic, giving you the opportunity to climb a big Himalayan mountain, become familiar with our great Sherpa team, and also gain experience using oxygen on the summit day. If an 8000-meter peak is in your future, we hope you will  join us for Putha Hiunchuli. This will be great experience!

Why Putha Hiunchuli?

Over the years, we have organized expeditions to many mountains in Nepal during the Autumn season including Hiunchuli, Singu Chuli, Tharpu Chuli, Baruntse, Mera, Imja Tse, Lobuche, Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Dhampus/Thapa Peak, Manaslu and Annapurna 4.

We understand that Putha Hiunchuli is not an 8000-meter peak. We also know it is an excellent Autumn season objective that will offer amazing opportunities to climb high and gain additional experience. It's location on the dry side of the Dhaulagiri Massif makes for a very nice trek to Base Camp. Above that, the climbing route is straightforward without unreasonable technical difficulties. Our IMG staff will work with you on your climbing skills, as well as teach you the tricks for going to high altitude. This is perfect for climbers with Denali, Bolivia, Ecuador or Aconcagua under their belts who are ready for a real Himalayan expedition, or for veteran Himalayan climbers who are missing the mountains and people of Nepal. Regardless, the experience you have on Putha Hiunchuli will be extremely valuable for future climbs in the Himalaya including Mount Everest.

Our Autumn 2023 trip begins with a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, in western Nepal, and from there we fly north to Juphal, the jumping off point. This is in the Dolpo area of Nepal. It is remote, very spectacular, with very few trekkers and climbers. Over the next week or so, we trek towards the east, gaining elevation. We will be camping along the way, with our Sherpa cook team preparing our meals. Eventually we enter the Bharbun Khola valley, that wraps around the north side of the Dhaulagiri range.

Base Camp is at about 4900 meters (16,000 feet). Above BC, we will establish two camps. Camp 1 is in the moraine below the glacier and Camp 2 is on the glacier above. To assist we will staff the program with our top IMG Sherpa Guides, and we will have high altitude climbing oxygen available starting from Camp 2 on summit day. This is a great opportunity to practice for the 8000 meter peaks! Do you want a personal Sherpa? We can arrange that as well ($6000). The cost for this program is $12,500 USD, which is a great price for an awesome mountaineering expedition in a very remote region of Nepal. We are excited to run this program again and are looking forward to working with you on this expedition!

Ama Dablam Extension: Do you want to take advantage of your acclimatization and climb Ama Dablam after you return to Kathmandu? We can organize an accelerated Ama Dablam climb for you. The itineraries for Putha Hiunchuli and Ama Dablam match up perfectly, giving you some time back in KTM to rest and do laundry before getting on a helicopter and heading into the Khumbu Valley. Let us know if you are interested in adding Ama Dablam. We are here to help get your questions answered.

Note on Dates

The actual ending date is flexible, depending on weather and conditions. We have a number of contingency days built into the itinerary, but normally climbers will change their international departure flights when they know exactly when the expedition is going to end. We recommend adding several contingency days to this itinerary below in case we must wait for weather or conditions.

International Mountain Guides (IMG)

IMG is the oldest and most respected high-altitude climbing service in the world and its Himalayan mountaineering programs are organized and directed by Eric Simonson. Their teams include a group of professionals who are the best in the business. Since 1990, we have conducted over 60 Himalayan 8000 meter expeditions, and over 800 IMG team members have summited the world's classic 8,000-meter peaks, including Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.

Ang Jangbu and the IMG Sherpa Team
Ang Jangbu and his staff in Kathmandu puts together for IMG one of the very best Sherpa teams. We are proud to have a group of climbers working for us who are among the best paid, best led, best equipped, and best trained in the business. The Sherpa staff on the expedition have many 8,000m summits under their belt! Many of our Khumbu Sherpas do intensive technical skills training on an annual basis with some of the best American climbers in their home town of Phortse, through the Khumbu Climbing School.

Ama Dablam Extension

Do you want to take advantage of your acclimatization and climb Ama Dablam after you return to Kathmandu? We can organize an accelerated Ama Dablam climb for you. The itineraries for Putha Hiunchuli and Ama Dablam match up perfectly, giving you some time back in KTM to rest and do laundry before getting on a helicopter and heading into the Khumbu Valley. Let us know if you are interested in adding Ama Dablam. We are here to help get your questions answered: everest@mountainguides.com