For the few who have been lucky enough to venture in the Himalaya this year, it’s been the perfect climbing season: no crowds, no helicopters buzzing incessantly, no bottlenecks on the upper slopes and amazing weather. Under these extraordinary circumstances, Ama Dablam has become the most coveted goal in the Himalaya, a sort of Everest for 2020. And today is summit day.
Moe Al Thani, a client with Madison Mountaineering, posted an audio document on IG at 11:45am this morning from the summit. “We made it after a long 11 hour climb,” he said. “We are all good and are heading down now.” Moe’s complete name and title, by the way, is Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani, the Prince of Qatar. He had previously climbed Everest, and now he has become the first Qatari national to summit Ama Dablam.
While we lack full details on who else was with him, Seven Summit Treks confirmed that Aleksandr Nastenko from Ukraine had topped out as well, together with Sanu Sherpa and Nang Norbu Sherpa.
It turns out that Ama Dablam will offer climbing action for weeks. More teams are climbing lower peaks in the Khumbu before heading shortly to Ama Dablam’s Base Camp. Tshering Pande Bhote of Top Himalaya Guides, for example, texted ExplorersWeb immediately after his descent from the summit of Lobuche. “It is a very unusual climbing experience,” he said. “I have never experienced such quiet, peaceful and clear weather.”
