Climb Mera Peak in the Himalayas Expedition

Climb Mera Peak in the Himalayas, at an altitude of 6,461m Mera is the highest trekking peak in the Himalayas. The peak is a perfect introduction into the world of mountaineering. Challenge yourself in a high altitude environment.

ABOUT MERA

Alrighty then. What is Mount Mera all about and why in the world would you want to climb it? Mera hangs in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.

Mt. Mera is situated on the edge of the famous Khumbu Region of the Himalayas. This part of the range is dominated by none other than the ‘Big E’ herself-Mount Everest. In fact, this is one of the best peaks to climb as the summit offers some of the best, mind-blowing and panoramic views. In fact, you get to see five of the most famous peaks that are higher than 8,000m. These snow capped giants include Everest (8,848m), Cho-Oyu ( 8,201m), Lhotse ( 8,516m), Makalu ( 8,463m) and Kanchenjunga (8,856m). The climbing route to the summit of Mera is pretty straight forward.

The ascent is via the North and is basically a high-altitude glacial trek. Obviously there are conditions to consider like snow, ice and freezing cold. So your equipment is going to be a tad different to normal trekking routes. You are going to have to kit yourself out with high altitude boots, crampons, down jackets and other mountaineering apparel that will make for a super epic Tinder profile picture. The mountain is situated in one of the remotest valleys in the Himalayas. It is situated next to Island Peak and has way less traffic than the Everest Base camp trek.

WHAT MAKES THE CLIMB TO THE SUMMIT OF MERA SO APPEALING?

• The peak is pretty much an attainable challenge for anyone with a sense of adventure. You do not have to be super fit. It is also classified as a ‘non-technical’ mountain. So don’t worry if you think you lack the mountaineering skills to climb it. Obviously there are a few skills that you will need to know but we will spend time with you training. These skills would include: walking with crampons, trekking while ‘roped’ up to your climbing buddies, use of an ice axe and how to navigate through crevasse fields safely.
• The expedition is an incredible introduction into the Himalayan mountaineering environment. A lot of the trek is conducted on a high altitude glacier. This gives a certain character to Mera that is reminiscent of any other big ass mountain in the Himalayas.
• Mera is a perfect way to experience a high altitude mountain at a fraction of the cost. Maybe you have aspirations to climb Everest but the cost and difficulty level is a tad further than you would like to venture. Climbing Mera is a totally affordable mountain to climb. It is also a totally achievable summit to reach with limited mountaineering and physical attributes. The slopes to the summit rarely extend beyond 30 degrees. The only real challenge would be how your body adapts to the thinning air at altitude.
• The summit of Mera offers some of the best views ever!!! These include a panoramic view of Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu.
• The trek has an excellent acclimatisation itinerary.
• The trek into base camp through the forests of the Hinku Valley, traditional Sherpa villages and the rhododendron forest trails are spectacular.

WHY CLIMB MERA WITH SOUL ADVENTURES?

• We have been involved in climbing and trekking expeditions into the Himalayas for over 15 years. Now calm down….we have no idea when you will be reading this. So if you read this 1 year, 3 months and 17 minutes form now….we would have been involved in expeditions for 16 years, 3 months and 17 minutes. So call off the lawyers and chill Winston.
• We get involved in all aspects of your trip. That means we provide free training sessions, come shopping for equipment with you, lecture you on the effects of altitude on your body, take you hiking in the Drakensberg, have a few pre-climb beers talking about life, mountains and everything.
• Our guides have some incredible mountaineering experience. Our resume includes multiple big ass mountain summits from Aconcagua, Island Peak, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, 89.34% of Everest and 12% of a 6 foot ladder. We have also led over 1000 hikes into the Drakensberg. We have been through the learning curve and baptism of fire that takes up the sport of mountaineering. Read this: https://www.souladventures.co.za/mountaineering-expeditions/
• Our trek is fully supported. This means we include the porters, climbing Sherpas, fixed ropes, trekking guide, help with flights.
• We have had a 80% summit success rate on Mera. The other 20% did not make it due to altitude related illnesses. Good odds if you ask me.

DO YOU NEED A MOUNTAINEERING QUALIFICATION TO CLIMB MERA?

No.

DO YOU WANT A DETAILED EXPLANATION INTO WHY WE SAY NO?

Did you say No?…. I’m glad. That will save me getting a cramp in my finger from typing out an explanation.

BUT MY MOMMY WANTS TO KNOW?

Okay sunshine. Calm down. Here is our explanation into why you do not need a mountaineering qualification to climb Mount Mera in the Himalayas. Tell your mom to back off. And no..that was not a threat. It was an exaggerated response to an uncompromised stance. We were taught to never make a threat unless we were prepared to carry it out.

And we are not fans of carrying anything. In fact, the thought of clients asking us to carry their backpacks makes us uneasy.The trek is basically a high altitude trek. There is no ice climbing, abseiling, hanging from your pinky or other technical skills involved. The only ‘technical’ thing you will need to know is how to walk in crampons. There are a few crevasses that we need to dodge. But this does not include walking across a gaping abyss on a flimsy aluminium ladder. Those sort of activities are necessary on our other expeditions to Island Peak, Makalu, Everest and the Kumbu Ice Fall.

On all of our trekking expeditions to Mera we adhere to a strict Guide to client ratio of 3:1. Our climbing sherpas have an intimate knowledge of Mera that includes the crevasses and other variable conditions from weather, crevasse navigation and rescue techniques. So tell your mom that you will be in good hands and will be safe.

IS MERA EXPENSIVE TO CLIMB?

No. Compared to other mountains of the world, it is very affordable and offers good value for money. A good idea to raise funds would be to adopt the leaf as legal tender resulting in everyone getting rich. Failing that…save and work hard. Or not.

EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE ON YOUR BODY?

Mera is regarded as high altitude. The summit is situated at 6,461m above sea level. And 3,456m above beer and wine drinking level. This means that the biggest challenge when climbing Mera is how your body adapts to the altitude. Something we cannot predict until we actually get to altitude. If you have climbed other mountains like Kilimanjaro or Elbrus, you will have an idea. Basically we are concerned about 2 major things: Pulmonary and Cerebral Edema.

We conduct medicals 2 times a day on all our clients to determine if they are getting the symptoms that could morph into one of these conditions. The other factor on Mera could be Acute Mountain Sickness. This is not life threatening but can be frikken uncomfortable and leave you in a miserable state of affairs. It is usually short lived though. Just something you have to work through. Join us on a trek into the Himalayas and we will spend time with you where we will take you through a few ‘high altitude’ lectures.

IS IT TRUE?

We have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe dial 5 now and ask to speak to the ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal.