Ama Dablam - Northwest Face

Often described as the Matterhorn of the Himalayas, Ama Dablam is probably the most strikingy shaped mountain in Nepal. Overlooking the ever popular Khumbu trek to Everest Base Camp from Namche to Gorak Shep and Island Peak, it often impresses trekkers more than even Everest itself.

The northwest face shows the two most popular routes to the summit: the normal route on the southwest ridge and the north ridge, as well as the incredible line of the northwest ridge itself, one of the purest climbs in Himalayan history and never repeated since its 2000 ascent.

Download: Medium resolution, personal use only

Route List

1: North Ridge via Northeast Spur, 5.7 AI4, Hall, Henderson, McCartney-Snape, 1981
2: North Ridge, 5.7 AI4, Audoubert, Chaud, Estienne, Magnificat, Renaud, Salomez, Solemieux et al., 1979
3: The Stane Belak Strauf Memorial Route, 5.7 AI5 A2+, Furlan, Humar, 1996
4: Japanese Route, AI5, Fukushima, Kato, Ogawa, Teranishi, Tomika, Tsubai, 1980
5: Northwest Ridge, Scottish VII, Cartwright, Cross, 2000
6: Southwest Ridge (Normal Route), 5.9 AI3, Bishop, Gill, Romanes, Ward, 1961

Sources

• “Mountain Profile: Ama Dablam,” Michael Kennedy, Alpinist Magazine, Issue X, Spring 2005

• “The Northwest Face of Ama Dablam, Vertical Commitment in the Nepal Himalaya,” Vanja Furlan, AAJ, Vol. 39, Issue 71, 1997

• Alpinist Newswire

• Santi Padros

• Julian Cartwright

Updates

Jan 17, 2023: First version published.

Apr 12, 2024: Graphic design update