Cho Oyu

We are happy to organize single rooming accommodations throughout the expedition for you. Due to local pricing in Tibet, please note that this can be very expensive. If you aren’t price sensitive and you snore or are easily awakened by others that do snore, this might be a great option.

We feel that having a single room helps climbers stay healthy and adds a bit of comfort and personal space that can go a long way on a long expedition such as this. If you would like a single rooming option please let us know. Please note that tent accommodations above Cho Oyu base camp are double-occupancy for safety and warmth. The single room option comes with the “Cho Oyu Executive” option, if you have chosen that add-on.

Having a personal Sherpa and additional oxygen is one of our most popular add-ons for its benefits and cost-effectiveness. It adds a level of safety and improves summit success.
One of our Sherpa will climb with you on each rotation throughout the entire expedition, while above base camp helping you to stay safe, checking your technical rigging, setting a pace, saving you precious energy by carrying most of your personal gear and offering feedback about the climb. Having an attentive Sherpa in your corner can be invaluable on a peak like Cho Oyu especially if this is your first time above 8000m.

Our climbing Sherpa are hand-picked by Expedition Leader Mike Hamill and Sirdar Tendi Sherpa and are the best in the business. They are all knowledgeable, kind, strong, experienced, respectful, and very proficient.

Combine this with extra Oxygen and you will not only be safer but find yourself climbing stronger, staying warmer and mitigating chances of frostbite. Running a higher flow rate of oxygen at these extreme altitudes is hugely helpful and can be considered an extra level of insurance.

All our expeditions allocate a very generous supply of oxygen. In general, we plan to run an oxygen flow around 3L/min and 1L/min sleeping. With the advanced technology of our hyper-efficient, state-of-the-art oxygen masks, this is usually more than enough. We give you 3 bottles so, long story short is you don’t need extra oxygen.

However, if you can afford it we highly recommend it. Consider it cheap insurance. With the extra oxygen, you can run at a higher flow rate which will keep you warmer, allowing you to move faster on summit day and reducing your fatigue levels, all of which goes a long way towards keeping you safe.

Also, if you get delayed on the mountain for any reason (for instance in weather, or traffic) or miss thread your bottle which can periodically happen, having the extra Os may save your summit bid.

The extra oxygen option buys an additional bottle delivered to the upper mountain (we will discuss strategy on how to best use this extra oxygen). With the extra Os you can run high flow (4 – 5L/min) throughout summit day and start oxygen at Camp 2 (vs Camp 3 on the standard allocation)

*Please note, extra oxygen is non-refundable and non-transferable*

Our Cho Oyu Executive add on is redefining what the Cho Oyu experience is, from start to finish. Other Cho Oyu models are antiquated in comparison having not changed significantly since the inception of commercial climbing. Some climbers will choose our traditional service option and will no doubt live in style and comfort. Those that choose our Cho Oyu Executive option will live in unparalleled comfort and luxury- the best Cho Oyu has to offer throughout the entire expedition- all for less than many other company’s base models. This extra can be added on to any of our climbing options. Don’t go with another outfitter and be left wanting. We firmly believe that comfortable, well-fed climbers perform much better at altitude and are more successful.

The signature piece of our Cho Oyu Executive model is our heated and humidified two-room personal house tents. Sleeping in a typical mountain tent is fine, but if you can live in comfort not cramped in a tent with a bit of luxury at base camp for a reasonable price, why not do it? Your double walled house tent comes replete with wooden plank floors with insulation and carpeting, an entry way gear room with room to hang your clothes and a heated bedroom/study which includes a desk and chair to create a workspace that allows professionals and business executives to productively use valuable down time at base camp to continue to manage work obligations or to simply keep up with friends and family and update social media. Your house tent also features a battery operated heater, humidifier, overhead light, power and charging facilities, a garbage bin, a cot bed with mattress and pillow. We will even have your breakfast beverage of choice brought to your room each morning at the time you designate.

Other features included with our Cho Oyu Executive option include: single rooms throughout the expedition (Kathmandu, may not be available in Tibet), an upgraded single room in our first-class hotel in Kathmandu, and your own tent throughout the expedition (Please note that tent accommodations above base camp are double-occupancy.). Having a single room throughout goes a long way towards keeping you healthy and helping you get the rest you need to climb strong, thus improving summit success.

If you are stressed for time, you can consider combining our Cho Oyu Executive program with our CTSS Speed Ascent option to live in luxury AND minimize your time away from home.

*Please note the Cho Oyu Executive Program is non-refundable and non-transferable and is suitable for single rooming. Couples can be accommodated at an additional surcharge of $1,995*

CTSS prides itself at being on the cutting edge of new approaches to climbing mountains that improve safety, success, and efficiency. Mike Hamill has worked with clients for years using portable altitude chambers to pre-accustom their bodies to the rarefied air found at altitude, and with great success. Through the Speed Ascents Program, we work with you to use special designed altitude chambers in the comfort of your own bed so you can spend more time at home with your loved ones and less time away on expedition. Also, mitigating the amount of time spent in harms-way in the mountains and at extreme altitudes can improve safety.

We feel that these altitude chambers are not a substitute for acclimating properly in the mountains but have found that they can be an incredibly valuable tool to facilitate acclimatization and mitigate the amount of time in the mountains. Do you have serious time constraints and need to spend more time focusing on work, productivity, and family at home rather than tediously acclimatizing on the mountain?

CTSS offers select climbers our “Speed Ascent” option which employs state-of-the-art technology to allow you to summit in less time. We use a time-tested training program in conjunction with the use of a portable hypoxic altitude chamber to pre-acclimate your body to the rarefied air found on Cho Oyu. This option is perfect for those who want to minimize time away from home while still stacking the odds in their favor for summit success.

Due to the customization of this program and separate visa and logistics, this option is more expensive than our regular group expeditions. The Speed Ascent climb starts roughly two weeks later then our regular expedition and joins the team for the summit bid.

If you think this option may be right for you please contact us directly and we will work with you on a personalized plan to allow our “Speed Ascent Program” to maximize results for you.

Please contact us for dates and prices

This is our “Cadillac” signature program in terms of setting yourself up for success on Cho Oyu. Not only will you be under the direct guidance of a private Western guide who can coach you throughout the whole expedition, give you valuable feedback, be available if there are any medical issues and make your climbing experience more enjoyable overall, you will also enjoy the company and camaraderie of a personal Sherpa who will assist you with your load carrying, thereby reducing your personal weight, help you at the end of a long day with food preparation above base camp, and serve as an additional set of eyes on you at all times.

Your extra oxygen will start from Camp 2 which will keep you energized and warmer, mitigating the risk of frostbite, aiding in recovery and can be considered an extra layer of insurance when you are climbing at extreme altitude.

1:1 Guide Ratio; Please contact us for dates and prices

Having your own private Western Guide with you for the entire expedition can be an indispensable advantage, allowing you to break away from the team climb and set your own pace. A private guide also brings an additional level of climbing experience and expertise, a higher level of safety given the 1:1 ratio, feedback and personal coaching. All of our guides are trained in wilderness and emergency medicine.

This trek is very special because it joins our climbing team attempting the world’s 6th largest mountain, Cho Oyu. Beyond being treated to the most incredible sights and sounds that Tibet has to offer you will get to see what a real climbing team goes through and how they approach their climb, giving you access to the heart of the Himalayas via Cho Oyu Advanced Base Camp with an option to hike above ABC for a day before departing for Kathmandu.

We begin our trek by meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, obtaining our Chinese visas and then driving to Tibet via the stunning Kriyong Pass en route to base camp. We will then trek in to Cho Oyu advanced base camp with the climbing team to get a feel for the mighty Himalayas from their very center. We will spend several days acclimatizing at Advanced Base Camp before having the option to make an attempt to Camp 1, climbing to 21,500ft/6,500m. Here you will be higher than almost anyone else on the planet! We then pack up and drive through Tibet to tour Lhasa and Shigatse, the two largest cities in Tibet and main cultural centers, en route to Kathmandu. We plan to visit the holiest and most recognizable sights in Tibet including the magnificent Potala Palace, Johkang Temple, and Tashi Lumpo Monastery, among others before flying from Lhasa back to Kathmandu.

This is your opportunity to tag 2X8000m peaks in one season!

This program is at the cutting edge of Himalayan climbing and CTSS is proud to be the only company to be offering it commercially. Why not use your acclimatization from Cho Oyu to quickly summit another 8000m peak while you’re already in the region? This is your opportunity to enter the record books with the tiny number of elite climbers that have summited 2 X 8000m peaks in one season.

We will acclimatize on and climb Cho Oyu first before heading to Manslu to make a speed ascent, as we’re already well acclimatized to the extreme altitude. Summiting 2X8000m peaks is a rare feat that has only been accomplished by a select handful of people. Let us know if you have interest in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This expedition will provide logistics, food, support, oxygen, and guidance for a summit attempt on Cho Oyu, the world’s 6th tallest mountain. We begin our trek by meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, obtaining our Chinese visas, then drive to Tibet via the stunning Kriyong Pass and tour Tibet en route to Cho Oyu base camp. We will then climb the mountain and return to Nepal by driving via Kiryong pass.