Chulu West (6,419 m) is a glaciated peak in the Annapurna region of Nepal, standing north of Manang above the yak pastures of Churi Ledar on the Annapurna Circuit. Its approximate position is latitude 28°44′36″ N and longitude 84°01′30″ E, and a Japanese team made the first recorded ascent in 1952. The climb combines scree, fixed rope on rock bands, a glacier crossing and a snow and ice ridge to the summit.
Chulu West is a technical climb on rock, glacier and ice, so the requirements are stricter than on a walking peak. Please read each point before you book:
The climb moves in short steps from Churi Ledar to Base Camp, Advance Base Camp and High Camp, and then to the summit.
From Churi Ledar you walk 3.5 km in about 4 hours to Base Camp (4,844 m), where the guide runs the training session. The next day you climb 1.5 km in 2 to 3 hours to Advance Base Camp (5,100 m), and the day after you cover 1.8 km in 2 to 3 hours to High Camp (5,500 m).
Your guide checks your boots, crampons, harness, helmet and layers at Base Camp and again at High Camp. Summit day starts early in the morning with a headlamp, and you follow a scree trail to the crampon point before climbing the ice and snow ridge.
Before leaving High Camp, the guide sets a turnaround time and keeps to it. If you are too slow, the weather turns or the snow is unsafe, the guide turns the team around, and the contingency day gives you a second chance.
For a successful Chulu West climb, you need the right high-altitude and technical equipment. With nights in tents at 4,844 m, 5,100 m and 5,500 m and a summit at 6,419 m, these items decide how warm, safe and strong you feel on summit day.
This is a short, focused climb. You meet our guide at Churi Ledar, walk up to a tented Base Camp, train for an afternoon, and then move through Advanced Base Camp and High Camp before the summit push.
We handle the technical side, which means the guide, camp logistics, food, tents, permit and climbing gear. You bring your own personal equipment and insurance.
Chulu West is the western summit of the Chulu group, a cluster of peaks north of Manang.
A Japanese team made its first recorded ascent in October 1952, and the normal route today finishes on the north ridge. Later teams have tried other lines, such as the west ridge in 2017, and still used the north ridge to reach the top.
This package covers the technical climbing section only: Churi Ledar to Base Camp, the summit climb and the return to Base Camp.
We provide the technical guide, camp logistics with food and accommodation, the peak permit and the other essentials for about 5 to 6 days on the mountain.
It is our most flexible peak climbing option in Nepal. It is made for solo travellers and for groups travelling self-guided, such as walkers on the Annapurna Circuit who want to add a 6,000 m peak.
We set each itinerary after assessing the challenges and risks of the trip. We include 1 contingency day (Day 7), but it may not be needed, and in hard conditions 1 day may still not be enough.
The service cost for this day applies whether you use it or not, because logistics and overheads continue. Extra days beyond it cost $150 per day, paid in cash directly to your guide.
Chulu West is graded Alpine PD+, a fairly difficult climb for people who already have basic mountaineering skills.
The challenge is the mix of altitude, cold, loose slate, fixed-rope rock sections, a glacier crossing and a long summit day, not one single hard move.
Reports from earlier teams describe snow and ice slopes of about 30 to 45 degrees on the north ridge, with a short steeper flank and some crevasses higher up.
Conditions change every season, so your guide decides on the day how to rope up and where fixed rope is needed.
Ascending Chulu West requires careful progression through a series of increasingly elevated camps, each strategically placed to break down the massive altitude gain and prepare you for the ultimate summit push.
From the rocky pastures of the lower base to the windswept saddles near the top, these camps serve as your vital shelters, acclimatization hubs, and staging grounds.
Base Camp sits on a flat pasture below a scree hill, after the 4,740 m pass. Our crew sets up a kitchen tent, a dining tent, a toilet tent and dome tents with mattresses on a twin sharing basis.
This is where you do your training on ice walking, crampons and rope work. It is also where you rest and eat before and after the summit.
Advanced Base Camp lies on a sheltered ledge of loose slate, with a steep rock face behind it that blocks some of the wind. From the ledge you look straight at the Chulu West summit, which helps you understand the route above.
Many teams skip this camp and push from Base Camp straight to High Camp, but that is a big altitude jump and it tires many climbers. We use this camp to split the gain into two smaller steps.
High Camp is on a high saddle beyond the rock band and the glacier, and it is the coldest and most exposed camp on the route.
The flat ground gives views of the Annapurna and Damodar ranges and the Thorong La pass. You eat an early dinner, check your gear and sleep in your four-season bag. The summit push starts from here in the early hours!
This package has no acclimatization days of its own, so your preparation happens before you reach Churi Ledar.
A good plan is a rest day in Manang (3,540 m), a hike to a higher viewpoint such as Ice Lake (about 4,600 m), and a night at Yak Kharka (about 4,050 m) before you move to Churi Ledar.
Above Churi Ledar, your sleeping altitude rises from 4,844 m to 5,100 m and then 5,500 m. Our guide checks your oxygen saturation and symptoms with a pulse oximeter, and holds you at a camp or turns you around if you are not adapting.
Summit day begins early in the morning at High Camp, with a steady walk up a scree trail to the crampon point. From there, the route follows a ridge of ice and snow, and the climb is slow and tiring, but views open up all along the way.
You move one careful step at a time and follow exactly where your guide places their feet. From the summit you look over the Annapurna range, the Thorong La area and, on a clear day, far peaks such as Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mt. Manaslu.
After a short stay, you descend the same route, using the fixed-rope sections again, and continue all the way down to Base Camp.
A peak like Chulu West needs a guide who knows the route, the weather and the rescue plan. Before you pay anyone, contact our head office in Kathmandu directly and confirm who is operating your climb and who your team will be.
Please send a WhatsApp message or an email to the official contacts listed on our website to check that an offer is real.
Sometimes, people sell trips using our company name without our knowledge, and we cannot take responsibility for bookings that were not confirmed with our head office. A very cheap offer can save money at the start, but an accident on a 6,000 m peak can bring a large liability!
We run this package as a dedicated climbing service, so every part of it is built around the mountain and not around a generic itinerary. Here is what that means on this route.
Our team at HEN has designed the base camp to base camp programmefrom long grassroots experience, so you get quality service at a very feasible, cost-price rate. Your guide is a qualified climbing guide who has summited Mt. Everest or climbed above 7,500 m.
Our quoted price is based on the real number of climbers in your group, but we ask you to think beyond price, because safety matters more. If a team member falls sick, we bring them down safely to rest while the others continue the summit push.
Warm climbing boots and down jackets are available to rent by foot size, so you don't need to carry them. Please contact only our head office on WhatsApp or our official email to book, even for instant payment. Scammers have falsely claimed to be HEN staff and we don't want you to fall for that trap!
Your climbing guide meets you at your lodge in Churi Ledar, a small group of lodges between Yak Kharka and Thorong Phedi on the Annapurna Circuit trail. If you are already walking the circuit, you simply stop here for the night, and our service begins from this point.
Over tea, the guide explains the plan for the next 6 days, including the route, camp heights, weather outlook and the role of the contingency day. You also check that your permits, insurance papers and personal gear are in order, and the guide points out anything missing, such as boots that do not fit crampons or a sleeping bag that is not warm enough.
The rest of the day is for resting, drinking plenty of water and noticing how your body feels at this height. A short, easy walk near the lodges helps you adjust, but do not push yourself.
Your room and meals tonight are arranged and paid directly with the lodge. On clear days you may see the Chulu peaks and the Annapurna range from the area.
The trail from Churi Ledar to Chulu West Base Camp covers 3.5 km in about 4 hrs. It starts with a steady climb that is not steep, but it feels hard because you gain 644 m.
After the pass at 4,740 m, the path levels out and leads to a pasture at the foot of a scree hill, where our crew has already set up camp. The kitchen tent, dining tent, toilet tent and dome tents are ready, and you share a tent with one other climber.
After lunch, your guide starts the training session. You practice ice walking, wearing crampons, using carabiners and the ice axe, basic self-rescue and tying knots, so these movements feel familiar before you reach the fixed ropes.
Drink water often tonight, because this is your first night at this height, and go to bed early. A mild headache is common here, so tell your guide how you feel at dinner.
Today is a short climb of 1.5 km, taking 2 to 3 hrs, from Chulu West Base Camp to Advanced Base Camp. The trail first leads north of the pasture on a gentle slope and then enters a scree field, where it follows the contour of the hills.
You then climb a rock face using fixed rope, and above it the path crosses loose slate. Advanced Base Camp sits on a sheltered ledge, with a steep rock face behind it that blocks part of the wind and a clear view of the Chulu West summit.
Just around the bend, at 5,111 m, is the rock band you cross tomorrow on the way to High Camp, and you arrive in time for lunch and an afternoon of rest, because sleeping at this height is the real task of the day.
Your guide checks your oxygen saturation and how you feel, and you should keep your harness, helmet and gloves within reach for the morning!
The 1.8 km walk from Advanced Base Camp to High Camp takes 2 to 3 hrs and holds the hardest climbing of the package. First you cross the rock band, which forms a col on the ridge of the mountain and needs fixed rope.
Across the band, a valley opens with a view of the surrounding peaks, and a second steep rock face leads you to a scree field. The scree takes you to the Chulu West Glacier at 5,450 m, where you put on your crampons and walk over permanent ice on the north-west shoulder of the mountain.
The route then rises gradually to a high saddle, where we set up High Camp on a plateau. In the afternoon, the guide checks your boots, crampons, harness, helmet and clothing and gives the summit briefing with the wake-up time and the turnaround rule, so eat well, drink often and sleep as early as you can.
Summit day starts early in the morning from High Camp with a walk up a scree trail to the crampon point. From there, the rest of the route to the summit of Chulu West follows a ridge of ice and snow, and you gain about 919 m from camp.
The climb is slow and hard, but views open up along the way. Your guide leads, sets the pace and decides if you need to be roped together, and the turnaround time does not change for anyone.
After the summit you descend the same route, passing back through High Camp and Advance Base Camp, and using the fixed ropes on the rock sections with the figure-8 where the guide asks. You continue down to Chulu West Base Camp, a total descent of about 1,575 m, so go slowly because tired climbers slip more often, and expect a late arrival, a hot dinner and a deep sleep.
After breakfast at Chulu West Base Camp, our camp services end and you continue your own program. The trail back to Churi Ledar crosses the 4,740 m pass again and is easier than the way up, since most of the route is downhill.
Many climbers return to the Annapurna Circuit from here and walk toward Thorong Phedi to prepare for the Thorong La pass, while others turn back toward Manang. Your guide can help you plan the first part of the next stage before you leave, including where to sleep tonight and what the trail conditions are like.
If bad weather delayed your summit attempt, the attempt moves to this day and your departure shifts to Day 7. If you are leaving as planned, take all your personal gear and rubbish with you and thank the crew before you go, as tips are customary, then walk in a steady, relaxed rhythm because your legs will be tired from the summit push.
This day is held in reserve for bad weather. Mountain weather in the Annapurna region can change quickly, and strong wind, heavy snow or poor snow conditions can stop a summit attempt for a day.
If the summit push is delayed, the team uses this day to try again without rushing, and you stay with the crew at Chulu West Base Camp to rest, eat and recover. The guide decides when conditions are safe to go up again.
If the weather stays good and you summit on Day 5, you do not need this day and you can start your own program from Day 6. The cost of this day applies in either case, and extra days follow the same terms explained in the packages section above.
Optional services and costs that depend on your arrangements
The best time to climb Chulu West is October to November, when the monsoon is over and the skies are mostly clear. September is still monsoon season, so we do not recommend it, because cloud, rain and fresh snow can make the rock band and glacier unsafe.
October usually brings the most stable weather, with cold nights at Base Camp and colder nights at High Camp. November is colder and windier, with shorter days and High Camp nights that can fall to -15°C or lower.
April and May are a second option, with warmer days but softer snow and afternoon cloud. December to February is very cold and windy, and June to August is monsoon, so we do not suggest them.
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the illness caused by going up faster than your body can adjust, and it usually starts above 2,500 m. The early symptoms are headache, nausea, dizziness, tiredness and poor sleep.
Do not ignore them. HAPE (fluid in the lungs) shows up as breathlessness at rest, a wet cough and extreme tiredness, and HACE (swelling of the brain) shows up as confusion and loss of balance. Both are emergencies, and the only treatment is to go down at once.
Our guide checks you each evening and morning, and you must tell the guide about even a small headache. If you need to be taken off the mountain, a helicopter evacuation is arranged through your insurance and we help coordinate it, but the cost is paid by your insurer. Speak to your doctor before taking acetazolamide (Diamox).
Start training at least 3 months before the climb. Walk uphill with a loaded pack 3 to 4 days a week, add running, cycling or stair climbing for stamina, and build leg and core strength.
If you have not used crampons and an ice axe, practice on a smaller snow peak or a mountaineering course first. Chulu West does not forgive weak foundations, and summit day needs a steady rhythm for many hours.
On Day 1, you stay in a lodge at Churi Ledar, which you arrange and pay for yourself. From Day 2 to Day 7 you sleep in dome tents with a mattress, twin sharing, at Base Camp, Advance Base Camp and High Camp.
Our crew runs a full camping kitchen at Base Camp and serves 3 meals a day with a cup of tea or coffee. A toilet tent is set up at Base Camp, and above it the facilities are basic, so your guide explains how to manage waste.
Do not expect showers, mains electricity or reliable phone signal on the mountain, so bring a power bank charged at Churi Ledar. Carry two 1 litre bottles and a way to purify water, and bring your own snacks for the climb!
Chulu West reaches 6,419 m, with tented nights at 4,844 m, 5,100 m and 5,500 m, cold windy mornings, loose slate, glacier ice and a long summit day. Technical climbing equipment is provided by HEN and marked below as HEN provides. Everything else is personal and you bring it yourself.
Tell us before you book. A condition such as asthma, diabetes, a heart problem or high blood pressure needs your doctor's approval for 6,000 m, and your guide must know about it to plan around it. Carry your medicines in your daypack, and keep anything that must not freeze, such as insulin, close to your body.
Yes, most nationalities need a tourist visa, which you can usually get on arrival at Kathmandu airport or online before you travel. Check the current fees and rules on the official immigration website before you fly.
Do not depend on ATMs near Churi Ledar or on the mountain. Carry enough Nepali rupees for lodge costs, snacks, charging, tips and personal expenses.
Yes, if the gear is in good condition and fits well. Show it to your guide at the Day 1 briefing, because the guide checks every item and may ask you to use ours instead.
We provide the technical gear, but boots, sleeping bag, down jacket and clothing are personal. You can usually rent or buy these in Kathmandu, and you should make sure the boots fit crampons and wear them on a long walk first.
Carry about 2 litres of water, snacks, a spare pair of gloves, a warm layer, goggles or sunglasses, your headlamp and a camera. Your guide confirms the list at the High Camp briefing.
Take your batteries, phone and power bank into your sleeping bag at night, and keep your boot liners inside it too. Fill one bottle with hot water, close the lid tightly and store it upside down so any ice forms at the bottom.
Ask your lodge in Churi Ledar if you can leave a bag with the owner while you climb, and pack only what you need for 6 nights. Keep your passport, permits and money with you.
Yes, appetite often drops at altitude. Eat small, frequent meals and bring snacks you like, because eating well helps your body adapt and keeps your energy up for summit day.