It is number one on my personal wish list and I am sure I am not alone. The Everest Trail Race is underway for 2017. It is a 6-day jaunt over 153km, which sounds not too bad until you factor in 25,000 metres of vertical ascent at altitude.
The race is set in the Solukhumbu region of the Himalayas in Nepal, and is divided into stages of roughly 22, 28, 30, 31, 20 and 22 km respectively. The daily difference in altitude goes from 3,000 metres up to 5,950 metres, which is just shy of 3,000 metres – in other words, altitude hell.
Several of the planet’s tallest and most iconic mountains, Everest, Lothse, AmaDablam, Tamseku, Kangtega, Makalu and Kanchenjunga can be seen from the route and the temptation to stop for photos is mighty strong.
Snacks, meals and water are provided by the organisation, both along the route and in the camps at the end of each stage, but the race does require a degree of self-sufficiency. You must carry all the personal technical equipment you will need to survive – a sleeping bag, sleeping mat, warm clothes plus the mandatory safety equipment laid out in the race rules.
