| Ama Dablam | |
| Elevation M: | 6812 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence M: | 1041 |
| Prominence Ref: | [2] |
| Range: | Khumbu Himal |
| Listing: | List of mountains in Nepal |
| Location: | Khumbu, Nepal |
| Map: | Nepal Province1#Nepal |
| Label Position: | left |
| Coordinates: | 27.8611°N 86.8611°W |
| First Ascent: | 1961 |
| Easiest Route: | Rock/snow/ice climb |
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the eastern Himalayan range of Koshi Province, Nepal. The main peak is 6812m (22,349feet), the lower western peak is 6170m (20,240feet). Ama Dablam means "mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (ama) protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional double-pendant containing pictures of the gods, worn by Sherpa women.[3] For several days, Ama Dablam dominates the eastern sky for anyone trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp. For its soaring ridges and steep faces Ama Dablam is sometimes referred as the "Matterhorn of the Himalayas."[4] The mountain is featured on the one rupee Nepalese banknote.[5]
Although Alfred Gregory led the first attempt on Ama Dablam in 1958[6] it was on 13 March 1961 that the first successful ascent was made, when Mike Gill (NZ), Barry Bishop (US), Mike Ward (UK) and Wally Romanes (NZ) ascended the Southwest Ridge. They were well-acclimatised to altitude, having wintered over at 5800m (19,000feet) near the base of the peak as part of the 1960–61 Silver Hut expedition, led by Sir Edmund Hillary.[7]
Situated at a distance of north of the provincial capital of Biratnagar and northeast to Kathmandu, Ama Dablam is the third most popular Himalayan peak for permitted expeditions. The most popular route by far is the Southwest Ridge (right skyline in the photo).[8] Prior to a 2006 avalanche, climbers typically set up three camps along the ridge with Camp III just below and to the right of the hanging glacier, the Dablam. Any ice that calves off the glacier typically goes left, away from the camp. However, after the avalanche, climbers now prefer to set just two camps to minimize risk. Camp I is at an altitude of over 5,800 metres (19,029 ft), and Camp II is at an altitude of over 6,000 metres (19,685 ft). A climbing permit and a liaison officer are required when attempting Ama Dablam. As with Mount Everest, the best climbing months are April and May (before the monsoon) and September and October.
In May 1959, George Fraser and Mike Harris, two of Britain's finest climbers, were last seen at 6,400 metres (21,000 ft) on the mountain's north ridge, but never returned to tell whether they had reached the summit.[17]
On the night of 13/14 November 2006, a large serac collapse occurred from the hanging glacier, which swept away several tents at Camp III, killing six climbers (three European, three Nepalese). Eyewitness testimony indicates that Camp III had not been sited in an unusual or abnormally dangerous spot, and that the serac fall was of such magnitude as to render the specific placing of the tents at Camp III irrelevant.
On November 28, 2016, highly acclaimed climbing Sherpa Lakpa Thundu Sherpa of Pangboche was killed when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck, triggering an avalanche and the release of a few ice blocks. Thundu was at 19680feet on the 22349order=flipNaNorder=flip mountain.[18]
On 11 November 2017, Valery Rozov was killed when he jumped from the mountain in a wingsuit and struck a cliff.[19]
A representation of Ama Dablam was originally used by Invesco Perpetual as its branding logo within the UK. It has since been adopted by the INVESCO group of companies as its worldwide signature.