GUNUNG · Nepal
Ama Dablam
अमा दबलम (Ama Dablam)
Source
Photo: source
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Source: Open-Meteo
Information
- Elevation
- 6.812 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 an iconic 6,812-metre peak in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Its Sherpa name means 'mother's necklace', and its pyramidal shape earns it the nickname 'Matterhorn of the Himalayas'. A non-volcanic orogenic peak first climbed in 1961, it is among the most popular technical climbing objectives in the Himalayas.
Gallery
Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.
Routes
Punggungan Barat Daya (Southwest Ridge) — rute normal
Alpine teknis (umumnya dinilai TD / très difficile); batu, es, dan medan campuran curam pada tali tetap, dengan kemiringan puncak ±45–65°The Southwest Ridge is Ama Dablam's standard route, first climbed in 1961 and used by virtually all expeditions since. From Base Camp (~4,600 m) climbers move through Camp 1 (~5,700 m), Camp 2 (~6,000 m) atop the granite Yellow Tower, and Camp 3 (~6,300 m) before the summit pyramid. Key technical features are the Yellow Tower, the exposed Mushroom Ridge, and steep snow/ice on summit day, making it a serious but attainable objective for experienced alpine climbers.
SourceSafety Statistics
Moderate riskAggregated 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
- 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 - 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 - 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
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
Climbing Experiences
Ama Dablam (6,812 m) in the Khumbu Himal is often called the 'Matterhorn of the Himalayas' for its striking, technical rock-and-ice summit pyramid. Though lower than the eight-thousanders, its normal Southwest Ridge route demands rock, ice, and mixed skills on fixed ropes. The videos and guide below document real expeditions — from full summit documentaries to climbers' reflections on a hard summit day. All links are verified live.
References
The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.