GUNUNG · Nepal

Ama Dablam

अमा दबलम (Ama Dablam)

Information

Elevation: 6.814 m
Country: Nepal (NP)
Location / Range: Khumbu Himal, Himalayas
Mountain type: Himalayan orogenic peak (non-volcanic)
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 27.8611, 86.8614
Difficulty: Hard and technical (alpine rock/ice climbing)
Best Season: April–May & September–October
Permits & Rules: Nepal government climbing permit + liaison officer
Hazards: Steep technical climbing, ice fall from the hanging glacial 'Dablam', exposure on open walls

Description

Ama Dablam is a non-volcanic peak in Nepal’s Khumbu Himal, distinguished by rock-and-ice ridges and a hanging glacier. This profile uses Wikidata’s elevation of 6,814 m; operators often quote 6,812 m and older accounts give other figures. The technical Southwest Ridge passes the Yellow Tower, Grey Couloir and Mushroom Ridge. Expedition reports from 2013 and 2018 illustrate substantial differences in snow cover and the use of acclimatisation rotations. On the September 2022 attempt reported by Alpinist Climber Expeditions, the team turned back because of snow conditions and did not summit.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Base Camp → Yak Camp — jalan aklimatisasi

Jalan aklimatisasi di ketinggian; bukan jalur puncak

Sekitar 3,5 jam naik dan 1,5–2 jam turun dalam laporan 2018

Walk from Base Camp to Yak Camp during the IMG team’s 2018 acclimatisation programme. The report describes comparatively gentle slopes that are often snow-free. Its timings reflect that team’s experience, not a guarantee of present duration or conditions.

Source

Punggungan Barat Daya (Southwest Ridge) — rute normal

Pendakian alpine teknis: batu, es, salju, dan rappel

Bervariasi menurut aklimatisasi, cuaca, dan kondisi jalur

Technical route through Camp 1, the Yellow Tower toward Camp 2, then the Grey Couloir and Mushroom Ridge to the upper mountain. IMG’s 2018 account describes using Camp 3, but camp arrangements and snow conditions are not fixed. The descent demands attention and stamina after summit day.

Source

Safety Statistics

Moderate risk

Aggregated for prevention and awareness — not a casualty list. Read alongside the safety tips below.

Indicative — small sample size.

Period 1959–2025 · Ama Dablam (6,812 m), often called the 'Matterhorn of the Himalayas', is the third most popular permitted peak in Nepal. The South West Ridge is now heavily fixed-roped and so more manageable technically than in the 1980s, BUT the main danger is OBJECTIVE: the hanging glacier — the 'Dablam' — that overhangs Camp III. A serac collapse on 13–14 November 2006 killed six climbers and changed practice — many teams now use two camps instead of three to cut exposure time. No source publishes an official per-summit fatality rate, so no ratio is shown; deaths cluster around objective hazard (serac/falling ice) and falls on the steep ridge during the descent. Figures are indicative, drawn from a compilation of sourced incidents.

Causes of death

Icefall / serac

💡 Ama Dablam's biggest danger is objective: the hanging glacier above Camp III can collapse without warning (the 2006 tragedy; a falling ice block also killed a climber on descent in 2025). Minimise time in the exposure zone — many teams now use two camps instead of three — and move through the ground below the serac as fast as possible.
Source
Fall

💡 Most technical deaths happen on the descent along the exposed ridge; a rope/rappel failure has proved fatal (2014, snapped rope, ~300 m fall). Check anchors and weathered fixed ropes before loading them, back up your rappels, and save energy for the way down.
Source
Avalanche

💡 Earthquakes and thawing can trigger avalanches and ice releases at any time (the 2016 death was triggered by a magnitude-5.4 quake). Watch conditions, avoid open slopes after a quake or storm, and keep a fast pace through hazard zones.
Source
Cardiac

💡 Altitude load combined with climber age can trigger cardiac arrest (a 70-year-old climber died ascending between Camp I–II, 2025). Get a medical check before the expedition, acclimatise gradually, keep a conservative pace, and never push on when cardiovascular symptoms appear.
Source

Notable incidents

2006 2006 Ama Dablam Camp III serac collapse — 6 deaths

On the night of 13–14 November 2006, a large serac collapse from the hanging 'Dablam' glacier swept away several tents at Camp III, killing six climbers (three European, three Nepalese). Eyewitnesses reported that Camp III had not been sited unusually; the collapse was so large that tent placement was irrelevant. The lesson: the objective hazard of a hanging glacier cannot be engineered around by camp placement — the only mitigation is cutting exposure time, and many teams have since moved to two camps.
Source
2025 Autumn 2025 — two deaths (cardiac arrest & falling ice on descent)

During the autumn 2025 season (over 340 permitted climbers), two foreign climbers died in separate incidents: one (70) suffered cardiac arrest while ascending between Camp I and Camp II on 26 October; another (66) was struck by a falling ice block below Camp III while descending after summiting on 24 October, compounded by altitude sickness and snow blindness, and died at a Kathmandu hospital. Both cases underline Ama Dablam's core risk pattern: cardiovascular strain at altitude and the objective hazard of falling ice on the descent.
Source

Statistics source: Source Source

Climbing Experiences

Ama Dablam accounts include successful summits and attempts that turned back. Reports from 2013, 2018 and 2022 show how snow, wind, acclimatisation rotations and descent fatigue shaped each expedition. One season does not describe current conditions; high-camp use and onward progress depend on conditions on the mountain.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.