Pokalde

Pokalde Peak (or Dolma Ri) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

peak of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

situated 12 km southwest of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

. Pokalde Peak is one of the shortest and easiest

trekking peak The term "Trekking Peak" is a commonly misunderstood colloquial term which may refer to a variety of types of peaks in the Himalayan Region. The term is most often associated with Group "B" NMA Climbing Peaks classified by the Nepal Mountaineering ...

s in the Everest Region. The majority of the climb from base camp requires little more than walking with short sections of scrambling up rock. During the trekking seasons this rocky peak is scarcely covered by snow. Despite its lack of any great technical difficulty, it offers trekkers the prospect of reaching 5,800m in elevation and superb views from the summit, particularly to the South East, North West and West. Other prominent mountains visible from the summit include

Makalu Makalu ( ne, मकालु हिमाल, Makālu himāl; zh, t=馬卡魯峰, p=Mǎkǎlǔ fēng) is the fifth highest mountain in the world at . It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, in Nepal. One of th ...

Ama Dablam Ama Dablam is a mountain in the eastern Himalayan range of Province No. 1, Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (''ama'') protecting her ...

and

Pumori Pumori ( ne, पुमोरी, ) (or Pumo Ri) is a mountain on the Nepal-China border in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Pumori lies just eight kilometres west of Mount Everest. Pumori, meaning "the Mountain Daughter" in Sherpa langu ...

. Because of its relatively low difficulty and impressive summit vista's for this altitude, Pokalde is a popular commercial tourist peak in Nepal for those wishing to climb a Himalayan peak without needing to use ice axes and crampons. The first ascent of Pokalde Peak was made in April 1953 via the ridge adjoining the Pokalde summit with the Kongma La high pass (5535m). This ridge continues from Kongma La to the slightly higher Mehra Peak (Kongma Tse) at 5820m and beyond. Hence the prominence of Pokalde Peak is modest at 271m (889 feet). Most ascents of Pokalde Peak nowadays are made by skirting the opposite

side of the mountain. Pokalde Peak can be easily climbed in half a day by a fit and acclimatised group with appropriate leadership. Despite its low difficulty, sections of Pokalde are quite exposed so it shouldn't be attempted in poor weather. Doing so would significantly increase the difficulty of the climb above that of a "simple trekking peak". The final pitch to the summit also involves a short section of near vertical scrambling which for amateurs should definitely be protected by rope. The base camp of Pokalde Peak is situated in a raised "amphitheatre" style valley with a large circular lake in the middle below the Kongma La pass. About 40 minutes from the base camp is the Kongma

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

. This glacier offers ice walls suitable for ice climbing training by appropriately equipped and motivated groups. The glacier is said to be receding in size. Footprint evidence of significant

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus '' Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...

activity has been witnessed in the vicinity of Pokalde Peak base camp. This is despite the popularity of the area in being the gateway to both a major

as well as a high pass. Even during the trekking seasons, it is not uncommon for overnight temperatures at base camp to be in excess of twenty degrees below freezing. Five-thousanders of the Himalayas Mountains of Koshi Province {{Nepal-mountain-stub